This Was The World's First Sleeper Car
By: Gray Van Dyke (HotCars)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
This Was The World's First Sleeper Car
Offering high performance in an unassuming package, sleeper cars have been around for longer than you may think.
While many automotive enthusiasts like to advertise their performance credentials, there are others who prefer to fly under the radar. Instead of fitting cars with fancy wings, carbon fiber, and other other mods that would suggest power or handling prowess, they let the driving do the talking. In fact, the best sleeper cars may not even look like performance vehicles at all. That's the beauty of a sleeper - the ability to deceive.
But where does the term sleeper car come from, and which vehicle can be considered the first? While it's difficult to say for certain what car served as the genesis of the sleeper concept, we have found a few early examples that embody the ethos. Let's first take a look at the notion of a sleeper itself.
What Makes A Sleeper 'A Sleeper'?
The reality is that the sleeper car is a sliding concept, as it's one that's bent upon defying expectations. If you're an enthusiast who's familiar with these types of machines , performances that would otherwise impress the public don't really come as a surprise. For the purposes of our search, though, we'll consider the key feature of a sleeper to be its unassuming exterior, as they're usually everyday cars that don't attract attention .
Beneath the surface, however, a sleeper car will usually be equipped with a high-performance engine and upgraded suspension that makes it far faster or more capable than it appears. The obvious appeal, then, is the ability to surprise the competition with unexpected displays of speed and handling. As performance and its visual associations are relative, a sleeper car can take all sorts of shapes, and enthusiast-built examples make for a different can of worms altogether.
The 1949 Oldsmobile 88 Is The First Sleeper Car
. Many Also Consider The 88 To Be The First True Muscle Car
Oldsmobile made waves with the introduction of its 88 Coupe in 1949, as the car was one of the earliest examples of the small body/big engine pairing that later made the most powerful muscle cars so successful. The middle child of the Oldsmobile lineup, the 88 Coupe was more refined than the base 76, but not as luxurious as the larger and heavier 98 - it hit the ideal sweet spot. In fact, it's for this reason that the Oldsmobile is generally considered to be one of the first true American muscle cars . Beneath the curvaceous bodywork, Oldsmobile fitted the 88 with its Rocket 303-cubic-inch V8.
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1949 Oldsmobile 88 Performance Specs
|
Engine |
V8 |
|
Displacement |
4.9 Liters |
|
Power |
135 Horsepower |
|
Torque |
263 LB-FT |
Changing The Oldsmobile Image
While the 135-horsepower output isn't much by today's standards, it was enough to make the Oldsmobile one of the fastest automobiles in America during the 1950s. On the street and on the track, the 88 proved itself as a real threat, winning five of eight races in its first NASCAR season for a series championship and securing the Manufacturers' Championship for the next two consecutive years. When the 88 first came onto the scene, it took the public by surprise (Oldsmobile was known for being somewhat conservative) but it established that the automaker was a true competitor.
Oldsmobile 88 Sleeper Qualities
- 303-cubic-inch Rocket V8
- Unassuming coupe body style
- Unexpected Oldsmobile performance
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Why am I so attracted to the number 88 these days?