Big Change While Preserving Brand Identity: 1953-54 Oldsmobile Super 88 and 88

General Motors' 1954 redesigned B- and C-body Oldsmobiles, Buicks and Cadillacs were sensationally futuristic when they were announced in the Fall of 1953.  Well, I thought they were sensational when I saw them in a set of advertisements in a fat edition of the Saturday Evening Post magazine.

Those cars were lower, more squared off than previous models and, especially, they featured panoramic or wraparound windshields -- a feature mostly seen on Dream Cars and special, low-production luxury convertibles.

While making this drastic change from previous GM design language, styling supremo Harley Earl and his crew did their best to retain brand identify details, a smart marketing strategy.  This and follow-on posts deal with those retained characteristics.

I begin with 1954 Oldsmobiles compared to 1953.  Olds had greater brand-specific detail carryover than Buick or Cadillac.

All cars pictured below were listed for sale on the Internet.

Gallery

1953 Oldsmobile Deluxe 88 4-door sedan
Model year 1951-53 B-body cars were more rounded then angular, something of a Harley Earl trademark.  The hood is high, the fenderline well below the passenger compartment beltline.  The windshield is a curved, one-piece affair, but not more than trivially panoramic.

1954 Oldsmobile Super 88 4-door sedan
1954 B-bodies were lower and more block-like.  The fenderline and beltline are the same.  The hood does not rise far above the front fenders.  And there is a wraparound windshield.  Yet the car clearly is an Oldsmobile.

1953 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday Coupe
Now for 1953-1954 comparisons.  Brand-identification features include the side trim and front-end details.

1954 Oldsmobile 88 Holiday Coupe
One carryover is the chrome slash on the front fender.  The J-shape part of rear fender ornamentation is retained.  So is the shape of the front wheel well opening.

Rear quarter.

Tail light assemblies and backup lights are similar.  Retained is the Oldsmobile globe-with-ring on the trunk lid.

Now for the car's face.

1954 Oldsmobile 88 2-door sedan
The hood ornament is about the same, as is the globe-and-ring.  The shape of the grille opening is retained, as are the horizontal grille bar and the oval decorations placed on either end.  Other details differ, but those mentioned are strong enough to carry the message "Oldsmobile."

Rear.

The 88 rocket on the trunk lid was restyled, but its placement was retained.  Very little overall  difference as seen from this perspective.