1966 Oldsmobile 442 Option Package The 1966 442 shared a modest facelift with other Cutlasses. Its major news was the addition of two new optional engines: the L69, with three two-barrel Carter carburetors on a progressive linkage, rated at 360 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque, and the rare W30. The standard engine, now dubbed L78, was rated 350 hp/440 ft·lbf with a single four-barrel carburetor.
The W30 engine added an outside-air induction system (admitting cool air to the carburetors via tubing from the front bumper) and a hotter cam, rated -- or, more likely, underrated -- the same as the L69. The battery was relocated to the trunk to make room for the air hoses, which prevented the package from being ordered on convertible models. Only 54 W30s were built by the factory, although an additional 97 were produced for dealer installation.
Car Life tested an L69 442 with four-speed transmission and obtained a 0-60 time of 6.3 seconds and a quarter mile of 14.8 seconds at 97 mph. Motor Trend's similar test car ran 0-60 in 7.2 seconds, with a quarter mile time of 15.2 seconds at 96.6 mph.
Production slumped to 21,997. The 442 still only constituted about 10% of Cutlass sales, whereas Pontiac's GTO represented nearly a third of all Tempests sold.
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