Oldsmobile Golden Rocket

Oldsmobile Golden Rocket
Overview
Manufacturer Oldsmobile (General Motors)
Also called XP-400 / SO 2490[1]
Production one prototype built[2]
Model years 1956 (concept car)
Designer Harley Earl
Body and chassis
Class Sports car
Body style 2-door fastback
Layout FR layout
Powertrain
Engine 324 cu in (5.3 L) Rocket V8
Transmission Hydra-Matic automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase 105 in (2,667 mm)
Length 201.1 in (5,108 mm)
Width 75.4 in (1,915 mm)
Height 49.5 in (1,257 mm)[3]
Curb weight 2,500 lb (1,134 kg)[4]
Chronology
Predecessor Oldsmobile Cutlass (1954)

The Oldsmobile Golden Rocket was a two-seater[5] show car built by Oldsmobile specifically for the 1956 General Motors Motorama. The radically styled fiberglass concept, designed to resemble a rocket on wheels, was revised several times and displayed at various other auto shows,[6] most notably at the 1957 Paris Motor Show where it generated much fanfare, 18 months after it was first revealed.[2] The car was featured in the promotional short film Design for Dreaming along with the rest of the 1956 General Motors lineup.[7]

Overview

Exterior

Similar to other Space Age show cars, the Golden Rocket was heavily influenced by the themes of aviation and space exploration. Its distinctive sleek aerodynamic body was made entirely from lightweight fiberglass and finished in metallic bronze paint.[5] Bullet-shaped chrome pieces resembling Dagmar bumpers were integrated into the front fenders in place of headlights as well as the sweeping rear fenders, giving the car an overall rocket-like appearance. Other notable features include a swept-back wrap-around windshield, which had already become a common design element by the mid-1950s, less prominent tailfins by contemporary standards and a split-window fastback roof design presaging the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. It rode on unique "dotted-line" whitewall tires.[8] A later photo taken inside the GM Design Center in Warren, Michigan shows the car sporting a blue paint scheme.[9]

Interior

The leather upholstery was finished in blue and gold. When a door was opened, the two-piece roof panel rose automatically in a similar manner to the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL's gull-wing doors. The seats were raised up by three inches and swiveled outwards by 45 degrees, enabling easier access to the passenger compartment.[2] One of its most pioneering innovations was the button-controlled tilt steering wheel, making it one of the first vehicles with such feature.[4] The speedometer was placed at the center of the foldable two-spoke steering wheel.[3] The futuristic center console and control levers were inspired by an aircraft cockpit.[10]

Powertrain

The car was powered by an upgraded 324-cubic inch Rocket V8 engine tuned to crank out 275 horsepower. According to interior photos, the Golden Rocket had an automatic transmission like all other Motorama show cars.[3] Details on other internal components are unfortunately unavailable.[10]

Design legacy

Early pre-production prototype of the 1958 Chevrolet Corvette

An early styling mock-up of the 1958 Chevrolet Corvette, built around 1956, depicted a fixed-roof fastback coupe with a rear design almost taken directly from the Golden Rocket show car, right down to the torpedo-shaped rear fenders and subtle tail fins. However, this design proposal never reached beyond the clay model stage and a more conventional design was used on the production model instead.

Seven years later, under the direction of General Motors head of design Bill Mitchell, the split rear window design would later reappear on the 1963 Corvette Stingray coupe.[11] It only lasted for one model year before being reverted to a single-piece rear window due to problems of poor rear visibility,[12] making this particular Corvette one of the rarer and most desirable cars of the 1960s.[13]

Current status

It is unclear whether if the Golden Rocket still exists today. A common practice of General Motors in the 1950s was to destroy show cars after they fell out of usage in order to avoid liability concerns;[14] however, the Golden Rocket is still unaccounted for with no confirmation it was crushed, thus the possibility it may have survived. There is photographic evidence that the car still existed as late as 1962, while several other show cars were scrapped earlier in 1959.[1] The car was reportedly located somewhere in New Jersey, however the rumor still remains unconfirmed even after extensive investigation.[15] Motorama historian David W. Temple believes that the Golden Rocket, along with other lost show cars, will likely never resurface again.[16]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Temple, David W. (January 15, 2015). Motorama: GM's Legendary Show & Concept Cars. CarTech, Inc. pp. 158–159. ISBN 978-161-325-159-1. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Chapman, Giles (January 6, 2009). Illustrated Encyclopedia of Extraordinary Automobiles. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 171. ISBN 978-075-665-562-4. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket". Old Car Brochures. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket". Car Styling. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Padeanu, Adrian (February 17, 2016). "Concept We Forgot: Oldsmobile Golden Rocket". Worldcarfans. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  6. ↑ Bowman, Bill. "1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket Concept". GM Heritage Center. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  7. ↑ "1956 Motorama: Design for Dreaming". GM Heritage Center. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  8. ↑ Jive-Bomber (October 20, 2011). "1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket!". The Jalopy Journal. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  9. ↑ "1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket (images)". Car Styling. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Wilson, Bill (March 30, 2014). "The 1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket: A Concept for the Jet Age". Bold Ride. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  11. ↑ Leffingwell, Randy (February 23, 2015). Corvette: Seven Generations of American High Performance. Motorbooks. p. 70. ISBN 978-076-034-663-1. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  12. ↑ "1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray 'Split Window'". Supercars.net. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  13. ↑ Zurschmeide, Jeffrey (December 4, 2014). "1963 Split-Window Corvette Coupe". About Autos. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  14. ↑ Barry, Keith (December 9, 2010). "GM Motorama Concept Car Returns as an EV". Wired. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  15. ↑ Temple, David W. (December 19, 2014). "Lost Dreams: Mysteries of the missing GM Motorama cars". Old Cars Weekly. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  16. ↑ Advani, Sabu (2015). "Motorama: GM's Legendary Show & Concept Cars". Speedreaders.info. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
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