What’s better than a barn find? According to the seller of this 1956 Oldsmobile 88 Holiday, it’s a car that was bought new and used as a daily driver for thirty-two years, traded in for a new Oldsmobile, refurbished by the selling dealer, and put on showroom display for the next thirty-eight. Therefore, you’re looking at an 83,500-mile showroom find that spent its life in road-salt-free Southern Alabama. Brought to us by Barn Finds reader Curvette, this 88 is being sold here on eBay in Shell Knob, Missouri, and the high bid is currently $11,100 (but it has not yet met the reserve).
From 1949 onward, Oldsmobile engines were well-known for their “Rocket” moniker, regardless of their displacement. For 1956, the Rocket was a 324-cubic-inch mill with a standard two-barrel carburetor on base 88 models such as this one, and so equipped, the 324 produced 230 horsepower and 340 lb.-ft. of torque. The 240-horsepower four-barrel was an option on the 88 (and standard on the Super 88 and Ninety-Eight), but if you zoom in on the carburetor, you’ll see one throttle shaft. It’s a two-barrel.
By the way, how do we know that this car is an 88 and not a Super 88? They look very, very similar, but the VIN tells the story: the first three numbers on 88s were “567,” while the first three numbers on Super 88s were “568.”
When the 88 was traded in, the dealership reupholstered the interior and repainted the exterior in what appears to be “Terra Cotta,” an aptly-named color meaning “baked earth” in Italian. Of course, being a 1956 model, this car has a two-tone paint job, and the second color is probably “Antique White.” The upholstery does not match any factory pictures I’ve found, but it looks nice and it obviously hasn’t been used very much. The original owner took it easy on the option list; this one doesn’t appear to have power steering or power brakes, but it does have a radio and, of course, the optional four-speed Hydra-Matic. The Hydra-Matic was practically an Olds tradition by 1956; after all, the transmission was first offered as an option on the 1940 Oldsmobile.
The trunk is in good condition, and the seller says that “this is probably one of the most rust-free 70-year-old cars” they’ve ever seen.
On top of the Oldsmobile’s superior condition, it has the beautful Motorama-inspired four-door hardtop bodystyle. First introduced for 1955, it was extremely popular: Oldsmobile made 52,239 of them in the 88 line, in addition to 61,192 Super 88s and 42,320 Ninety-Eights. The “Holiday” four-door hardtop outsold the competing four-door sedan in every model range except the 88, and even then, the hardtop was only short by about 5,000 units. If you’re looking for a nearly showroom-fresh (literally) Motorama-era Oldsmobile with a nice paint job and a nearly new interior, you can do as the period ads asked: “Make a date with a Rocket 8.”
The 4 door hardtop. Makes “more doors” cool!
I always liked the body style. Gives the open feel of the two door with the ease of egress ingress of a four door when bringing along added passengers. Government standards or the threat there of ruined the auto industry.
Big car, big motor, 4 speed auto, good looking and fast.
Super 88s had a little round 88 medallion below the chrome strip on the front fender. No PS PB and although they were offered with a 3sp manual I never saw one. The Hydromatic was as tough as they come but they were harsh shifting from 2nd to 3rd.
Oddly, I don’t think Super 88 Holiday four-doors had the medallion, Jim. I checked the sales brochure and my “The Cars of Oldsmobile” book, and both of them showed the Super 88 as having “HOLIDAY” in block letters on the fender. Of course, the brochure doesn’t always show final updates for the production year.