By James McCarter
LA VIEW Publisher
Ryan Sharhill grew up in the 1960s in the then-working class suburb of Royal Oak, which was located in the heart of the Woodward cruising district. In the late ‘60s everyone seemed to have a cool car and at 16 years old Sharhill, who wasn’t particularly mechanically inclined, decided it was time for him to get one, too.
“I didn’t know a lot about cars,” recalls Sharhill. “All the other guys seemed to know just what they wanted: a Mopar, a GTO, a Chevelle. I had no idea.”
So he just started visiting the used-car lots along Woodward, which in those days were filled with fast cars. He sat in a bunch and drove a few and quickly discovered one criterion his “new” car was going to have to meet.
“Almost all the cool cars that I looked at drove like trucks,” said Sharhill. “They were all fast, but they were uncomfortable to drive, and worst of all I couldn’t hear the radio. That was unacceptable!”
After quite a long search a used car salesman at Matthews Hargreaves Chevrolet showed him a red 1966 4-4-2 with a black vinyl top. The car was two years old at the time, newer than Sharhill was looking for, and priced significantly above his planned budget.
The first thing Sharhill noticed when he climbed in the car was the comfort and beauty of the interior. It had awesome black bucket seats with chrome trim and very cool center console with a long Hurst shifter sticking out of it. The dashboard was well-designed and included a tachometer.
It also had power windows, power brakes and power steering.
“Before I even drove the car, I loved it because it was so comfortable,” said Sharhill.
Then he drove it.
“Man it was fast!” exclaimed Sharhill. “I was no champ with the four-speed, but I could feel the power even as I was stalling out in the parking lot.”
Sharhill bought the car and has owned it ever since.
Oldsmobile introduced the 4-4-2 in 1964 after witnessing the success of the Pontiac GTO. It was the first GM division to adapt Pontiac’s model of stuffing a full-size engine into a midsize car. Pontiac did it with a Tempest; Oldsmobile did it with their F-85 model, also sold in a more upscale line called the Cutlass.
The 4-4-2 package included the most powerful engine Oldsmobile offered at the time, a 330-cubic-inch V-8 that was used in the Olds police package. It has a four-barrel carburetor, four-speed transmission and dual exhaust. That combination formed the basis for the 4-4-2 nameplate, which Oldsmobile never intended to keep as a long-term moniker. But it had a great ring to it, and the company kept it as their high-performance name for the next 10 years.
Since the 4-4-2 was introduced late in the year, only 2,999 4-4-2s were sold in 1964. But as the word got out, the numbers climbed.
By 1966 the 4-4-2 was well-established as a luxury muscle car. The entire Oldsmobile midsize line got new sheet metal that had more extenuated lines, especially around the wheel wells and rear fender area. It was less boxy than previous years, but not yet a fastback.
The base engine, which is what Sharhill’s car has, was now a 400-cubic-inch V-8 that generates 350 horsepower. Olds also offered a tri-power setup in an upgrade called the “W-30.” There were five transmissions and eight rear axle ratios offered in 1966. The suspension was stiffened for a more stable ride.
1966 was a good year for the 4-4-2 as sales climbed to almost 22,000 units. These numbers were well below the Mustangs and Chevelles, but they were higher than anyone at Oldsmobile expected. There was a significant segment of the muscle car market that felt comfort was just as important as power — and they were willing to pay for it.
Sharhill’s 4-4-2 would have to be considered an unrestored vehicle. He has had the car repainted several times, but has never removed the engine or transmission.
“Frankly, I wouldn’t know how to pull a motor anyway,” says Sharhill. “When the time comes for that I’ll have to pony up the funds to pay someone else to do it.”
Meanwhile, Sharhill changes the oil every month in the summer and is constantly cleaning his old car.
“I’ll never sell it,” says Sharhill. “I love this car because of the memories, and I can’t see owning any other car.”

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