For a brand that arguably invented the concept with the 1949 Rocket 88, Oldsmobile had a bit of a dilemma by the time the muscle car era was reaching its peak in the late 1960s. While the division’s sophisticated 442 certainly measured up in terms of performance, its image was rather conservative—a little too understated to grab its fair share of attention in the crowded field of extroverted muscle machines—and its sticker price was a little too high to compete with the bang-for-buck leaders from other divisions. When it came time for the Cutlass/442 redesign, Olds decided it needed two things: a more affordable performance package and a more charismatic image for its performance cars.
The image was aided by the more compact dimensions of the new-for-’68 A-Body. The new Cutlass and 442 sat two inches lower and were three inches shorter in both wheelbase and overall length than the cars they replaced, while having a slightly wider and sportier stance. They
