Cars that time forgot - 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais 442 W41

"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce) 08/07/2013 at 13:55 • Filed to: Cars that time forgot, Oldsmobile, Olds, 442, W41

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!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I love a good quirky car. And a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! reminded me about another car in a similar vein. In fact, it was made the same year as my beloved Audi. But that post about the cobalt SS irked me a lot. You see, that wasn't the first time that the general did something like that to a FWD sport compact. In fact, I'd argue that they basically carried on the omni/charger GLH(s) tradition with this car. And reading the comments of that post, I saw all manner of quirky and rare machinery represented - The first gen neon ACR, the citation X-11, the original Focus ST we got here in the US, the escort ZX2 S/R, and so on and so forth.......And STILL no one mentioned this beast. So I bear it on myself to bring to you, the original GM pocket rocket in its full alphabet soup form - The 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais Quad 442 W41.

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What's in a name?

Okay, let's break this down a bit. The oldsmobile cutlass calais was oldsmobile's N-body entry level model in the 80s. Apparently it was sold as just "Calais" for a few model years, but this had the cutlass tag in 1991 and that's the year we're interested in. Using the 442 tag might be sacrelige but it indicates a very powerful motor under the hood. The "Quad 4" engine was gaining steam in GM's lineup at the time. A 180hp, naturally aspirated 2.3L 4 banger.....It was a bit like the yamaha V6 in the Taurus SHO at the time - ridiculously fast for what it was but for the love of all that was holy, keep up on maintenance and repairs. My dad first started getting into being a GM technician in the early 90s after being a VW/Audi/Porsche tech in the 80s.....The results of skipping your 30/45/60k etc checks were NOT pretty. I don't remember the exact interval he said but the number in my head is 40k or 50k between timing belt services? Basically an unreasonably short time for a four cylinder motor meant for an econobox. But you bought it for the 180hp, not to have a base model calais! And actually, if you checked the 'W41' box, you got 190 hp and a 7400rpm redline. Due to a few parts upgrades and some general badassery, the calais with the W41 442 combination was a mini muscle car that surprisingly looked the part and managed to keep "GM Performance" relevant in the oldsmobile division.

A homologation special.....from Oldsmobile?!?!?!

You read that title right, oldsmobile made this particular car as a homologation special. The W41 package came with modified gear ratios and an oil cooler in addition to the power increases in the engine. Why? Well they wanted to make sure that the oldsmobile quad 4s were competitive in SCCA racing......I'll give you a moment to pick your jaw off the floor and let the picture below do the talking. It is glorious. Simply glorious. Sadly only 204 road cars were made, and 7 were earmarked for race cars before they even left the factory so they were essentially cars in white.

Why was it forgotten?

Well they only made 204 W41s so obviously hands on experiences with one are limited. But besides the W41,they did make the quad 4 powered calais for a few years. It ranged from 150hp all the way to 180 in non-W41 form. The quad 4 lived on in high putput form in cars like the achieva SC/SCX, the grand am GT, and the beretta. But to me, its best home will always be in the calais 442 W41.

Why should I remember it?

Because the comments for this car when it !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! are ridiculous. All the complaints about it not being a muscle car and questioning its performance. Yes, it is not a point and squirt muscle car, it is a sport compact that can also pull a 1/4 mile in the mid to high 14s. The "muscle cars" of that same time period couldn't do much better.

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In all seriousness, if we're going to remember the cobalt SS and neon SRT-4 as performance compacts from America, then we need to remember their inspirations. The SRT-4's heritage is linked directly back to the tuned shelbys of the late 80s and the Spirit R/T. The cobalt SS? Well it owes a lot more to the calais 442 W41 than people seem to realize. The racing victories, the brutal focus on speed, and a development program that was far better than it had any right to be...... And somehow, in the 'modern' era, people act surprised when chevrolet releases a sport compact with a high power output. A lot of magazines made note of the original Cobalt SS making 200hp (on par with the GTI mark V) and then the turbo version making 260hp with their forced induction engines. But to me, that shouldn't have come as a surprise. The Omni GLHS, Charger GLHS, and Spirit R/T from chrysler showed the world that compacts from America need not be slow and boring. And in a perfect world, we would hold the calais 442 W41 on the same level for making similar power levels as the supercharged cobalt SS almost 15 years before. Plus....well just look at it!

If you know someone who has one, ask for a ride. And if they let you drive it, you are held by a code of honor to help them fix it when it breaks. And it will break. But you will love it anyways. The 1991 Olsmobile Cutlass Calais 442 W41 - It WAS your father's oldsmobile, his brawny, shouty, alphabet soup trim packaged oldsmobile that could beat some unsuspecting chump in a camaro or mustang at the light. But unlike your father's oldsmobile, this one could leave them behind on a track.

Performance Figures

Power/Torque: 190hp /160 lb.ft

0-60: 7.0 seconds

1/4 mile : 14.7 @ 95 mph

top speed: 125 mph (electronic limiter)

Jagvar > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 10:47

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The Buick Skyhawk is another close relative that time has all but forgotten.

dinobot666 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 10:51

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Most of them ended up in junkyards when the waterpump went bad. Seriously.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > dinobot666 08/07/2013 at 10:52

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Not surprised, but it's a damn shame.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > dinobot666 08/07/2013 at 10:59

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One wonders if modern tech could resurrect an engine like that...

Kevlar timing belts, electric external coolant water pumps, and such...

Could make for an interesting, light weight little Fiero. (not messing with the backwards dynamics of a FWD car...)

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Jagvar 08/07/2013 at 11:02

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Ooooooo that was the one that had a turbo 4 like the sunbird, right? Those are neat little cars that fell apart way too fast. But apparently the turbo sunbirds were a hoot to tune up and scorch tires with.

More Power!!and also some brakes. > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 11:03

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One of my friends from college had one. That damn thing always had something wrong with it but when we did have it working it was great, I loved it.

Just wear your damn mask... > Jagvar 08/07/2013 at 11:03

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Not quite. Skyhawk was a J-body that never received the Quad 4. Buick's version of the Calais was the Somerset Regal.

dogisbadob > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 11:05

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The Achieva SCX, even more forgotten than the Quad 442 and would've been more worthy of an article, or at least more space in the article. I almost didn't see you mention it! Fun fact: the SCX almost got the 442 name, and inside GM materials referred to it as a 442, but ultimately they didn't use that name. The SCX had the 190-hp W41, the SC and Grand Am GT had the 180-hp version.

Over 80 hp/L from an NA motor, and it predated the H22 by a few years, didn't need VTEC, and got much better mpg.

I really want a Quad 442 or SCX someday.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > dogisbadob 08/07/2013 at 11:12

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Two things.

1) The W41 was a very limited production so its chances of being forgotten were higher

2) A lot of my car friends know about the acheiva for some reason. None of them know about the calais. So to me, the achieva is remembered and the calais is forgotten.

But yes the SCX was another one that was just stupidly powerful for a FWD oldsmobile.

Jagvar > Just wear your damn mask... 08/07/2013 at 11:13

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Ah, that makes sense. Though despite its differences, I'd still call the Skyhawk more-or-less forgotten.

Brian, The Life of > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 11:13

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Nice write up. I enjoyed this and learned something.

dinobot666 > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 08/07/2013 at 11:13

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Well, now you've sort of described the variants of the Ecotec family of engines.

philaDLJ > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 11:15

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Perfectly executed NoGrille. So much cooler than a waterfall!

Jagvar > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 11:15

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Plus it was available as a wagon, 4-door sedan, 3-door hatchback, and 2-door coupe. I think the hatchbacks are the rarest survivors today, followed by the wagons.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > dinobot666 08/07/2013 at 11:17

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But do they have the individual cam covers, and other cool design elements like that?

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Just wear your damn mask... 08/07/2013 at 11:19

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THE BEIGE!......MY EYES!

Just wear your damn mask... > Jagvar 08/07/2013 at 11:20

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I would agree with you on that assessment. I can't think of a single memorable Skyhawk, and a Skyhawk (the Monza clone, not the Cavalier clone) was my first car.

simpleisbest > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 11:21

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Thank you for the write up. I was thinking of this car just two days ago. I remember the hype and how much of a scorcher it was for a four banger in 1991. I should jump on Craig's List and Autotrader to see if I can find one.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 11:28

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What about a Grand Prix tuned by McLaren?

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dinobot666 > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 08/07/2013 at 11:35

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It's a broad stroke to paint a family of engines with, because Echotecs were designed for all sorts of applications. Some were built for economy and others for performance. Some of the heads were even designed by Lotus.

They don't look as cool as the QUAD4 did however. :D

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 08/07/2013 at 11:39

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I've wanted one of those McLaren turbo engines for a project for a while.

-Amateur > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 08/07/2013 at 12:06

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It's a real shame that those McLaren Pontiacs only came in autos.

-Amateur > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 12:10

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Awesome write up. Oldsmobile always got the good stuff when it came to engines. I still wish GM hadn't killed them off though...personally I liked the Intrigue and the Aleros.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 12:20

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What are you planning to drop it into?

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 08/07/2013 at 12:32

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One of the older cavaliers. Like late 80s/early 90s. Mostly for the lolz of it.

DailyTurismo > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 12:34

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Olds built a sweet pace car edition . And when I say sweet, what I mean is not as horrible as it may seem on paper. This one had 6100 miles on the odo and recently sold on ebay for $6k.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > -Amateur 08/07/2013 at 12:44

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I believe a 5-speed getrag was available. Could be wrong though.

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 12:44

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Safety net?

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 13:38

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"You put MY name on what? Are you f**king kidding me? Move over ya whiny, snot-nose four cylinder punk..."

Gjergjetta1 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 13:38

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This and the Celebrity Eurosport..

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > -Amateur 08/07/2013 at 13:38

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Oldsmobile - somehow making badge engineering look good.

Not the best slogan in the world, but it's the truth.

Travis Okulski > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 13:38

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If you fix the spacing under the picture I'll put this on the front page.

Because Oldsmobile.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 13:39

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Welp, this article just got shared to Jalopnik.....

ament001 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 13:40

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It is funny to look at old cars of this era in pristine condition because it kind of changes your view of them. Seeing the car like new shows you that while the styles are still a little off it did not look nearly as bad as the million rust bucket versions you see every day make you think. That top image doesn't look half bad.

ThatbastardKurtis > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 13:40

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Anybody remember the Oldsmobile Quad4 Aero racecar? It was like a Salt Flats special and looked like an IMSA race car.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Travis Okulski 08/07/2013 at 13:45

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I freakin hate this editing system

shieldsdb > ThatbastardKurtis 08/07/2013 at 13:49

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267mph, in 1987!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobil…

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Travis Okulski 08/07/2013 at 13:56

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Should be fixed. Used a bigger picture. Because racecar.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 13:58

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Aaaaand it's gone.....stupid Kinja photo placement....

ThatbastardKurtis > shieldsdb 08/07/2013 at 14:00

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Yep

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/07/2013 at 14:00

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In its defense, the W41 had a higher power output than the 80s V8 powered 442s. ANd could probably run with them stock on a 1/4 mile drag.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 14:18

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If you're referring to the '85-'87 442 with its fire-breathing 180hp 307 V8, that's not a very high bar the factory set..

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/07/2013 at 14:19

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Exactly. They wanted to retire the 442 name on a high(er) note - so they made more power with half the cylinders.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 14:22

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I don't know that Olds quite accomplished that. The 442's swan song was just a shadow of its original awesomeness. But that was just a sign of the (lame) time I 'spose.

David E. Davis > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 14:25

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This reminds me of all the addendums Olds put on the Cutlass name in the 80/90's.

Ciera:

Supreme:

Cruiser:

Calais:

I earned my license in 1991 on one of these

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/07/2013 at 14:26

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If Olds were around today, a rebodied camaro with a nicer interior might make a fine 442 reincarnation.....alas, we shall never see it.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 14:29

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Some things are best left in the past.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 08/07/2013 at 14:35

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I said rebodied, not "put some fiberglass on 'er before bub comes back with the PBR and his cousins"

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 14:48

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LOL. Semantics. After seeing what Pontiac did the GTO a few years ago I'm kinda glad Olds isn't around anymore to make a similar mistake.

Travis Okulski > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/07/2013 at 14:53

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Nah, you have to move the text to right after the picture. Don't hit enter or space. Then it should be fine.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Travis Okulski 08/07/2013 at 15:06

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Tried with the original picture. Made everything worse. I'm sticking with the bigger picture.

945T > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/10/2013 at 00:09

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Grab a 2.3L Volvo 740/940 turbo. Look for 1989+ for the bigger connecting rods.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > 945T 08/10/2013 at 00:12

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Sir that is not a nickel alloy block 3.1L turbo V6 tuned by McLaren. I want to be able to honestly put a McLaren badge on a cavalier. NO ONE WILL GIVE A SHIT IF YOU PUT A VOLVO BADGE ON A CAVALIER! And no, I'm not sorry for the caps!

zoommmm > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 12/12/2013 at 09:14

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My Step mom purchased one brand new and still has it! I was fortunate enough to drive it on several occasions. It was a blast pulling next to other "muscle cars" of the day and crushing them! This includes stangs vettes ect. What a fun car for what it was.

Mike Breslin > DailyTurismo 04/19/2014 at 17:45

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I stole one 442! Brand new! Sitting in the lot looking all pretty in red as I looked at the deck spoiler I took a closer glance..... WOW! Emblems, 442! W30! What are the chances! Broke the window, smashed the steering column, fired it up, let my friends in! % SPEED! ROLL UP WINDOWS!..... I smoothly rolled out of the lot, then floored it away, grabbed second, grabbed third!,,,,,.... SLOW A LIGHT!.... GREEN! Fucking florred it! EVERYSINGLE LIGHT I FLOORED IT! The front end felt like the car was digging into the road and throwing the car foward like a rapid fire machine BAZOOKA!... You could see the gas needdle drop! .. What a rash! I never even touched the radio! Then i got gas! Then I got into a police chase and had to go back through the gas station where i was before... I shot through the gas station doing like a comfortable 70 .. (stable no problems or stress... just telling the cop to f off).... Than when the 2nd gas tank was almost done, I parked it and popped the hood! A RED ENGINE LIKE FERRARI! " QUAD 442 high output " WOW" then we all walked away to steal just a normal regular beater like a datsun, nissan, truck or what ever....... I got caught for the gas attendant and in court the prosecuter said "442 " and I was like super scared to have picked such a rare machine back in 90? 91? and pled guilty...... HA! I GOT ONE DAY IN JAIL FOR THE CAR AND CHASE!...... HA HA HA HA court never knew I had a rare machine! ... YA I READ ROAD N TRACK. Thanks road n track........ Now wheres the SNAKE SKINNER?

Dweezil56 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 08/23/2014 at 14:51

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The Quad 4 used a timing chain, not a belt.

NotDadsW41 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 12/06/2014 at 10:18

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I know this post is quite old. I just found it though. I still have #142 of 204 sitting in my garage. It's probably 95+% original with only about 22K miles. Glad to see someone remembers these. I think even though they were a limited production car, they will never have the value of a COPO type car, just because no one knows what they are or were made for....

Gilbert-Vehicle-Services > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 02/19/2015 at 22:39

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My year-round daily driver was a 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais International Series coupe, Quad-4, 5-speed from 1990 until 2002. It had 41k miles on it when I bought it and 179k when I sold it. Overall, it was a great car (for the time) which was entertaining enough to drive. It would rev to 7000 rpm and run with the anemic V8s of the era. Its headgasket blew at 60,801 miles, which Oldsmobile repaired under warranty (even though the warranty expired at 60,000 miles). After 100k it took a fair amount of maintenance to keep it going, as most cars from this era developed electrical gremlins. Other than normal maintenance (tune up, coil packs, water pump, clutch), I never had any mechanical problems with the engine or transmission. The biggest problem on the car was rust: I fought rust from 1991 until the day I sold it. I finally sold it because I did not want to see it rust away and I had a good paying job where I felt it was irresponsible for me to be relying on a 14 year old car with 179k miles on it as my main mode of transportation. I sold it to a co-workers' high-school aged son in 2002. He drove it through high school, college and into his first job in the late 2000s with close to 250k miles on it.

Joseph Danon > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 04/15/2015 at 18:48

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Here's mine. I'm the 2nd owner, 44K miles, 90% all original paint (I swapped the original hood and added an '84 Hurst/Olds "cowl induction" hood scoop), numbers matching motor, trans, Eagle GT+4's and 3:94 geared diff

thefirebird > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 04/22/2016 at 12:14

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just why what were they thinking

MGR442 > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 04/27/2017 at 01:18

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LOL yeah... A engine nearly 3 times the size of the quad4 yet only 1 second faster 1/4 mile and less than 1/3 the MPG and less reliable. I saw a quad4 when I worked at a GM dealership that had over 250,000 on it and that was 5-6 years ago and just saw the old man is still driving it around the other day.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > MGR442 04/27/2017 at 08:16

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You’re basing reliability on one example?

SlowpokeTexas > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 03/04/2019 at 14:51

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That was Pontiac marketing, Australian engineering. As a Holden Commodore, that car was awesome.

upsidedownfunnel > SlowpokeTexas 08/22/2019 at 12:44

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Holden Monaro.