The Oldsmobile V8, also referred to as the Rocket, is a series of engines that was produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1990. The Rocket, along with the 1949 Cadillac V8, were the first post-war OHV crossflow cylinder head V8 engines produced by General Motors. Like all other GM divisions, Olds continued building its own V8 engine family for decades, adopting the corporate Chevrolet 350 small-block and Cadillac Northstar engine only in the 1990s. All Oldsmobile V8s were assembled at plants in Lansing, Michigan while the engine block and cylinder heads were cast at Saginaw Metal Casting Operations.
1949 303 cu. in. Rocket
An Oldsmobile Rocket V8 303 c.i. (5L) gasoline engine
324 ci V8 (1954-1956)
371 ci V8 (1957-1960)
Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produced over 35 million vehicles, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory alone.
Oldsmobile building, pictured in 2008
Ransom Eli Olds, the founder and namesake of Oldsmobile
1904 Oldsmobile Model 6C "Curved-Dashboard"
1910 Oldsmobile Limited