Put Your 'Stache On

Oldsmobile had been a pioneering and respected brand from birth, but it's what came during America's first performance wave that cemented an icon. Throw away all the obscene meanings behind 442 because this Olds will just make a plain fool out of anyone.

Especially dignified sitting next to GTO and Chevelle cousins, the Cutlass came from a division of GM focused on fine products for the upper-middle class. Compare it to Buick's GS because no Hemi or Cobra Jet pilot is supposed to respect an Oldsmobile as serious muscle equipment. The lull a 442 can draw them into is a perfect setup with nice bright work and relatively understated badging. Get some poverty caps and it becomes Granny's little churchmobile.

Let's look at 1967: the 426 Hemi is two years in, Camaro debuts to corral the Mustang, GTO business is booming, and the oldest baby-boomers are anxious college seniors looking for a sweet ride. Going with an Oldsmobile, a mature, respected name, appeased your parents as it appeared you had chosen a smooth, sensible path. All of that goes up in smoke like the tires when you throw that four-speed stick around.

A handsome shape, no flashy colors were required because customers had to love the lines if they looked past other competitive models. There was no radical decal package or fierce mascot. A four barrel carb, feeding the burn into 400 cubic inches out two polished pipes, spitting delicious fossil fumes absolutely shredded the business suit this car wears. Like Buick, Oldsmobile's hot middleweight never received a rating above 400 horses, but the torque is well north of 400 pulling pounds.

Not necessarily sold through aggressive advertising, a 442 gained followers in the beginning based largely off of first person accounts. You didn't need a television or book of brochures to be on board with this plan. It pops on deceleration, grunts with throttle blip, growls as the needles fly around the gauge pods, then quiets down again just enough to slip through town.

If you knew someone who owned one, you were smitten. If you had a ride you were bitten. Marketed on top of the Cutlass line, the 442 proved performance deserved a bright podium. Peel off the badges and it's just another holiday cruiser to Hemi challengers. Completing GM's fearsome foursome, look for an Oldsmobile to come screaming past your doors. It's not an old man's car anymore.