Oldsmobile Muscle Cars
EARLY OLDSMOBILE MUSCLE CARS ABOVE: Olds came early to the Horsepower Race of the 50s, that lead to the Muscle Car Wars of the 60s. One of the earliest high-compression OHV (OverHead Valve) mass-produced V8s was built by Oldsmobile. The 1956 Super 88 Convertible above came with this 324 cubic inch Rocket V8.
BELOW: The ’64 Cutlass below served as the basis for the first official Olds muscle car, the 442. Below that is a red ’65 442, sharing the same basic body shell as the ’64.
OLDSMOBILE MUSCLE CARS CONTINUE TO EVOLVE The story of the Olds Muscle Car in the 1960s was really mostly the story of the 442. There were some hot Cutlass’s, but the top-performance models were always 442’s. ABOVE: 1967 Olds 442.
BELOW: 1968 Olds 442.
ABOVE: 1969 Olds 442 was on of the quintessential classic Oldsmobile muscle cars.
BELOW: 1970 442 with big hood scoops and optional stripe package.
ABOVE: 1971 Cutlass 2-door Hardtop with era-typical black vinyl roof. The wheels are custom. BELOW: A 1972 Cutlass Supreme Convertible, top-up and top-down. It was the Oldsmobile Muscle Car for the eclipse of the muscle car era. Times were changing, muscle was out, luxury was in.
ABOVE: In 1972, the Oldsmobile 442 was awarded the honor of serving as Pace Car to the Indianapolis 500. Olds issued a limited number of 442 Pace Cars in white and yellow livery. It was perhaps the last of the true Oldsmobile Muscle Cars.
BELOW: By the late 70s, the Cutlass was just another ‘personal luxury car’, and they sold like hotcakes. This ’77 Cutlass Supreme is a prime example of the downsized Cutlass line.
Oldsmobile Muscle Cars INTERIORS
ABOVE: The interior on this ’68 442 is very business-like, if your business is street-racing. A 3-spoke wheel, 3-pod instrument panel, center console with cool floor shift and black bucket seats complete the aggressive look. BELOW: The interior on this ’72 Cutlass is decidedly more upscale than the ’68, with flatter surfaces, faux woodgrain, 2-spoke wheel, and plush seats.
Oldsmobile Muscle Car ENGINES
ABOVE: The Oldsmobile 324 cubic inch V8 was one of the first mass-produced high compression OHV (Overhead Valve) V8s. It brought high performance to the masses, if you could afford one of these early high-end Oldsmobile Muscle Cars. Olds, after all, was slotted just below Cadillac in GMs hierarchy of brands.
BELOW: This is a 400 V8 in a ’68 Olds 442.
Oldsmobile big blocks, like the 455 Olds V8, are legendary. Many still serve today as the weapon of choice for high-speed boats, due to their prodigious torque and bullet-proof toughness.
Oldsmobile Muscle Cars MODEL-BY-MODEL
1999 SHELBY SERIES 1
Powered by an Olds 4.0 DOHC V8 & sold through Oldsmobile dealers, Shelby designed the Series 1 from the ground-up as a ‘halo car’ for Olds. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Great car though.
Keyword: Oldsmobile Muscle Cars