«
»

1954 Olds Rocket World’s Rarest Automobile

Email this post Print this post
By Barry Ritholtz - August 23rd, 2011, 8:00AM

This is the car that in 1954 could have “killed” the Corvette.
So, Chevrolet, being GM’s big sales and profit division, campaigned to GM to “kill” this car. When Chevy was coming out with its 6-cyl. sports car with its 2-speed “powerglide” transmission and side curtains, here was a sports car from Olds with a big old V-8 and power windows.
So, GM said no to Oldsmobile on building this car. The world’s rarest automobile: a 1954 Concept Olds Rocket F88 – the only one in existence. (read the story below) John S. Hendricks, (Discovery Communications founder) paid in excess of 3 million to acquire this 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 Convertible Concept Car. After spending decades as a collection of parts stuffed into wooden crates, the F-88 was reassembled. In 1954, the F-88 was a Motorama Dream Car, and was one of only two, or an unconfirmed possible three, ever created.

The F-88 seen here is literally the only car left of its kind, and was sold to John and Maureen Hendricks at the prestigious Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction in Scottsdale , Arizona , for an unbelievable $3,240,000. This acquisition made automotive history, and is the cornerstone of the Gateway Colorado Automobile Museum, in its own special room in a rotating display, worthy of the F-88!

Click to enlarge:

PERMALINK
Category: Markets, Weekend.

Comments

Please use the comments to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data, ability to repeat discredited memes, and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Also, be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor even implied. Any irrelevancies you can mention will also be appreciated. Lastly, kindly forgo all civility in your discourse . . . you are, after all, anonymous.

5 Responses to “1954 Olds Rocket World’s Rarest Automobile”

  1. lalaland Says:
    August 23rd, 2011 at 8:18 am

    My god that’s beautiful

  2. romerjt Says:
    August 23rd, 2011 at 9:04 am

    Love it!

  3. Centurion9.41 Says:
    August 23rd, 2011 at 11:18 am

    Beautiful.

    Gives one an idea of just how much talent and creation is wasted and destroyed in corporations due to corporate greed and infighting.

  4. Dean Says:
    August 23rd, 2011 at 11:34 am

    Beautiful car, but “world’s rarest” is a bit of hyperbole. There are plenty of one-of-one cars out there, including concepts by GM and other makers.

    People forget (or don’t know) just how much of a powerhouse GM was in that era. Look up the Buick Le Sabre concept for another example of their styling prowess. That car was Harley Earl’s driver for two years.

  5. BennyProfane Says:
    August 23rd, 2011 at 12:21 pm

    Rare? Maybe, but here’s one that’s as rare (one off), and infinitely more beautiful (that thing looks like a Harley Davidson with four wheels).

    The Jaguar XJ13

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_XJ13

60 queries. 0.384 seconds.