“Dr. Oldsmobile” stopped by to complain about nomenclature used in the story, “Road Test columnist attacks Motor Trend for Car of Year awards to Pontiac.” The good doctor asked: “Who calls a 4-4-2 a Cutlass anyway? It’s one or the other, but not both.”
If this were an auto-themed episode of Jeopardy, the answer to Dr. Oldsmobile’s question would be: Road Test magazine. My story paraphrased columnist Byron Bloch, who referred to “Oldsmobile Cutlass 4-4-2 models” (1968, p. 6).
Is this a horrible mistake on Bloch’s part given that his column appeared in June 1968? By that point the 4-4-2 had clearly been elevated to a separate series. However, the auto history literature can vary on when that occurred.
When did the 4-4-2 stop being an options package?
Wikipedia (2025) cited John Gunnell (2006) in stating that the 4-4-2 “became a separate model from 1968 through 1971” after starting out four years earlier as an options package. This aligned with the words of J. “Kelly” Flory Jr., who stated that the “4-4-2 officially became its own model” in 1968 (2004, p. 612).
The Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1946-1975 did not break out the 4-4-2 as a separate model in 1966-67. Indeed, a photo of a 1967 convertible was labeled “Cutlass Supreme 4-4-2” (Gunnell, 2002; p. 601). In contrast, the Encyclopedia of American Cars listed the 4-4-2 as a separate model from 1966 onward (auto editors of Consumer Guide (1993, 2006).
If the 4-4-2 was still only an options package in 1966-67, it was given an exceptional level of visibility in Oldsmobile brochures, with full-page presentations and separate listings in back-of-the-book thumbnails of models.
That said, the 1966 brochures presented a more mixed message. The nameplate was separately listed, but high-end models were called a “4-4-2 Cutlass” and low-end models a “4-4-2 Deluxe.” This ran parallel to regular Cutlass and F-85 Deluxe models. Only in 1967 were the low-end 4-4-2 models dropped along with the Cutlass reference in high-end models.
Was Road Test magazine confused?
Let’s return to Bloch’s nomenclature. Perhaps he wasn’t up to speed on the 4-4-2’s evolution. However, I could also see him — or his editors — try to avoid confusing readers who were not following the auto industry as closely as Dr. Oldsmobile.
The 4-4-2 was, in fact, a sporty variant of the mid-sized Cutlass, so why not say so? And since column inches were in short supply back in the print era, “Oldsmobile Cutlass 4-4-2 models” strikes me as a reasonably descriptive shorthand for the nameplate’s role in the brand’s lineup.
I get the impression from the definitive tone of Dr. Oldsmobile’s comment that he would find my argument unacceptable. If so, that would fit with the pattern I have seen among some other commentators with a brand name in their nom de plume. They can get quite passionate about their favorite cars.
This may be inevitable if we wish to cultivate a robust debate about automotive history, but why fixate on such minutiae? I would think that Dr. Oldsmobile would have been more inclined to push back on our story, “Did Oldsmobile revolutionize the car industry?”
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 1993, 2006. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, IL.
- Flory, J. “Kelly” Jr.; 2004. American Cars, 1960-1972. McFarland & Co., Inc.
- Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised Fourth Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
- ——; 2006. Standard Catalog of American Muscle Cars: 1960-1972. KP Books, Iola, WI.
- Strohl, Daniel; 2019. “Periodic Reminder: 4-4-2 stood for many things over the years.” Hemmings. Posted Sept. 30.
- Wikipedia; 2025. “Oldsmobile 442.” Page last modified Nov. 11.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- oldcarbrochures.org: Oldsmobile (1966, 1969)
The good doctor needs to realize that the confusion was and is entirely understandable. And the confusion stems from how the GM divisions marketed these cars.
At GM in the early 1960s, performace packages were generally introduced as option packages, not separate models. This includes not only the 4-4-2 package, but also the 1961 Chevrolet Super Sport and 1964 Pontiac GTO.
The GTO saga is interesting, as it was deliberately introduced as an option package, instead of a new model, to get around the engine displacement limits GM management had imposed on the A-bodies. Those limits applied to models…Pontiac (and DeLorean) got around this restriction by launching the GTO as an option package for the Tempest/LeMans.
Reading the advertisements for the car – particulary by 1965 – and one would believe that the GTO was a separate model in the Pontiac A-body line-up. That was no doubt intentional. Eventually, Pontiac ended the charade and classified the GTO as a separate model.
Oldsmobile initially treated the 4-4-2 package in the same way. It’s my understanding that Pontiac restricted the GTO option to coupes and convertibles, while theoretically the 4-4-2 package could be ordered on any F-85/Cutlass except for the station wagons for 1964. Oldsmobile records show that a few four-door sedans (less than 15) were built with the option, although none are known to have survived. From 1965 on, the 4-4-2 option was restricted to two-door models.
There is exactly zero confusion about this, at least not from Oldsmobile. For model years 1968-1971 ONLY, the 442 was a separate model line with a unique model designator in the VIN. In all other model years, the 442 was an option package on the Olds A-body line, and depending on the model year could have been ordered on an F85, F85 Deluxe, Cutlass, Cutlass Supreme, or Cutlass Salon. Of course, there are a large number of people who think that the only cars Oldsmobile ever built in it’s 107 year history were 68-72 A-body cars…
Welp, I would hope that Oldsmobile wasn’t confused about whether the 4-4-2 was a separate model or an options package. However, I do think that it was fascinating how in 1966-67 the variant was presented in marketing materials like a distinct model. I’m hard pressed to recall any other Oldsmobile options package from that era that was given such prominence.
Now to be pedantic, were it an automotive themed episode of Jeopardy, the correct answer would be “WHAT IS Road Test Magazine?”
I suspect that you can’t help yourself. However, when people aren’t apparently interested in engaging the substance of the discussion I wonder why I bother.