Archive for the 'Oldsmobile - Buick' Category

Oldsmobile 442

Here we are again with General Motors trying to make muscle out of Dad’s car.
Take a 4 door car put your biggest motor in it, come up with a catchy name and just put it out there. The early models were big, boxy and heavy with a mildly punched up 330 c.i. engine and they tagged it 442. That is 4-barrel carb, 4-speed transmission and a dual exhaust system hence the name 4-4-2. With its introduction in 1964, through the 1967 version the body style changed some but not enough. However during this same time period they did increase the horsepower of the car. Oldsmobile added a 400 c.i. engine and even a 6-pack option that really added the punch the 442 needed. The air induction system which brought fresh air into the carb via a  tubing system from the front of the car was smart idea. This was a very cool option to have, no pun intended.

For me however the real 442 didn’t show until the designers got busy in 1968 and introduced the “fast back” style to the Cutlass and the stand alone 442. The great engine packages along with the road gripping handling of the 442 made for a great muscle car. This meant the performance was really up to the standard of the GTO and the Chevy big engines. In 1968 the “Hurst” package did make a difference with the power of the 455 c.i.  and a much better shifting package then the Muncie manual transmissions and a much stronger suspension made an out of the dealership muscle package that could turn under 14 seconds. This made Dad’s car a true performer in the muscle car genre and a force to be reckoned with.

1968 through 1972 saw little body style changes, which was a good thing and great power until the early 70s. In 1973 Oldsmobile changed the body style again and the early designers must have retired and the new folk did their ugly thing. Here also was the ugly 5 mph stick out lower lip bumper look that many GM cars had to endure. They all had to loose power due to fuel and emissions standards so the great asteroid of government regulations killed off this great muscle cars as well.

Yet another car from GM that looked like something your Uncle took the family on vacation in. 1965 was the first version on the Buick GS (Grand Sport) muscle car. Its big, its boxy, its heavy there was a definite trend in all the GTO wannabes GM was pushing out. Give it a spiffy name and increase the power and pouf, your selling a muscle car. In 1966 Buick now pumped up the 401 c.i. engine to increase the horsepower and it worked. The engine got more powerful but the style was still unappealing. The improvements in 1967 were minor, a little better style and little more efficient engine.

Now the GM magic year 1968, a much needed style change. I don’t know if Oldsmobile copied the Buick or the other way around but it worked. I liked the new Buick GS, a very sharp looking vehicle. The engines were the same except for a few versions in which Buick offered a modified version of the 400 c.i. engine and a better transmission. In 69 they added more engine power options and a working air induction system. A great car yet Buick GS was no real contender for muscle car of the year.

Now the 1970 model just could have made GS the muscle car of the year. Special paints and packages that increased the cool appearance of this Buick was enough to make the car desirable. Now you slam in a hot 455 c.i. power plant along with the induction hood and just like magic you got yourself a bonafide muscle car. Enough to be sure, but to late, like all good muscle cars the end was coming in the early 1970s. Less power and less glory until the GS had its unofficial end in 1972. The name was bantered around to other Buick models but in name only until the official demise in the late 70s.