The Oldsmobile 442 is a very near and dear nameplate to many classic car enthusiasts. Applying the “442” moniker to any old Oldsmobile simply doesn’t do justice. But, General Motors thought that was okay in 1999.
Meet the 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue 442. The Truth About Cars discovered this one-off show car for sale via Hemmings, and it has an interesting host of features.
Foremost, this is a sanctioned vehicle from GM and not someone’s attempt at recreating then-modern 442. GM reportedly used the 1999 Intrigue 442 at shows such as SEMA to flex its customization muscles. We’d say they were a bit flabby then.
A custom body kit adorns the Intrigue, which looks to recall the original, sought after 442, and custom wheels and exhaust are present, too. Hurst-inspired gold striping also helps to conjure nostalgic memories. But, the Intrigue 442 wasn’t only exterior modifications, GM also tinkered with the powertrain.
The 3.5-liter “Shortstar” DOHC V6 was yanked out and a Cadillac-sourced Northstar V8 was put in its place. The seller states the engine does have some tweaks and 442 modifications but did not explore what those might be.
With a price of $40,000, there’s a lot you could potentially buy instead. But, you wouldn’t own the only Intrigue 442 known to exist, either, would you?
Comments
One word for this. Ugly!
this is a joke but where the hell is the Cutlass 442 , GM should not have closed OLDSMOBILE- the divisions should have been ,, Chevy–Olds– Cad
Glenn and Tom G.
Glenn, in a word, Bingo! Tom G., the same argument for Olds could be as easily used for Pontiac. After all, not looking at what misery befell them, you have the GTO, Firebird, and Grand Prix, all three of which were industry game changers. Of course, we cannot forget the Bonneville (again, in its initial generation or two). Then, of course, there were noteworthy new models such as the Soltice and G8; vehicles that Lutz and Welburn said were the types of cars Pointiac should have been building decades earlier. Who knows what other amazing concepts were literally on the drawing boards when Obama switched off the lights and pulled the white sheet over them. Had we lost Buick, we also would have lost the potential for great muscle cars like the Gran Sport, Skylark, and sleeper muscle machines like the Wildcat and Riviera. Worse, we probably would have lost all of GM, because, like it or not, the Chinese are buying more profit-rich Buicks than any other segment, and that, my friend, is what is, or at the time, was, subsidizing the entire corporation. I am not sure what argument you can use for GMC, except that, at the time, Denali sales were also a big boost to the entire General Empire.
The fact is, there would have been, and probably was, a wealth of worthy and valid reasons to keep all of them, except Hummer, upon which the market had already larger turned. Even Saturn, with the Sky, had minimal, but all the same important, “keep alive” arguments that were, in all likelihood used to exhaustion.
The fact is that, to make a rational decision, the Obama and previous GM bean counters did not take into account nostalgia or public interest in their calculations; the numbers were the things that mattered. If they had, we might have seen resurrected brands like Oakland and LaSalle running around on the streets and highways of 2017.
But your comment strikes at an even more sad issue: resignation. When was the last time you signed a petition to reinstate your beloved Oldsmobile Division? Which Senators and State Representatives have you angered because of your literal daily calls to the constituency and D.C. offices for them to do something to bring it back? How many times did you thank CEO Barra for literally coming to the rescue (Akerson was largely considered as the Gorbachev of GM – the one that would quietly and precisely pull up the white sheet; the caretaker of its ultimate demise). You have basically said, “Oh well, I guess we will never have greatness again.”
Where is your fight, man? Where is your optimism? Where is your belief that you are not standing alone and that somewhere, right at this very moment, plans are secretly being made to relaunch those two divisions, or at least specialty beloved nameplates (your Cutlass and my GTO), under a Unique Vehicles Division; not a concept that has never been considered at the General?
Stand up! Challenge the Dragon! These are only the dark hours before the sunrise; the hours in which, sadly, many people give up hope. May I quote (and mutilate his message) a great man who inspired all people of the world. “Ask not what the General can do for you, but what you can do for the General.” “Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.” and most important of all, “We choose to resurrect the former great brands of GM in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.”
I have one of the last Oldsmobile Intrigue 2002 I love this car it’s a real hotrod for old guys like me getting quite rare these days