While the new V-8 was all the rage for 1949 and 1950 Oldsmobiles , the car maker still offered its 76 and 88 series , which include the 1950 Oldsmobile 76 cabaret coupe .
In fact , Oldsmobile was on a roll in 1950 . And why not ? After all it had introduced its new Rocket overhead - valve V-8 for 1949 , along with all - new – and very popular – postwar styling on its lower - price series . The upshot was that production bound from 172,852 units in 1948 to 288,310 for 1949 .
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Of course , most of the plug was lavished on that new V-8 , the newfangled styling , and on the new Holiday two - door hardtop in the 98 series .
But lest anyone forget , Olds still offered its meter - prove 50 - head " Big Six , " enlarged for 1949 to a husky 257.1 cubic inches and now crank out 105 horsepower at 3,400 rpm . That year , 95,556 client draw up to buy a six - cylinder Futuramic 76 , just 3,720 few than those choose the novel Futuramic 88 V-8 .
For 1950 , Oldsmobile held a steady line , giving its 76 and 88 serial publication only a very light cosmetic surgery . That meant little more than revised stone buckler and side chrome on the rear fenders .
About the only visual differences between the 76 and the 88 was that the latter added a chrome spear on the front fenders and door and wore a Rocket 88 badge on the decklid , while the former made do with plainer trim above the taillights .
sale soar up for most automakers in 1950 , due in part to people buying as a hedgerow against the possibleness that auto output would soon be curtailed or halt . The U.S. military had become involved in defend South Korea , which had been invade by scout troop from the North .
old was no exception in that prosperous machine mart , and output soared to 407,889 units , a 41 percent growth , and a record book for Olds . The 88 did even better , vault a banging 170 pct over 1949 , to 268,412 unit .
What then of the six - piston chamber Series 76 ? Alas , output of Oldsmobile ’s lowest - price railroad car skidded 65 percent to 33,257 unit , this spread over 13 model .
The least expensive of them all was the two - doorway club coupe , which name at a modest $ 1,719 , some $ 311 more than the cheapest Chevrolet golf club ( sportsman ) coupe , or $ 221 more than Chevy ’s DeLuxe coupe , which would have been more comparable to the Olds in trim level .
Although the Olds 76 ( and 88 ) shared the same canonical body with Chevy , the Olds ride a 4.5 - inch - longer 119.5 - inch wheelbase , weighed 170 pounds more , and boasted a 13 - horsepower advantage over Chevy ’s al-Qaida " Stovebolt " six .
The Series 76 received club coupe found only 2,238 buyers for 1950 , and the $ 1,787 DeLuxe edition fare even worse – just 1,126 units . clear , the handwriting was on the wall , and it did n’t take Olds long to respond – the 76 was unceremoniously dump after the 1950 mannequin rivulet .
Still , the 1950 Series 76 is significant because it was the last of the breed . The received golf club coupe is a suitable custodian because it ’s rare and because it held down the bottom rung of the Olds run .
And the night club coupe dead body style deserves special mention because of its scant rearward side windows and the result retentive rear deck , which present it a distinctly jazzy tone than the regular two - door sedan .
The featured 1950 Series 76 club coupe is own by Paul Cassity of North Hollywood , California . It has the three - on - the - tree reefer shift and has been restore to as - good - as - novel condition . Just crank up up that Big Six , and see what 202 pound sterling - feet of stump - deplumate torsion at a low 1,400 rpm can do .
