Not Your Father's Oldsmobile

                Back in the early 1950s General Motors, through their Chevrolet division, had a monster hit of an automobile on their hands. It was called the Corvette.  Designed by the great Harley Earl and released in 1953, the Vette’s history and success are legendary.

                What isn’t as well known is another project that GM had on the books for their Oldsmobile division to build another sports convertible.  Also headed up by Earl, working with the likes of Bill Mitchell and Ken Pickering, the project, initially known as the XP-20 project was designed to broaden the company’s reach into the roadster market.

                When the Vette first rolled off the line for the 1953 year it sported a 235 cubic inch straight six with a two speed automatic transmission. Obviously that power plant would grow over the years into a bigger, more powerful small block V-8 and the transmission would also expand. But this straight six and two speed was what initially rolled into and out of the showrooms across the country. Still, with its fiberglass body keeping the weight down, those initial cars, with their rag tops and stylish looks took the world by storm.

                After Earl and his team put the bow on that first generation Corvette they switched badges and turned toward the Oldsmobile XP-20 project which quickly became commonly known as the F-88.  The first F-88 was designed and built for the 1954 Motorama show circuit and literally took what the Vette had done a couple years before to the next level.

                Where the Vette seemed to be willing to sacrifice some comfort for speed, economy and looks, the F-88 was a true Oldsmobile, filled with more than a little luxury. Powered by a 328 cubic inch Olds Rocket V 8 engine and featuring such amenities as power windows, the F-88 concept car was, without a doubt, a step up from the Vette.

                Designer Earl had the concept of not only tracking this car alongside the bursting sales of the Vette, but truly believed that this car would vastly outperform the Chevy model, not only on the track but in the showroom as well.

                And that is where the trouble began. You see, Chevy was GM’s sales giant. It was the car for the people and always the company’s largest selling line. Oldsmobile had always been slotted closer to the luxury marque of Cadillac than the “common man’s” car line.  Chevy sold a lot of cars and they didn’t want to see another GM line infringe on their market share.

                So it was that this car that could have “killed” the Vette was never produced and sold by Olds. In fact, records indicate that four F-88 concept cars were actually built and only one survives today. It was sold at a 2005 auction for $3.2 million. These are the pictures of that vehicle. I got these shots from the web having never had the opportunity to see this masterpiece in person. That doesn’t mean I won’t see it someday. And you can, too. It is currently on display at the Gateway Auto Museum (http://www.gatewayautomuseum.com/) in Gateway, CO, about an hour southwest of Grand Junction. I think it would be worth the trip to Colorado, even if my brother didn’t already live there.