So I was watching the new-ish show Auction Kings the other night. (Its just like Pawn Stars only it follows an auction house instead of a pawn shop. And the cast is thinner, lol.)

A lady was consigning her "all original" 1969 442 Convertible - They entitled the 442 section "The Anti-Prius" - LOL.

Anyways I got really confused with some of the info they were giving. Help me out here:

1. They say the engine was a 350... huh?
I was thinking a 442 would have originally came with a Big Block (like either a 400/425/455 - I'm shaky on my 69 specs.)

2. The "car expert" they called in was claiming that the second "4" in 442 is supposed to represent a four speed manual "performance" transmission and that even though it had an automatic which was a more expensive option it was slightly less desirable without the "four speed" yada-yada...

I know that "4-on-the-floor" is what showed up in Olds' marketing for the definition of 442. However my understanding was that at the time the automatics were actually considered a "4 speed" because they counted reverse as a gear. Thus the manuals would actually be "5 speeds" for the same reason.

Anybody care to chime in?

 

I did I like pawns star better so far but it was good. I like the history lesson on pawn stars
. Go figure history is cool. Yes a 400 would have been in a 442 and olds didnt want to brag so they just came up with their own perfect 10 .

 

I wish someone would walk up to me and ask me to by there Gibson Les Paul. I don't have cable, but I seen that part of one show.
I look at the "experts" on the shows like the judges at a car show, or a coin dealer.

 

I'll have to check that out

 

that 442 was just on ebay ,maybe still is , the guy wants 29900 for it!

 

What "442" stood for changed over the years. Originally, for the first ones in 1964, it was 4-speed manual transmission, 4-barrel carb, dual exhaust. But, in later years, when, for instance, a 442 could be had with an automatic transmission, one of the 4's came to mean "400" cubic-inch engine. Later, I think, Olds stopped trying to assign each of the numbers to a feature. I don't think one of the 4's ever referred to anything about an automatic transmission.