1967 OLDSMOBILE 442 400-4 bbl MPG= 11 City/ 15 Hwy.

Story copyright D. S. Brown, images from Rocket Circle magazine copyright Oldsmobile.

The most commonly encountered 442 in the 1967 model year was equipped with an automatic transmission running through a 3.08 axle. This typical 'mild' 442 produced approximately 11 MPG City and 15 MPG Hwy.

The 442 enjoyed increasing popularity in its fourth year. The 442 traces back to the 1964 model when the 442 was initially a Cutlass pressed into service as a copycat GTO. The best that Olds could do on short notice was to release the police package 330 Cutlass. The car had 4 barrel carb, 4 speed transmission and dual exhaust which explains the moniker. When the car became available with auto trans and a 400 in 1965, the name was reinterpreted to indicate 400, 4 barrel, and dual exhaust.

Below are pages from the Oldsmobile Rocket Circle magazine.

One area that Olds deviated from the 'big engine smaller car' formula was handling. From the very start until the end of the 442 series, extra chassis engineering was devoted to creating a good handling car. The 442 was a drivers' car, particularly when evaluated in the context of other USA cars in 1967.

The drive train on a 442 is different than the plain Cutlass and consequently the 442 weighs more. The 442 gains weight from the engine, heavy duty propeller shaft, convertible frame, heavy duty springs and shocks. The automatic 442s also received the three speed Turbo Hydromatic which weighs more than the two speed Jetaway which was the top auto you could order in a Cutlass. The 442s bigger high performance engine and higher rear axle ratio all return lower MPG than a lighter, milder Cutlass.

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When MOTOR TREND tested the Turnpike Cruiser in Feb 1967 they simultaneously ran a 442 with TH 3 speed Auto and 3.08 axle. They garnered 13.3 MPG Highway at a steady 70 mph for the 442.

CAR AND DRIVER Dec 1966 tested a 442 with 400, TH 3 speed auto and 3.08 axle. The mileage ranged from "11 to 17 MPG". This probably means that the City was the lower and Hwy the higher figure, but it's not specified.

ROAD TEST got 11.6 MPG overall during a hard driving test of a 442 with 400, TH 3 speed auto, and unspecified axle (likely the standard 3.08 that was coupled to the automatic 442s). The car was a convertible, which adds weight and hurts MPG.

PERFORMANCE CARS Magazine ran a super tuned 442 with the 400, 4 speed manual and 3.90 axle. Not surprisingly, given the rear axle, the reported MPG was '8-12' over 1,000 miles.

HIGH PERFORMANCE CARS Oct 1967 tested a W-30 442 with cold air induction 400, 4 speed and 4.33 axle. Just like the PERFORMANCE CARS Magazine test, they saw "8-12 MPG".

The April 1967 POPULAR MECHANICS Owners Report tabulated the results for Cutlass drivers with the 400 4 barrel and the Turbo Hydromatic 3 speed auto: 11.9 MPG City and 14.7 Highway. The 400 engine Cutlass is listed without reference to what proportion were 442s or Turnpike Cruisers. The 442 was more popular, so we may assume that the majority were 442s with the auto and the normal auto 3.08 axle