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1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 L77 455
For 1973, 4-4-2 was Oldsmobile's W29 appearance-and-handling package for the new Colonnade Cutlass and Cutlass S coupes. It was not a separate model and it was not a continuation of the regular-production W-30 package. The factory brochure calls W29 the basic 4-4-2 package and separates it from the available engines, transmissions, wheels, exhaust, gauges, steering wheel, seats, and console.
The most muscular regular Cutlass combination paired W29 with the L77 455 and Muncie M20 four-speed. The V-code 455 was rated at 270 SAE net horsepower at 4,200 rpm and 370 lb-ft at 3,200 rpm, with an 8.5:1 compression ratio, Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel, and dual exhaust. The M20 used a 2.52:1 first gear and an 11-inch clutch. A documented original example uses the new 8.5-inch corporate 10-bolt axle with a 3.23:1 ratio; Anti-Spin was optional.
W29 supplied the 4-4-2 identity and chassis treatment: FE2 Rallye suspension, front and rear stabilizer bars, a blacked-out grille, 4-4-2 emblems, a louvered hood treatment, and stripes across the hood and deck with body-side extensions. It did not automatically add the L77, dual exhaust, Super Stock wheels, Rallye gauges, Custom Sport steering wheel, swivel buckets, or console. Those distinctions matter when evaluating restored cars.
The new chassis retained unequal-length front control arms with coil springs and a coil-sprung four-link live rear axle. Front discs and rear drums were standard Cutlass architecture, while W29's FE2 tuning provided heavier springs, firmer shocks, and stabilizer bars. The coupe rode on a 112-inch wheelbase.
Oldsmobile offered sixteen Cutlass-compatible exterior colors and several cloth-and-vinyl or Morocceen interior paths. Cutlass S buyers could retain the bench seat or order the memorable swivel Strato buckets; a console was available with bucket seats and an optional transmission.
Oldsmobile did not encode W29 in the VIN. The fifth VIN character V supports the L77 455, but the build sheet, window sticker, or other car-specific factory paperwork is needed to prove the 4-4-2 package. Hemmings reports 10,137 W29 4-4-2s across all engines and an estimated 95 V-code four-speed Cutlasses across all trim packages; the exact W29-plus-L77 intersection remains undocumented.