The whole world looks up to the Rocket (lemmy.nz)

submitted 4 days ago by perishthethought@piefed.social to c/raygungothic@piefed.social

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Not sure why they put their own product's name in quotes.

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[-] ToastedRavioli@midwest.social 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

The car is actually the Super 88, which had a “rocket” V8 engine. Assumedly, “rocket” is in quotes because it is not a literal rocket engine. This was a time where the engines used in cars and jets had a lot more crossover and a lot of companies made both. Including Olds, who made jet engines for planes during the Korean war. Occasionally jet engines were used in land vehicles. So it was worth avoiding any confusion or accusations of false marketing. They also had a concept around the same time called the “Golden Rocket” that used the same engine:

That said, the 88 was one of the fastest cars in the world at the time and was commonly used in early NASCAR

this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2026

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Raygun Gothic

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Raygun Gothic refers to any creative work from 1900 through about 1959, predicting the future before it became possible. Think rockets and rayguns, flying cars and futuristic cities - especially if the vision never quite panned out in reality. We find this aesthetic in product design, book covers, films, radio & TV. "A tomorrow that never was". The same style as in the Fallout games, The Jetsons and so on but focused on the time period through the 50s.