The Oldsmobile That Beat Mopar To The Six-Pack A Decade Early
Of course, Mopar deserves credit for perfecting the Six-Pack setup for Dodge and Plymouth that still turns heads today, but people tend to gloss over its predecessors. There is an Oldsmobile setup that came out over a decade earlier that gets ignored. It has been banished to the shadows despite inspiring later engine builds with historic racing heritage. Now cars with the iconic Oldsmobile configuration that beat Mopar to the line can be scooped up for a fraction of the cost of Six-Pack cars.
Oldsmobile Wanted To Dominate NASCAR
In the late 1950s, the most prestigious thing automakers could do was win races, as enthusiasm surrounding NASCAR and the “Win on Sunday, But on Monday” era started heating up. But the Oldsmobile was short on power. The 324 cubic-inch (5.3-liter) Rocket V8 engine only churned out between 230 and 240 horsepower and 340 to 350 lb-ft of torque in 1956.
With the Rocket V8, cars like the Oldsmobile Super 88 could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 9.0 seconds and complete a quarter mile in around 18.8 seconds with a top speed of about 113 miles per hour. This may sound pretty good for the 1950s, but it wasn’t good enough to beat Ford and Chevrolet on the track.
The 1956 Ford Fairlane had the 312 cubic-inch “Thunderbird Special” Y-block V8 engine with 312 hp and 324 lb-ft of torque. This race car could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 9.0 seconds and finish a quarter mile in roughly 17 seconds with a top speed of around 110 miles per hour.
Then the 1956 Chevrolet 210 Endurance car raced with a Corvette-sourced 265 cubic-inch (4.3-liter) Turbo-Fire small-block V8 engine that delivered 205 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque. It could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in around 9.0 seconds with a 16.3-second quarter-mile time and top speed of 111 mph.
The 1957 Oldsmobile 371 Rocket V8 Flexes Serious Muscle
To boost its power output, Oldsmobile increased the displacement of the Rocket V8 from 324 to 371 cubic inches. The bore was expanded to 4.0 inches, and the stroke was enlarged to 3.6875 inches. The engine was paired with a single four-barrel carburetor and a 9.5:1 compression ratio to boost its power to 277 hp.
Then the J-2 ‘Tri-power’ package took things a step further by replacing the stock intake with a cast-iron manifold with three Rochester 2G two-barrel carburetors. Thinner head gaskets were used to raise the compression ratio to 10.0:1, and the package includes a solid-lifter camshaft and adjustable rocker arms to withstand the stress of higher RPMs.
The 1957 Oldsmobile 371 Rocket V8 Tri-Power setup is also known as the Golden Rocket, as it delivers 300 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 8.0 seconds and complete a quarter mile in roughly 16.5 seconds at 85 mph. It also has a top speed of around 115 mph. It was extremely impressive for such a heavy car.
In fact, it was too impressive. The Golden Rocket dominated by winning multiple races at an overwhelming rate. NASCAR ended up banning multiple carburetors during the middle of the season to level the playing field. This ended the J-2’s short-lived racing career with racing icon Lee Petty behind the wheel.
Mopar Built A Six-Pack For Different Reasons
Over a decade later, in the middle of 1969, the first Mopar Six-Pack was born. It was offered in the Dodge Super Bee and known as the Six-Barrel in the Plymouth Road Runner. The high-performance 440 cubic-inch (7.2-liter) big-block V8 pumps out 390 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque.
The Six-Pack helped Dodge and Plymouth cars accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in around 5.1 seconds, with a 13.0-13.8-second quarter mile and a top speed of 129 mph. And when Ronnie Sox of Sox and Martin did as little as remove the air filter from a ’69 A12 Road Runner, he went 12.9-seconds, making for the fastest pass of any factory-equipped muscle car of the era. However, this option wasn’t built to dominate racetracks. Instead, it provided a more affordable way to access potent power than the more expensive 426 HEMI.
It’s hard to overlook the 1969 426 HEMI elephant engine, as the 426-cubic-inch V8 produces 425 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque, which is widely considered underrated. It helped cars like the Dodge Charger R/T accelerate to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds with a 13.3-second quarter mile at 108 mph and a top speed of around 130 mph.
The Oldsmobile Rocket V8 Tri-Power Is An Incredible Bargain
The Oldsmobile Tri-Power engine is a historic icon that did what it was designed to do: dominate NASCAR races. You would think it would hold more value for actually getting banned, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the 440 Six-Pack. However, it also did what it was designed to do by providing premium power at a lower cost.
In 1957 models like the Oldsmobile Super 88, the J-2 Tri-Power setup is worth between $35,000 and $55,000 if found in good driving condition. Models in convertibles or rare station wagons with proper J-2 documentation command prices between $75,000 and over $125,000. On its own, the engine is worth between $6,000 and $12,000 depending on whether it is operational and complete.
1969 Mopar 440 Six-Pack models like the Dodge Super Bee or Plymouth Road Runner fetch between $60,000 and $75,000 if found in good driving condition. Then models found in good condition typically cross the auction block for between $80,000 and $110,000. Then pristine examples that are ready for car shows are scooped up for between $130,000 and over $160,000.
On its own, the 440 Six-Pack or Six-Barrel engine is worth between $8,000 and over $15,000 depending on whether it is a running engine or has been fully restored. Also, 440 Six-Pack cars with the four-speed manual transmission often carry higher premiums than models with the automatic transmission.
Source: How Stuff Works, Dodge, Plymouth, Oldsmobile
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