1968/69 Olds 442

Tony looks at the 1968 and 1969 Olds 442 and the Hurst specials, which livened up GM’s otherwise sensible Oldsmobile division…

As we usher in 2018 we think of the significant half-century anniversaries to be celebrated in the muscle car hobby. Can it really be 50 years since the Road Runner appeared, ’68-70 Charger and this month’s column filler, the second-generation Oldsmobile 442? Oldsmobile raised the bar for 1968 and continued with brute power for their ’69 models, as the luxury cruisers associated with Olds gave way to a new breed of exciting designs with performance to match.

At last the 442 (which supposedly stood for a combination of four-barrel carburettor, four-speed manual transmission – despite the availability of automatic transmissions – and dual exhausts) became a standalone model in itself, lasting through to 1971 when it reverted back to largely a performance option.