The 4-4-2 is maybe the best thing that has happened to Detroit since they started building cars there

This aggressive, pioneering spirit seemed to have been lost in the tasteless days of the mid-Fifties, and for a decade Oldsmobiles were near invisible non-cars. The 1958s were probably the worst, but matters were hardly improved by the spaceship look of the early Sixties. The bright young engineers were channeled elsewhere, and the styling studios were staffed by gorpy, unwitting creators of Pop Art. The cars suffered a decline of both popularity and quality, and their character was, at best, innocuous.

Two years ago, the atmosphere suddenly brightened. Oldsmobile's reputation as an experimental division was brought back powerfully with the introduction of the unorthodox front-wheel-drive Toronado. The performance image was somewhat more difficult to recapture. There is a corporate ban on any form of racing, on power-to-weight ratios of less than 10 lbs./bhp, and, besides, Oldsmobile didn't have any engines hotter than any of the other GM divisions. To get a competitive edge, Oldsmobile needed a gimmick. Olds' engineers decided to take off at a tangent to the rest of the industry by concentrating on handling. The 4-4-2 model, introduced in 1964, was an experiment to test public reaction to a fully roadworthy car. Thus far, the public at large seems no more excited about good handling in a hot intermediate than it did in the compact Corvair, but we think it's maybe the best thing that has happened to Detroit since they started building cars there. The 1966 version of the 4-4-2 won our sixway "Super Car" test hands down, and the '67 is even better.

The Oldsmobile 4-4-2 is a driver's car. Steering is highly responsive and the car is capable of altering its attitude quickly without any loss of stability. It's the besthandling car of its type we've ever tested

The 4-4-2 is the best-handling car of its type we've ever tested. Instead of the typical horrendous understeer generally found on domestic cars, the 4-4-2 is basically neutral under all conditions, although anyone who wants to hang the tail out can easily induce power oversteer, with 440 lbs./ft. of torque driving through a 3.08 rear axle ratio. In the terminology used by Oldsmobile engineers, the 4-4-2 is a "high-gain, high-response" car. This means it reacts to steering input by changing direction rapidly, and that the car is capable of making quick adjustments from one attitude (straight ahead) to another (turning) without any loss of stability. In more familiar language, it's a driver's car.

Last year our major complaint with the 4-4-2 was the absence of a disc brake option. This year front discs are available, and we strongly recommend them. The normal drum brakes are adequate for the mild usage most F-85 models will encounter, but the gutsy 4-4-2 demands the extra stopping power for repeated use that only discs can offer. In fact, the front-disc and reardrum combination on our test car gave the shortest stopping distance of any car we have tested. In our normal series of panic stops from 80 mph the 4-4-2 stopped in 272 feet on the first run, for an average deceleration of.78 G, and showed very little fade on subsequent attempts. On the fourth run, it stopped in 329 feet (.65 G) and throughout the test series, pedal pressure required remained almost constant from start to stop, with the car easily maintaining a straight line.

Complementing the brakes and handling is an improved three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission, an option that replaces the former twospeed Jetaway unit. This year, the Hydra-Matic has been built especially for the 4-4-2, with torque converter ratios of 1.9 and 2.5 perfectly mated to the 400 cu. in. engine. It features a shifting arrangement that allows downshifts at any time, providing the resulting rpm do not exceed the 5200-rpm engine limit. Downshifting is automatic, simply by dropping the lever into low range and waiting for the speed to equalize with engine rpm. Zap, second gear at 88 mph. Pow, first at 53 mph. Maximum gear retardation without worrying about matching rpm with gear ratios; no more doubleclutching that manual four-speed, or cursing the inept automatic. The necessity, and much of the desirability, of having a four-speed manual transmission is swept away by the introduction of the Oldsmobile 4-4-2 Turbo Hydra-Matic.

An additional change to the 1967 drive train is the new rear axle, which is now made by Oldsmobile. It uses 31 splines on the axle stubs and an 8.75-in. ring gear to give 32 per cent more strength than in 1966. Our test car was not equipped with the limited slip option, but Oldsmobile engineers say it is an improved model with hardened case and redesigned friction plates for more positive lockup with less heat production.

The 350-horsepower, 400 cu. in. engine is unchanged from 1966, with the exception of a new magnetic pulse generator that replaces the breaker points and condenser of the standard ignition. This device allows a wide variety in spark plug gaps and heat ranges, without the usual accompanying power loss.

Of course, the 4-4-2's major selling point is its superb suspension, which is based on stock F85 components. The front suspension consists of unequal-length upper and lower wishbones, with high-rate springs, heavy-duty shock absorbers, and a 0.937-in. anti-sway bar. At the rear, Oldsmobile engineers relocated upper axle control links at the chassis to provide more positive control, and topped things off by fitting a 0.875in. anti-sway bar.

The only complaint we might register is a small one (and we've said it before): the rear axle bottoms too easily with a 4- or 5passenger load. Without stiffer rear springs, which would increase the rear roll couple to the detriment of cornering adhesion, it's a 2passenger car.

The 4-4-2's interior is pleasant, but not outstanding-mainly because it's a compromise between standard F-85 pieces and someone's idea of what a GT car's dashboard should look like. It contains all the right instruments (if you specify the Rally Pack option), but they are condensed into one illegible dial flanking the speedometer on the left. In the center of this dial is the smallest tachometer we've seen on any car, with oil pressure, water temperature and ammeter gauges spread around at 120' intervals. It looks more like a chrome-spangled battlefield than a serious attempt to convey information, and is totally out of keeping with the quality of the engineering features on the rest of the car. The driver's position is also compromised-you sit too close to the steering wheel (not available with the telescoping option offered on larger GM cars). The only aspects of the interior that save the 4-4-2 from mediocrity are the comfortable bucket seats, the well-located small controls, and good vision in all directions except the rear quarters, which are blocked by the currently stylish wide roof supports.

Despite these minor criticisms of the interior, the 4-4-2 is the best balance of performance and practicality we have seen. It handles well, stops fast, and rides comfortably on almost any road surface. If these are the things America really wants and needs in its passenger cars, then the 4-4-2 experiment will be a success. Spread the word. C/D

Front disc brakes are available this year, and we strongly recommend them. The gutsy 4-4-2 demands the extra stopping power that only discs can offer

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