Thursday, February 28, 2013

1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket Concept Car

The 1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket Concept, a gold colored 2 passenger car, which was styled to resemble a rocket, made its debut at the 1956 General Motors Motorama and was used at many other auto shows.

The Rocket had a fiberglass body with nerf-like built in bumpers that give an overall rocket effect. It was powered with a 234 CID, 275 horsepower Rocket V8 engine and weighs 2,500 pounds.

The upholstery was done in blue and gold leather. The speedometer was mounted in the center of the two-spoked steering wheel along with buttons to tilt the wheel, making it one of the first vehicles with a tilt steering wheel.


As either door was opened, the roof panel automatically raised and the seat came up 3 inches and swiveled outward for easy entry or exit.

The Golden Rocket was revised several times and stayed on the show circuit for several years.

The 1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket featured a seating system in which a roof panel was raised and the seat was elevated and rotated toward the entering occupant when the door was opened. Buttons on the steering wheel allowed the column to tilt downward, providing the driver with easier access.
A wild-looking bronze-metallic two-seat coupe was the most projectile-like Olds show car, and one of the quickest: Its 234 V-8 was tuned to produce 275 hp, which must have been impressive considering its curb weight of about 2,500 pounds. Like most of its predecessors, the Rocket had a fiberglass body. Roof panels rose, resembling Mercedes’ gullwing-style, and the seats lifted and swiveled out to welcome the posterior when the doors were opened. Conventional bumpers were replaced by nerf-like built-in bumpers, and one of the first-known tilt steering wheels was in the cockpit.
Source: Internet