1954 Oldsmobile F-88 Concept

GM’s Motorama displays ignited millions of automotive passions, and the heat can still be felt in 2005

by Jeff Sabatini

Throughout the 1950s, the grandest expressions of General Motors’ visions of the automobile’s future routinely went on display at the corporation’s Motorama shows. But once out of the spotlight, GM’s “dream cars” were supposed to be destroyed. This two-seat 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 survived that fate and is the epitome of styling and forward thinking. Fiberglass-bodied and Corvette-sized, it is powered by a hopped-up 324-ci V8 producing 250 horsepower. The power flows through a four-speed Hydra-Matic transmission and a Corvette 3.55:1 rear axle. Designed by noted GM stylist Harley Earl, this historical survivor is fully documented and represents a significant part of automotive history.