Oldsmobile Hats
Description: 1968 was a very big year for the 442, starting with the fact that it was finally made into its very own model. From the time that the first 442 was released in 1964 up until 1967, it had been purely a performance package that could be added to the F-85 or Cutlass midsized Oldsmobile lines. With stellar sales and growing interest in the muscle car class as a while, Olds wisely decided to put the 442 out on its own. 442 models that came equipped with the W-30 Force-Air induction system took in cold air from around these lights. The W-30 package, which had been first introduced at the end of the 1966 model year, had unique internal engine modifications that included special heads and a high output cam.
Description: The Dr. Oldsmobile theme was one of Oldsmobile's most successful marketing campaigns in the early '70s, it involved fictional characters created to promote the wildly popular 442 muscle car. 'Dr. Oldsmobile' was a tall lean professor type who wore a white lab coat. His assistants included 'Elephant Engine Ernie' who represented the big block 455 Rocket engine. 'Shifty Sidney' was a character who could be seen swiftly shifting his hand using a Hurst shifter. 'Wind Tunnel Waldo' had slicked back hair that appeared to be constantly wind blown. He represented Oldsmobile's wind tunnel testing, that produced some of the sleekest designs of the day. Another character included 'Hy Spy' who had his ear to the ground as he spied on the competition.
Description: The 1969 Hurst/Olds again used the 455-cid V-8 with W-30 heads, cam, distributor, and Force-Air induction. This engine, called the W-46, was slightly detuned from ’68, losing 10 bhp. A H/O modified Turbo Hydra-matic transmission with console-shifted Hurst Dual-Gate was mandatory. As high performance raced into the wacky late ’60s, the idea of a mad scientist conjuring up ever-more-potent 4-4-2s seemed almost reasonable, and Olds advertising was rife with the image of Dr. Oldsmobile in his baggy lab coat and silent-movie mustache. In a sense, there really was such a fellow: Jack “Doc” Watson, head of research for Hurst Performance Products.
