• Oldsmobile left the high-performance market due to the 1973 Oil Embargo, changing the standard engine in the Oldsmobile Cutlass to the Oldsmobile 350 cubic-inch engine. The 350 engine meant more fuel economy for the buyers of the midsized Cutlass. This new strategy paid off, with Oldsmobile selling 334,576 Cutlass units with the new standard 350 in 1973. The company made few changes for the 1974 Cutlass, which was available in a coupe and a sedan with the standard 350 Oldsmobile engine.
  
  

The Engine Stats

• The 1974 350-cubic-inch V8 engine was produced from 1968 to 1985. The bore was 4.057 inches, with a stroke of 3.385 inches, with a compression ratio of 8.5:1. The horsepower was rated at 180 at 3,800 rpm and a torque rating of 275 foot-pounds at 2,800 rpm. The engine had an overhead valve configuration and induction was through a downdraft four-barrel Rochester carburetor. The Oldsmobile 350 was produced by the Oldsmobile division and differed from other General Motors engines of the same displacement and therefore an Oldsmobile 350 was not interchangeable with a Chevy 350.
  
  

The Cutlass

• The 350 cubic-inch engine combined with the Turbohydramatic 350 transmission made the midsized Cutlass more popular because of the fuel ecomomy minded public. The 1974 Cutlass was 210.6 inches long and had a wheelbase of 112 inches wide. Other options included tinted windows, air conditioning, power brakes, a landau top, sport mirrors, and hood and trunk lights.
  
  

The 442

• The famed 442 came equipped in 1974 with the 350 cubic-inch engine with the same 180 horsepower as the standard Cutlass -- by 1972, the "442" was an appearance option. The 442 originally meant the car came with a four-barrel carburetor, four-speed manual transmission and a dual exhaust.