It is common for manufacturers to revive an iconic badge to improve sales and draw buyers into showrooms. However, the practice isn’t successful if the company keeps the model a secret. Such was the case with Oldsmobile and its 1991 Quad 442. The concept was sound enough, but the decision not to splash cash on a decent advertising campaign meant that sales volumes were dismal. This 1991 example is the second owned by the seller, and being a W41 variant, it is the rarest of the breed. It is a rock-solid driver that has cosmetic needs, but their decision to offer it with No Reserve may make it irresistible to some.
Mention the Oldsmobile 442, and most enthusiasts’ minds turn to potent muscle cars from the 1960s and early 1970s. The badge soldiered on in various forms on the company’s rear-wheel-drive platforms until production ended in 1987. Many thought that would be the end of the story, but Olds revived the badge in 1990 as the Quad 442 option on its front-wheel drive Cutlass Calais. It lasted for two years before disappearing forever. Our feature car rolled off the line in 1991 and is the second example owned by the seller. The first owner ordered it in dazzling Bright Red, and potential buyers can consider it a survivor. There is no evidence or mention of restoration or repairs and no evidence of rust. The first owner added the non-functional hood scoop and aftermarket wheels, but reversing both changes would be easy. The car begs for a cosmetic refresh, providing the ideal opportunity to ditch the scoop. The wheels are less challenging because the original alloys are in the trunk. The spoilers and some plastic pieces show physical damage, but a new rear spoiler is included. The glass is crystal clear, and the overall impression is that this could be a satisfying candidate for an enthusiast considering a first restoration project.
The surprise packet with this Olds is its interior. It won’t score the winning bidder trophies at a car show, but it is surprisingly clean and free from significant issues. The carpet is worn and stained near the driver’s left foot, but replacement sets retailing for around $250 will address that problem cheaply. There is slight wear on the driver’s seat’s outer edge. However, it hasn’t developed into holes, and the remaining cloth and vinyl are in good order. The plastic and dash are free from UV damage, and the seller added a modern JVC stereo for in-car entertainment. They retained the original unit, allowing the buyer to return the interior to a stock state. The winning bidder will undoubtedly welcome the air conditioning, cruise control, sports gauges, and leather-wrapped tilt wheel.
The drivetrain configuration won’t win favors from enthusiasts who believe the 442 badge only belongs on a muscle car, but it shouldn’t be underestimated. The company called this the “Quad 442,” and while it is front-wheel drive, its specifications and performance are surprising. The base Quad 442 featured a 2.3-liter DOHC 16-valve four producing 180hp and 160 ft/lbs of torque. However, the company upped the ante in 1991 by releasing the W41 variant. It received more aggressive camshafts, pushing the power and torque to 190hp and 165 ft/lbs. The ponies feed to the road via a five-speed manual transmission, allowing the Olds to cover the ¼-mile in an “official” 15.1 seconds. Keeping the pedal to the metal will reward the driver with the needle nudging 140mph. It is worth noting that Motor Trend magazine tested the Quad 442 W41 upon its release and achieved a ¼-mile ET of 14.7 seconds. Therefore, this car gave away nothing to the competition. The seller indicates the Olds is in excellent mechanical health, and they have used it as a dry-weather daily driver. It has no mechanical shortcomings, and the deal includes an extensive collection of parts to keep it on the road for many years. Potential buyers can consider it a turnkey proposition.
The seller listed this 1991 Oldsmobile Quad 441 here on eBay in Angola, Indiana. Sedate bidding has pushed the price to $1,575, and with No Reserve in play, a new home is only days away. It isn’t perfect, but the word “honest” best describes its condition. The Quad 442 experiment failed in the showrooms, explaining why the badge revival lasted only two years. The W41 version is the rarest of the breed, and while a definitive build total is difficult to find, it is widely agreed that no more than 241 of these cars rolled off the line before production ended. It doesn’t have the cachet of early examples of the 442, but its performance was at least equal to any equivalent cars available in 1991. It could be an affordable and comfortable daily driver, making the auction worth a close look.
I get a lot of enjoyment out of the vintage NHRA channel. It spotlights many of the races I was too busy trucking to watch. In the early 90s, guess what was the #1 car for drag racers? Yep, it was Oldsmobile. All the big names drove Oldsmobiles, Cruz Pedregon, John Force, Ed McCulloch, the “Professor”, before Toyota hit the scene, Olds was #1. This is another of those, “why buy foreign?” cars. They certainly offered everything the ferrin’ jobs had, right down to the bland, gray plastic interior, but were good cars, not great. It came down to price, as these were $1500 more than a Camry, and quite frankly, I think the Camry was a better deal. This has problems written all over it, a 30 year old Camry, not so much. Pretty much, I feel, the end of a once highest quality car, no wonder they cancelled them.
“The concept was sound enough, but the decision not to splash cash on a decent advertising campaign meant that sales volumes were dismal.”
As a lifelong Oldsmobile guy, who was driving a 1979 Cutlass Calais when this car came out, I really don’t think the lack of an advertising campaign was the issue. As the article mentions, Motor Trend did an article on this car, as did several other performance car publications at the time. The problems were (a) performance oriented buyers generally didn’t want front wheel drive, and (b) those who would buy a front wheel drive “performance” car would lean towards the foreign names, particularly Toyota (Celica) and Honda (Prelude) or the turbo Dodge/Chrysler models, which generally looked better than this, and(c) the storied 442 label had already been watered down by 20 years of being nothing more than an appearance package. I viewed this Quad 442 as an attempt by Olds to appeal to the younger generation (which I was at the time), which just further alienated the core Olds fans, both young and old. If they had made this same car in rear wheel drive (or even AWD) with the 5 speed and touted the power being the same as some V8s of the time, it might have gained more traction, both literally and figuratively.
I had a 1970 442 (my tag on here was it’s license plate; Jefferson County Hotrod) and I really enjoyed dropping rubber in second gear, going sideways and getting low teens for MPG. When these came out it caught my attention, but not enough to go down to a dealer and check it out. As mentioned above, this was what happened to this attempt. Also the original Quad 4s had head gasket issues which alb eit fixed, left a lasting negative impression.
May be a fine car. Respectable horsepower for sure – but having the 442 name stuck on a 4 cylinder, front wheel drive peanut wagon just chaps my hide. Not only would I not buy it- I’d have to think hard between riding in it and walking home in a blizzard.
The quad 4….Noooooooo!
Is this car a flip from a post last year?
I doubt it. Lots of differences in them. I don’t like the non-stock chrome wheels (I know the original alloys come with it) and the cheesy hood bulge on this one.