Someone misidentified my 442 as an Impala on facebook, and said it looked awesome, so I thanked him, even though it is dirty and primered. This led to a thought; precisely how does one correctly refer to the 442 non-model years as what model of Olds it is?

Presume you have a standard car show card to fill out; your name, car make, car model, car year.

I am going to try to do a poll, but if it doesn't work, please pick for your non-68-71 442 how you would label it?

1. 442
2. Model name i.e. "Cutlass Supreme" or "Cutlass Calais" or "F-85"
3. Model name / 442 i.e. "Cutlass Supreme / 442"
4. Model name with package i.e. "Cutlass Supreme with 442 package."
5. Something else (fill in the blank.)

 

I'm confused by your question? Are you referring to a 442 made prior to 68?

 

Either 64-67, or 72 through 87 in the years they were made.

The 68-71 are 442s in model name, so that's straightforward.

 

If it were born a 442, whether by package or actual model, then I would call it a 442. If you want to get specific, I guess that's up to you with ref to like a Chevy Impala, Nova, Chevelle, etc... SS packages.

 

I call my 67 a cutlass supreme, which it is with the W-29 pkg.

 

i thnk we had a kinda similar discussion at work the other day a 2010 Shelby mustang owner was adamant that his car was not a mustang and not a ford either ? then he wanted to look up the value of it, so we went to KBB\ford\mustang\shelby (\lol by me)...to me i would call it a cutlass or f85 442....even the 68 -71 models (to me no flaming) are cutlasses or cuttys if you prefer

 

My 67 came from the factory as a 442, thats what i call it.

 

I think you need to bear in mind the commonly recognized name and the audience. For someone who's not educated on Olds/Cutlass/442, that 442 badging on a car identifies it as a "442". They don't really care about the nuances of model or option package.

The answer would be different in an Olds only show...

 

My 67 442 is just that. To be specific it is a Cutlass Supreme with the 442 package. Us Olds guys know that and it need not be explained to the general public at first. It is badged as a 442 so there should be no argument to call it a Cutlass, F-85, or Supreme. It is an Oldsmobile 442 and thats all.

 

I agree with the above. Just call it a 4-4-2 for the general audience. I have owned two 66 F85s that came with the L69 and W30 packages, and one that is a conversion using factory parts. The minds of the general public tend to explode if I try to explain, especially if I tell them that all the W30s that showed up at the NHRA Indy Nationals in 66 were conversions.