Rocket V8 engine

E55370

The Rocket V8 engine was Oldsmobile’s pioneering overhead-valve V8 introduced in the late 1940s, widely credited with helping launch the American high-performance and muscle car era.


Statements (44)
Predicate Object
instanceOf V8 engine
automobile engine
overhead-valve engine
aspiration naturally aspirated
associatedWith Oldsmobile 88
Oldsmobile 98
early stock car racing
combustionChamberType overhead valve wedge-type
configuration 90-degree V8
coolingSystem water-cooled
countryOfOrigin United States
cylinderCount 8
engineCycle four-stroke
era post–World War II automotive era
firstApplications 1949 Oldsmobile 88
1949 Oldsmobile 98
firstDisplacement 303 cubic inches
5.0 liters
firstProductionYear 1949
fuelSystem carbureted
fuelType gasoline
historicalRole early postwar high-compression V8
precursor to 1960s muscle car powertrains
ignitionSystem spark-ignition
influenced later American V8 performance engines
introducedInDecade 1940s
introducedInYear 1949
layout front-engine
legacy iconic nameplate in Oldsmobile history
symbol of early American V8 performance
manufacturer Oldsmobile
marketedAs Rocket
marketingSignificance used heavily in Oldsmobile advertising in the 1950s
notableFeature relatively high compression ratio for late 1940s mass-market engines
notableFor being one of the first mass-produced high-compression overhead-valve V8 engines
helping launch the American high-performance car era
influencing the development of the muscle car era
parentCompany General Motors
performanceReputation high performance for its time
productionStatus discontinued
usedInBrand Oldsmobile
usedInVehicleType passenger cars
performance cars
valvetrain overhead valve

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Oldsmobile
notableInnovation

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