Oldsmobile’s 4-4-2 started in 1964 as an option package on a 330-cubic-inch Cutlass. By the end of its first muscle-car era, it had a 455 under the hood. Along the way, the name itself changed meaning after the first year, and each new Oldsmobile 4-4-2 engine brought new horsepower ratings.

Here are seven engines from the 1964 to 1970 cars. Each one sits with the model year it belongs to. Also, the gross ratings are the ones Oldsmobile quoted at the time.

1. 1964 4-4-2: 330 V8, 310 hp

In its first year, the 4-4-2 was an option coded B09 and called the Police Apprehender Pursuit Group. It cost $285.14. Back then, the name stood for a four-barrel carburetor, a four-speed manual and dual exhausts.

The engine was a 330-cubic-inch V8 rated at 310 horsepower at 5,200 rpm with 355 lb-ft of torque. That comes from Curbside Classic’s look back at period road tests. Car Life timed a 1964 car from 0 to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds. Meanwhile, first-year production came to 2,999 cars.

2. 1965 4-4-2: 400 V8, 345 hp

For 1965 the 4-4-2 got a 400-cubic-inch V8, so Oldsmobile redefined the name to fit. It now meant 400 cubic inches, a four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts. Also, Ate Up With Motor says the two-speed Jetaway automatic was newly available, and about 40 percent of buyers took it.

Oldsmobiles Forever’s year-by-year tables list the 1965 engine at 345 horsepower at 4,800 rpm and 440 lb-ft at 3,200 rpm. The same site puts 1965 production at 25,003, more than eight times the first year.

3. 1966 4-4-2 L69: Tri-Carb 400, 360 hp

The 1966 option list added the L69, a 400 topped by three Carter two-barrel carburetors on progressive linkage. Ate Up With Motor says it cost $114 and carried a 360-horsepower rating. By comparison, Oldsmobiles Forever lists the standard four-barrel 400 that year at 350.

Buyers ordered 2,129 of them, according to Curbside Classic’s review of a Car Life test. That was roughly a tenth of 1966 4-4-2 production. However, the L69 lasted a single season. GM banned multiple carburetors on everything except the Corvette and Corvair for 1967.

4. 1966 4-4-2 W-30: outside-air 400, 360 hp

Oldsmobile offered the first W-30 on a very limited basis in 1966. It used a hotter four-barrel 400 that drew cooler outside air into the carburetor. Even so, Ate Up With Motor says Oldsmobile kept the same 360-horsepower rating it had given the L69.

Curbside Classic reports that only 54 cars in 1966 got the W-30 forced-air system. Later, the option code went on to cover Oldsmobile performance packages through 1980, according to Ate Up With Motor.

5. 1968–1969 4-4-2: long-stroke 400, 350 hp

The 400 stayed the same size for 1968 but changed shape inside. Ate Up With Motor says Oldsmobile shrank the bore to 3.87 inches and lengthened the stroke to 4.25 inches. That traded some high-rpm breathing for torque. The standard rating was 350 horsepower and 440 lb-ft, and it carried over unchanged for 1969.

Still, the 350 figure is the standard four-barrel, not the top of the range. Muscle Car Club lists the 1968 and 1969 W-30 versions at 360 horsepower. It also lists a two-barrel 1968 option at 290, so any 1968–1969 car’s rating depends on how its buyer ordered it.

6. 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2: 455 V8 engine, 365 hp

GM lifted its displacement limit on intermediate cars for 1970, so Oldsmobile put its 455-cubic-inch V8 into every 4-4-2. Oldsmobiles Forever rates that standard Oldsmobile 4-4-2 engine at 365 horsepower at 5,000 rpm.

Muscle Car Club gives the same 365 horsepower. However, the two references disagree on torque for the base 1970 engine. One gives 500 lb-ft and the other 510, so the horsepower is the number to quote with confidence. Ate Up With Motor also notes that 1970 sales fell below 23,000.

7. 1970 4-4-2 W-30: 455 V8, 370 hp

The 1970 W-30 package added forced-air induction, an aluminum intake manifold and a fiberglass hood. It also brought lighter body insulation and other parts, according to GM’s Heritage Collection. GM rates that 455 at 370 horsepower.

A 1970 4-4-2 paced the Indianapolis 500 that year. The Heritage Collection says Oldsmobile built only 1,542 W-30 cars with an automatic transmission. GM lists the 1970 car’s base price at $3,745, and the W-30 455 tops this list. At 370 horsepower, it carries the highest rating of the seven engines.

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This article was created with the help of AI and was reviewed and edited by Fast Lane Only editors before publication.