Oldsmobile’s 4-4-2 was born out of the familial competition between Pontiac and Olds, bred from the unexpected success of the Tempest GTO. Oldsmobile engineer John Belz, a performance enthusiast, worked with faithful coworkers to develop their own version, an F-85 or Cutlass equipped with what was officially dubbed the “B09 Police Apprehender Pursuit” option. This package included a four-barrel-carbureted 330 V-8 with heavy-duty valve gear and a hotter camshaft, for 310 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 355 foot-pounds of torque at 3,600 rpm, as well as a four-speed transmission with heavy-duty clutch and Posi-traction rear axle, dual exhaust, heavy-duty suspension, and both front and rear anti-roll bars. The combination of four-barrel carburetor, four-speed transmission, and dual exhaust led it to be popularly nicknamed 4-4-2, which became one of the most famous names of the muscle car era.

In its inaugural season, the B09 “4-4-2” package was available on any F-85 or Cutlass except the station wagon. Reportedly 2,999 were made.

The F-85 Holiday Coupe shown here was delivered new by Harry Cramer, Inc., of Middletown, Pennsylvania. A reproduction of its original window sticker, which is on file, notes its delivery with the B09 package and all of the expected goodies, as well as Roto-Matic power steering, tilt-type mirror, outside rear-view mirror, front bucket seats and console, Deluxe pushbutton radio, Superlift shock absorbers, visor vanity mirror, interior lamps, and simulated wire wheels—all of which it retains today. In fact, this car has not been restored, and it still wears the majority of its factory Provincial White finish and blue interior, as well as its rare air conditioning system. The famous “pursuit” suspension components are all still on the car, as is the dual-snorkel air cleaner, an original piece that is next to impossible to find today.

At the time of cataloguing, the car had recorded 46,142 miles—a figure that may well be original, as a sticker inside the door refers to an oil change by a Uniontown, Ohio, dealer at 29,260 miles in 1984. A correct spare is inside the trunk, and all four wheels ride on period-correct redline tires. The car is offered with the aforementioned reproduction window sticker, as well as the original owner’s manuals, Owner Protection Plan booklet, and period Oldsmobile advertisements.

An exciting example of the original “muscle Olds,” this hot 4-4-2 is among the most original surviving and would be at home in any collection of the greatest American performance machines.