HarleyEarl

That red '68 Delmont is choice...love it! Thanks Razor for highlighting these 'forgotten' Olds.

September 23, 2005 Motoring Memories: Oldsmobile 4-4-2, 1964-1990 Story and photo by Bill Vance The muscle-car era began in 1964 when the Pontiac Division put a 6.4 litre (389 cu in.) Pontiac V8 engine into the lightweight, intermediate Tempest model and marketed it as the GTO option. In so doing they tapped a youth market that was craving high performance at a reasonable price. Pontiac sold 32,459 GTOs during its first year, 75,352 in the second, and almost 97,000 in the third. It started a whole new trend; intermediate sedans fitted with big V8s, soon dubbed muscle-cars. The name struck. Pontiac's success lured other makers into the muscle-car market. Chevrolet Chevelle SS-396s, Ford Fairlane GTs, Mercury Cyclone GTs and Plymouth Road Runners came to challenge the GTO. It started a wild and woolly performance era that lasted into the early 1970s. Then tightening emission controls and brutal insurance rates snuffed it out almost as fast as it had appeared. Oldsmobile wanted into the muscle car parade too. Oldsmobile had established a genuine performance image years earlier with the introduction of its all-conquering 1949 "Rocket" 88. It had been the scourge of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) circuits in the '50s, and won the first Mexican Road Race in 1950. But as the decade unfolded, Oldsmobiles gradually lost that early performance advantage. Pontiac's reversal of its market perception as an old lady's car, culminating in the GTO, further encouraged Olds. It answered the GTO with the Oldsmobile 4-4-2. The 4-4-2 package was introduced in Oldsmobile's intermediate F-85 and Cutlass series in mid-1964. It had a 5.4 litre (330 cu in.), 310 horsepower V-8, and 2,999 were built during its half-year production run. The 4-4-2 designation stood for a 4-barrel carburetor, a 4-on-the-floor manual transmission, and twin exhausts. The 4-4-2 didn't have quite the performance of the GTO - zero to 96 km/h (60 mph) in 7.4 seconds, compared with 6.6 for the GTO. So in 1965 Oldsmobile increased displacement to 6.6 litres (400 cu in.), and horsepower to 345. With the discontinuance of the four-speed manual as part of the package, the second 4 in its name now meant 400 cubic inches. Performance sparkled with the bigger V8. Car and Driver reported a zero to 96 km/h (60 mph) time of 5.5 seconds, and zero to 161 (100) in 15.9. This was truly tire-burning pickup. But the 4-4-2 was more than just straight-line acceleration. Oldsmobile engineers improved cornering with such items as a rear anti-roll bar, that helped make the 4-4-2 into what was reputed to be the best handling of the muscle cars. For 1968 the 4-4-2 became a full series rather than an option package, and this, accompanied by the all-new styling for the intermediate models, helped Olds sell 33,607 4-4-2s. The 6.6 litre (400 cu in.) engine continued with various power ratings, depending on compression ratio, carburation, and transmission, and whether one ordered the optional under-bumper W-30 air induction system. GM's intermediates were growing heavier, which no doubt contributed to the slower zero to 96 km/h (60 mph) time of 7.0 seconds that Car And Driver reported on a 350 horsepower automatic transmission equipped 4-4-2. The 4-4-2 received an even larger 7.4 litre (455 cu in.) engine for 1970, which Olds claimed was the largest ever offered in a special performance car. Nineteen-seventy-one saw the beginning of performance degradation as emission hardware started to bite and compression ratios began to fall. This of course affected muscle-cars, and it was the last year in which the 4-4-2 would be a separate series. For 1972 the 4-4-2 was an option package, mostly trim and appearance, on the Cutlass line. It still, however, included some enhanced handling pieces such as heavier front and rear anti-roll bars and larger wheels. This would be the theme of the 4-4-2 for the rest of the '70s: a trim-and-handling option for the Cutlass. Then in 1981 during a recession the 4-4-2 option was dropped altogether. It came back in 1985, again as an appearance and handling package, but also with its own higher performance 5.0 litre (305 cubic inch) V8, now listed at 180 horsepower by the more realistic Society of Automotive Engineers net rating. The 4-4-2 disappeared in 1987 as Oldsmobile followed the change to front-wheel drive. But it brought it back again; for 1990 Oldsmobile offered a 442 (no hyphens). It came in the form of the Cutlass Calais Quad 442 model powered by the Oldsmobile-developed, 2.3 litre, double-overhead cam, four-valves-per-cylinder, four cylinder engine, which in H.O. (high output) form, produced 180 horsepower. This time the numbers meant four cylinders, four valves per cylinder, and two overhead camshafts. When compared with the early 4-4-2s, the new one was cleaner, more economical, and probably almost as fast, all with less than a third of the displacement of the biggest 4-4-2 V8. It was an environmentally friendly performance car for the '90s. But to true muscle-car fans nothing can replace that hibernating bear sound when the V8's secondary barrels open up. To them, a little four, no matter how high tech, will never replace a big rumbling eight.

I agree Razoredge....didn't like the red one either. I typically like cars stock looking. Just so few photos of this car out there. It doesn't seem popular with collectors...and exactly another reason I like it.

This was a facinating read. It encapsulates GM's situation pretty well.

Lutz: Better cars not enough Turnaround also requires reining in retiree costs By Daniel Howes / The Detroit News Charles V. Tines / The Detroit News Lutz says, "I don't think it's going to take 20 years to turn around, but it's not going to happen in 20 months." If it's possible to be positive and negative about General Motors Corp.'s fortunes, Bob Lutz is both. "I don't for a minute believe that what we're doing is not going to work," Lutz, GM's vice chairman for global product development, told me Thursday. "The image turnaround of General Motors is under way. But there is a lag effect." Yes, there certainly is. That turnaround depends on what Lutz & Co. can deliver to GM showrooms. But their effort is hampered by a record of safety recalls, a 25-year reputation for big talk and passionless products, formidable competitors with deep pockets and the punishing $6 billion-a-year pension and health care obligations -- so-called "legacy costs" -- that GM has to its employees and retirees. "Nothing is going to do any good if we can't do something about our legacy costs," Lutz said. "With the magnitude of our legacy cost burden, it would be difficult to concoct a scenario of sufficient shareholder return." Translation: Building better cars and trucks is necessary to making GM's car business profitable again, but it's not sufficient. The old adage that "product, product, product" cures all is being turned on its cylinder head at GM. Good product isn't enough to offset the scary reality facing Detroit's automakers and the United Auto Workers. Not if revenue can't cover mammoth costs, shareholders don't make money and would-be buyers aren't willing to take another look at GM. Could GM's long-overdue bid to regain its car and truck cred be coming too late to make a difference to American consumers? "Needless to say, I worry about the same thing," Lutz said. "But the other strategy of staying at about the level we were at is sure defeat. I don't think it's going to take 20 years to turn around, but it's not going to happen in 20 months." The cars and trucks coming from Detroit's largest automaker, which GM will showcase next week to the news media, are better than ever. There are all-new full-size SUVs, the Pontiac Solstice sports car, the Chevy HHR crossover and the Chevy Impala. More are coming -- an all-new Cadillac CTS sedan, midsize crossovers from Saturn and Buick, gasoline-electric hybrid-powered Tahoe and Yukon SUVs by early 2007. GM's union-built portfolio for North America is better looking, offers higher initial quality, garners more enthusiastic reviews from critics, dealers and customers, and showcases the kind of design, interior sophistication and emotional pull that the General hasn't delivered in a long time. The simple response would be to give the 73-year-old Lutz -- yes, the top product guy for the world's largest automaker was born during the Hoover administration -- all the credit or, if you're in the vocal anti-Lutz camp, all the blame. Both would be wrong. He unleashed the talents of GM designers and engineers. He made it cool to push back, to say "Who says?" in response to "They don't want ..." He legitimized passion in design, pushed for world-class interiors -- glosses, grains, touch and feel -- and leveraged GM's expertise in engines and transmissions into smoother, more powerful and more responsive products. You can feel the attention in the new cars and trucks. It is still, however, not sufficient, as GM's abysmal financial results attest. Four years is roughly one product-creation cycle in the car business, but it's a long time in American business today. That's why critics say Lutz, who joined GM on Sept. 1, 2001, is past it, that he's more flash than cash, that his vision for where GM should go is clouded by his age, experience, biases and not insignificant ego. I'd say "perhaps" to the denunciations of Lutz if I didn't see real improvement in GM products, or if others didn't, too. Such as: Cadillac's "STS is, in short, one of the best-engineered, most well-rounded sedans ever to come out of Detroit," James G. Cobb wrote in The New York Times. "This ambitious new Cadillac stacks up well against the Audi A6, the BMW 5 Series and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and it should put up a fight against the new wave of luxury sedans from Japan." Or, Automobile Magazine's "Solstice Rocks" cover story for its October issue. Or the generally positive, if private, reactions from journalists and analysts to the dozens of coming cars and trucks GM has shown over the past few months at its design dome in Warren. That said, if there's a year to begin assessing whether the Lutz era will make a difference in GM's financials and product lineup -- from Detroit and Germany to Shanghai and Brazil -- this is the year to start looking. Hard. Don't focus on the global restructuring of GM's product development organization, which collapses the North American, European, Asia-Pacific and Latin American regions into areas of expertise -- trucks, SUVs and specialty vehicles in Detroit, midsize and compact cars in Europe, small cars in South Korea and rear-wheel drive vehicles in Australia. Focus on what's hitting the road. Lutz says he wants GM products to represent good value (a base-price Solstice sells for less than $20,000); customer excitement; emotional styling; respectable shareholder return; more expensive looks than the price tag. The Pontiac Solstice, a two-seater that is more Mazda MX-5 than anything you'd think GM could dream up, is all Lutz. So are the new Chevy Impala and the HHR, a retroish crossover-cum-PT Cruiser; the coming generation of full-size pickups and SUVs; the all-new lineup of German-inspired Saturns, which could make Saturn a truly different kind of car company. Lutz hears the critics, but chooses to let the new cars and trucks serve as his answer. But is it too late for GM to get its mojo back? If revenues don't cover expenses, the best products GM can muster won't solve what ails its business. For GM, those ailments are so painful and their alleged cures even more so, that the sickness threatens to be terminal. Not next month, and almost certainly not next year. But at the highest levels of the company there is a clear recognition that "business as usual" is as outdated as the driver of a '57 Chevy looking into the rearview mirror, remembering the good ol' days, and then remembering they're long gone. GM's market share, which drives revenue, isn't really moving. Ever since the September 11 terrorist attacks, GM has needed fire-sale programs to move its metal. Its credit is rated "junk," which makes running the business more expensive and signals a lack of confidence among investors. A Las Vegas billionaire, Kirk Kerkorian, now owns nearly 10 percent of GM and wants a board seat. And the UAW isn't eager to help GM because its options for doing so are different versions of political suicide -- bad, worse and horrible. Given that litany of woes, it's a wonder Lutz is as positive as he is. Daniel Howes' column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at (313) 222-2106 or at [email protected]. Catch him Fridays with Paul W. Smith on NewsTalk 760-WJR

It's great to see this Oldsmobile body style. I almost never see it around and not a lot of photos can be found either. You have inspired me razor....I am going to really search for some more examples of this car.

Right on!...thanks for that photo. It really comes across as more SUV now...not so much weird minivan.

I have never seen the Matador without those bumpers. It really is a great design, only marred by the regulation bumpers. I have always liked it. Here were some planned Matador variations before AMC went under....I think they would all be sex worthy:

I saw an ad for Honda last night and there was the lineup of Honda 'trucks'....the Element was painted all one color. Really changes the character of this odd vehicle. Can't find any photos yet. http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=398187

I voted V8/12.....I could do without all the rest. Power just seduces me.

Balthazar, I love those little details in cars.....even now they have a powerful affect on me.

BMW should not have listened to the critics. This was a great design from day one. I always liked it. People were so used to safe design for so long. This blew the dust off boring design.

bluuu...lmao...I forgot about Wartburg. Such a delicious name.

When I first saw that photo/ad, I just about came. No other car company,no other culture, no other country, no other time, could have brought all this together....the woman's look, her style, the car.....purely American. It's the America I love.

I have had many GM experiences. The hightlight was when I bought a new Corvette...about 19...I still remember the exhilerating feeling as I fired it up and drove away from the dealership. I almost had an orgasm, I was so taken with this car. And that feeling was almost always there when ever I drove it. It was a special car and a special time in my life.

LOL.....yes it's the worthless Canadian dollar.

http://www.auto123.com/en/info/news/roadte...spy?artid=49326

FOR RELEASE: 2005-09-23 Great Lakes Chevy Dealers featured in corn maze Ohio attraction shows Silverado truck carved into corn field, educational display on GM commitment ethanol-fueled vehicles Napoleon, Ohio - Visitors to northwest Ohio this fall can visit the Great Lakes Chevy Dealers' Corn Maze at Leaders Fun*Time Farm in Napoleon. The maze, carved out of a seven-acre corn field, features the designs of the classic Chevrolet bowtie logo, full-size Silverado pickup and "link" to the Web site GreatLakesChevyDealers.com. "This marks the 9th year we've created a corn maze, and it's our first in working with the Great Lakes Chevy Dealers," said Evie Leaders, owner of Fun*Time Farm. "Chevy and the Great Lakes dealers have been great to work with, and we appreciate their help and support with this project." In addition to the maze, GM will have a display showing the company's commitment to the production of E85 Ethanol-powered vehicles. Ethanol is a fuel refined from domestically produced corn. New production plants will open in Lima and Defiance within a year. These two plants will have a combined production output of about 130 million gallons annually. A brand new E85 filling station opened this month in Toledo. Additional stations in Napoleon and Montpelier are scheduled to open next month. Just west of Napoleon, the GM plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, assembles E85-capable Chevrolet Silverado pickups. Last month, GM provided the Ohio Corn Growers with an E85-capable Chevrolet Tahoe. Visitors to Leaders Fun*Time Farm can see this specially-decorated SUV between Sept. 23 and 25. "General Motors is the nation's largest manufacturer of E85-capable vehicles," said Jim Bunnell, General Manager of GM's North Central Region. "The corn maze at Fun*Time Farm is a perfect platform to show our commitment to this alternative fuel and the farmers who help make it possible." Other "farmtastic" attractions that will take place on weekends between Sept. 23 and Oct. 30 include: The Second Annual Pumpkin Festival from 2 to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 8. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Relay for Life. Make a Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 22. Visitors can bring a coat, hat, gloves or canned food item this day to receive a discount on admission. Costume contests at 4 and 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29. Prizes will be awarded to adults and children. The "ScreamAcres" haunted cornfield will return for its fourth season at Leaders Fun*Time Farm. Admission to Fun*Time Farm is $7.50 for adults, $5 for children age 6-11 and free for children under 4. Free tickets are available at local Great Lakes Chevy Dealers for customers who test drive any new Chevy car or truck. While at the dealership, visitors can register for a chance to win a new 2005 Chevy Silverado pickup that will be on display at the farm. To see a list of Great Lakes Chevy Dealers and a complete schedule of activities, visit www.funtimefarm.com. About GM General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader since 1931. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 317,000 people around the world. It has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 200 countries. In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks globally, up 4 percent and the second-highest total in the company's history. GM's global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit.

2005 Holden (Opel) Tigra Convertible Launched (Australia) Text & Photos courtesy of General Motors Corporation 09-23-2005 Holden's New Tigra Hardtop Convertible Does It In Style Holden stepped up its focus on the small car market today with the launch of the Tigra hardtop convertible. The sporty two-seater roadster is the first hardtop convertible to represent the Holden brand and was crowned “Cabrio of the Year 2004” at the Geneva Motor Show. The versatile European import changes from coupe to open-top in just 18 seconds at the touch of a button as its retractable steel roof slips neatly into the boot. The compact Tigra’s stylish wedge-shaped design wins fashion points while it maximises functionality and flexibility. The two-seater layout and innovative packaging permit comfort and impressive luggage space. The dynamic new Tigra is powered by the proven 1.8 litre ECOTEC four-cylinder engine and delivers an agile, responsive and refined driving experience. Holden Chairman and Managing Director Denny Mooney said Holden’s first foray into the hardtop convertible arena was an exciting, image-building move. “Tigra gives you the best of both worlds. You feel like you're driving a coupe with the top up and cruising in a cabrio with the top down,” Mr Mooney said. “Tigra will bring new buyers to the Holden brand because it’s a unique kind of buyer who purchases a two-seat roadster. It’s also the sort of car you want in your showroom – something to put right up front in the dealership that really attracts people. “Tigra delivers fun, excitement and image and enhances your brand. It’s not a big volume car but it provides amazing value and complements the Astra convertible.” Feature Highlights The Tigra hardtop convertible will be available in a single, five-speed manual model configuration. Apart from the major attraction of an electro-hydraulic retractable steel roof which switches easily from cabrio to enclosed coupe, the new Tigra offers a wide array of comfort, convenience and safety features. Safety features include driver, passenger and side airbags, ABS and a brake assist function that reduces braking distance in an emergency braking situation. Further standard features include sports suspension, cruise control, power steering, ‘one touch’ power windows, a Blaupunkt CD player, tilt-adjustable leather-wrap steering wheel with audio controls, sports seats with two-tone trim, heated power mirrors, heated glass rear window, fog lamps and air conditioning. Euro Design Tigra’s carefully tuned design is the result of a partnership between Holden’s German GM affiliate, Opel, and master French coachbuilder Heuliez. The intelligent roof construction allows a sleek, upward-sloping silhouette from front to elegant rear end − equally well-proportioned whether the hardtop is up or down. Smart 16-inch five-spoke alloy wheels (steel spare) and muscular wheel arches accentuate Tigra’s sports car stance and its distinctive jewelled headlamps are completed by equally striking wrap-around rear lamps. Further stand-out features include a wave-shaped aluminium bar behind the head rests and a distinctive sports trim. Lowering the roof is a simple matter of pulling on the handbrake, releasing two latches on the window frame and pressing the retraction button. Within 18 seconds, the roof has folded into the boot area and an acoustic signal verifies completion. Holden Tigra has a maximum luggage capacity (with the roof closed) of 378 litres, including a 70 litre compartment with cargo net cover behind the rear seats. As with the roof, the boot can be opened and closed electro-hydraulically at the touch of a button. Powertrain, Chassis Dynamics and Safety Tigra offers a thoroughly enjoyable driving experience with its sporty handling characteristics, lively performance, all-round comfort and ride refinement derived from an exceptionally rigid body structure. Its fuel-efficient 1.8 litre DOHC 16-valve ECOTEC four cylinder engine complies with strict Euro 4 emission standards and is mated to a close-ratio five-speed manual transmission. The proven powerplant produces peak power of 90kW @ 6000rpm using 91 RON ULP and 92kW @ 6000rpm using 95 RON PULP. It produces 165Nm of torque @4600rpm. Fuel consumption is 7.8 litres per 100 kilometres using PULP. Tigra’s specially tuned and optimised Dynamic Safety (DSA) chassis has sports tuned dampers, reinforced front stabilisers, complex front suspension mounts to dampen vibration and a hydro-formed rear axle with modified torsional profile to optimise grip and roll control. The power steering system is speed-sensitive with electric assist. Four-channel ABS is complemented by a mechanical brake assist function which reduces braking distance in emergency applications. Tigra is equipped with four airbags – driver, passenger and side – ‘breakaway’ brake and clutch pedals to protect against lower limb injury, seat belts with belt-force limiters and pyrotechnic pre-tensioners and anti-submarining ramps to reduce the risk of sliding under the seat belt in a collision. Its passenger safety cell is designed to transform impact energy through controlled deformation.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/05corvette_conv.htm The photos in this article show how terrible front license plates look on cars like this. I am so glad to live in a no-front-license-plate jurisdiction. Cars look so much better here.

Razoredge, very interesting bench seat in the Matador. Yes, be careful with those building projects in the garage;)

You DAWG!!!....I just can't stump anyone lol.

Duesenbergs are the standard and proudly American. Stunning achievement in cars. I am constantly in awe.