1media/Oldsmobile_04_1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket_thumb.jpg2020-07-06T12:38:51-07:00Anne-Marie Maxwell326ac6eff123bb3f77fb517c66299be8b435b479375141plain2020-07-06T12:38:51-07:00Oldsmobile, 1956Oldsmobile "The Golden Rocket" Anne-Marie Maxwell326ac6eff123bb3f77fb517c66299be8b435b479
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1media/Oldsmobile_02_1953 Oldsmobile Starfire.jpgmedia/Oldsmobile_04_1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket.jpg2020-07-06T12:50:26-07:001953 Oldsmobile Starfire3plain2020-08-22T15:46:02-07:00Like other manufacturers during the 1950s, GM designed cars that reflected a fascination with the materials and aesthetics of the space age. At the 1953 Motorama, the company unveiled an unusual concept car that borrowed its name and many style elements from the F-94 Starfire jet fighter. The automobile had a wraparound windshield, fiberglass body, and the first-ever combination bumper/ grille. From 1949 until the 1980s, the company’s powerful V8 engines bore the “Rocket” moniker.
1media/1956_Oldsmobile_Golden_Rocket 2-thumb.jpgmedia/Oldsmobile_04_1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket.jpg2020-07-06T12:43:55-07:001956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket3plain2020-08-22T17:33:33-07:00A group of GM workers carefully unload the experimental Golden Rocket in preparation for its introduction at the Motorama car show. The car featured a number of innovations, such as a tilt-adjustable steering wheel with a speedometer mounted in its center and a novel entry system: when either door was opened, the roof panel was automatically raised, and the seats elevated and swiveled outward to facilitate passenger access.