Rare 1991 Oldsmobile Quad 442 W-41 | Jay Leno's Garage

This very rare four cylinder, twin-turbo engine was developed for the Oldsmobile Aerotech and raced by A. J. Foyt!
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A new video every Sunday! Visit Jay Leno's Garage, the Emmy-winning series where Jay Leno gives car reviews, motorcycle reviews, compares cars, and shares his passion and expertise on anything that rolls, explodes, and makes noise. Classic cars, restomods, super cars like the McLaren P1, sports cars like Porsche 918 Spyder and Camaro Z28, cafe racers, vintage cars, and much, much more.
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[@OMGpandemic]

I love guests like this, calm, well spoken, knows his stuff.

[@danielneal9137]

He has one more of these in showroom condition, an as raced Achieva W41 and Fueling Engineerings speed record Cutlass drag car. I always joke he has such a niche oddball obsession with these things.

[@LrulestheworldM8]

@@danielneal9137 ain't nothing wrong with that. Jeffs a great guy, and the Quad 4/twin cam are some of the best motors ever made.

[@danielneal9137]

@@LrulestheworldM8 definitely an awesome guy, he is local to me and I have been over to his shop a few times.

[@31847448]

Me too thank you Jay Leno

[@TSL73]

@@LrulestheworldM8for what they are, they do sound really good too

[@kdstuf]

442 in the 60s: four barrell, 4 speed, dual exhaust 442 in the 90s: four cylinder, four valves per cylinder, twin cam

[@randolfo1265]

Four Four Two is a meaningful number - √√√

[@bigjoe330]

Jay is just is just amazing guy. He's not a car snob. He can get excited over a Bugatti and an Olds in the same breath.

[@danielj1063]

Cuz he's a genuine mechanic

[@excwoodsrider]

Great episode! I'm glad Jay highlighted this awesome piece of automotive history. I am the original owner of a 1992 W41 Oldsmobile Achieva SCX. I was working for a GM dealer as a tech and during one of my training trips to GM I saw the spec sheet. I was told I would probably never see one because so few were built. When I got back to the dealer, one was sitting on a car carrier about to be unloaded. I bought it right away. Still sitting in my garage. Awesome car! No one knows about these beauties. So it never seemed to reach collectible status.

[@jamesb2291]

I had one also. A black 2 door 5 speed. It was honestly a great car. I bought it used for 500 bucks and the lady I got it from had no idea what it was. Aside from some small decals it looked like a standard economy car. It was surprisingly quick and handled pretty decently. Regretfully it ended up going to scrap after I left my brother in law borrow it and he overheated it. Cracked the head. Kinda wish I'd saved that car but I have too many projects as it is and nobody wanted to buy it.

[@w41duvernay]

That car surprised a lot of people when I lived in Aspen, Colo. It didn't take long to get serviced by the local techs after I modded it.

[@russellreed3683]

I worked at a salvage yard in the early 00's and we had one of these show up. Teal greenish color. My buddy Bought it for a $100. I was blown away how quick it was, and even then I had a feeling even then I would probably never see one again!

[@zlinedavid]

Do the electronic struts still work? 😉 Yep, former ‘93 SCX owner here, and nope, mine didn’t. Only thing that didn’t work on that car though.

[@TheChrisBeach]

I had one too... I traded it in on another rare car.... a 99 Civic Si. That Olds surprised alot of people.

[@jasonlockard1918]

Must have been a real honor for this gentleman to get to talk with Jay like this about his car I always admired how Jay could see the passion for the automobile no matter what the platform is one can honestly say Jay is a true car guy with a true love and passion for anything with a motor and 4 wheels... Good show.... 👍

[@Sergeantgrunt]

He looks so nervous! I noticed he knew what he wanted to say but he kept cutting Jay off. Yes, it's Jay Leno but he's a car guy. Relax and just enjoy the conversation.

[@mharshey111]

I worked in experimental engineering at Olds in Lansing Michigan. I helped develop the cam chain cover for the Quad 4. The cam chain made noise that was deemed unacceptable. We went to a laminated steel to dampen the sound. Thought you might find that interesting.

[@oldsjetfire8975]

Very cool! Do you happen to have any old factory photos or information on the Quad 4?

[@jeffcampbell2710]

Did your job only include the Chain cover? If jobs are that specific, them must be a lot of people involved in one engine. Which seems ridiculous, but I'm very ignorant about it.

[@w41duvernay]

Thanks for the effort. 92 Achieva scx owner.

[@sstills951]

I had a 92 Olds cutlass ciera. That thing was a dependable champ. Thought you might find that interesting.

[@zlinedavid]

Former ‘93 Achieva SCX owner. Nice job on the cover, but one question…..who was the sadistic SOB who said the inner edges of the chain housing had to be sharpened to a razor’s edge? 🤣 Half kidding of course, but I’ve got at least two scars on my right had from incisions made from Quad 4 chain housings. Every one I’ve come across, the inner edges were sharp as hell.

[@finetoothcombdetailing]

Huge thank you to the vehicle owner for allowing me the opportunity to care for these spectacular pieces of history, prior to their trip!! Glad to have been a part of this, and glad you enjoyed your time spent with them @JayLeno 🙌

[@fast97z24]

Paint looks amazing on both!

[@alicebrianna7835]

You did amazing! 🎉

[@OutOfOrderMai]

Thanks for sharing them! Great to know some of the history of those beautiful cars

[@hungryalien]

you did a great job on these two cars! you should have made detailing videos on them too for your channel!

[@rickarra1833]

Glad to see you Jay.

[@allenbryant]

One of the best guests ever! You could tell that he really was into his car. Some guests are on there just because they could afford the car but this guy enjoyed his car and knew his stuff. Find more guests like him.

[@Brooks_Fitness_365]

💯💥

[@finetoothcombdetailing]

The owner is one of my clients, I had the pleasure of detailing these cars. Super knowledgeable and all-around good dude 🙌

[@arthurjordan8371]

yea i really hate meeting guys with my dream cars and i be telling them more about their car than they can tell me'

[@rjs2005]

I've owned a '92 Achieva SCX since new- 245,000 miles on it, the engine has never been out of the car. It needs a lot of cosmetic work but it runs well to this day. Jeff has helped me many times on old internet forums and FB groups- he is the Quad 4 man. I remember conversing with Paul Hacker back in the mid 90's after they had ended the Oldsmobile SCCA/IMSA Firehawk racing program- he was gracious, helpful and a fountain of knowledge. Thanks, Jay for sharing this discussion with Jeff, and his beautiful W41's!

[@zlinedavid]

I talked with Paul a handful of times in the early 2000’s. Concur, good dude.

[@Ug_Gene]

I had a ‘92 SC 5spd, white with red interior. I put a flowmaster exhaust on it. For its day, it was fun. I kept it until 2001 and it had no issues. I traded it in for a Sebring JXI convertible.

[@paw45]

I feel you Jay. 2004 seems so recent. Then you realize, that was almost 19 years ago. It's startling, how fast time flys by.

[@dyer2cycle]

..yes, anything 2000 and after seems recent..I guess I will always be a "19--" guy..twenty-plus years in now, and calling years "2000-and--"or "Twenty__" still just seems surreal...probably comes from living over half your life(to date) in the 20th century....

[@beaconsandhelos]

That's the engine that should have gone into the Fiero.

[@jeffpiatt3879]

About 100hp more than a stock "Duke." The Fiero would have sold like crazy with that engine and been a blast to drive.

[@Truetoo102]

Definitely

[@johnboydTx]

Agreed .... I think it would have hurt firebird sales ??? A real tragedy a GNX turbo V6 in a fiero 🤔 could have been a legendary auto....✌️❤️

[@LrulestheworldM8]

It was planned for 1989.

[@scottimusgarrett15]

GM brass were actually terrified of the Fiero surpassing the Corvette...

[@LrulestheworldM8]

This guy is a HUGE pillar in the Quad 4 community. We all LOVE this engine. Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to show these to the world Jeff. More people should know about these cars and these amazing engines. And this is the best way to get the word out. Great job!

[@danielneal9137]

Jeff is a great guy, love when he brings stuff out to our local Cars and Coffee. Have been to his shop a few times.

[@fast97z24]

Jeff did absolutely amazing. Full of knowledge. One hell of a perfect representation for the Quad 4 and Oldsmobile.

[@bhaggen]

Sounds like a reboot of the Cosworth Vega without John DeLorean

[@nb7466]

My Sunfire quad four broke all of the timr

[@festusian9089]

In the 90s my daughter wanted a newer car and when I checked a dealer where I had lots of friends, there was a very nice low mileage Achieva SCX - restyle on the same platform - on the lot. She bought it, loved it, and the thing never gave any problems. I think it had the same engine as this car - it was very limited production. I remember being surprised that it had 14" tires instead of the 15s like their lesser sports model. Turns out the engineers' testing showed it had quicker lap times with the smaller tires.

[@ricksand6477]

Back in early 1987, I was working in the auto industry and had the good fortune to share a breakfast table at an auto show event with Oldsmobile Chief Engineer, Ted Loucas. AJ Foyt had just set the closed course speed record in Texas with the Quad 4 engine he and his team had developed. He was a real gentleman and we talked at length about developing the Quad 4. None of us knew then how dire things would become later for Oldsmobile and couldn't imagine that it would actually be gone. Thanks for The review of this little known Olds, Jay. It's not surprising that it's a really nice car with surprising performance for its day. Oldsmobile had a great reputation for engineering, as you know.

[@LrulestheworldM8]

Olds died because GM took their engineering department to China. If you notice, almost all their new cars and crossovers debut there before they come to the US.

[@MrCarGuy]

@@LrulestheworldM8 That's half correct. They simply prioritized China for a while but many cars designed for China are engineered in the US

[@slapshot1971109]

@@LrulestheworldM8 I think Pontiac suffered the same fate a few years later, a casualty of the Wall Street bailout and GM's restructuring.

[@edwardkeeter762]

In 1990 I worked for a video production company in Detroit. We were tasked one day to go out and get footage of the race versions of this car at a local race track. The shoot wrapped up way ahead of schedule, so the drivers, who were paid for the whole day, spent the afternoon racing for the fun of it, but with members of the film crew riding along with them. I was with the company for one year, and only missed one day in all that time due to the 24 hour flu. Guess which was the one day I missed?

[@brianrobinson1259]

I worked for Oldsmobile when these came out and had been doing head gaskets on the regular quad four engines under warranty. I got to the point that I could do two and sometimes three in a day. When the quad 442 with the high output version came out they were fun to drive but they also had head gasket problems. Later on when the Acheiva SCX came out they were better handling and very quick. The manual transmission was definitely the way to go on these. Great memories!

[@BreakStuffClub]

I had a ‘93 red SCX and my father had a black ‘92 SCX I miss them both, they were so nice to drive!

[@scottgregory7683]

If memory serves me correctly, didn't these engines also experience issues with the heads developing cracks?

[@troylegros5114]

It too was working at dealers when these were out and I have no love for these pieces of crap motor

[@jeremyb4493]

​@@troylegros5114 my younger sister bought a used grand am with the quad four. Pretty quick car in the mid/later 90s but couldn't keep it running on a teenager's budget. GM has always had decent styling/design and performance but they didn't care enough about the customers when it came to reliability problems and endless leaking gasket issues.

[@firstsgt279]

Had 1989 Cutlass Calais SL Quad 4. Was fun to drive and with Fire Engine Red one of the very few cars that Color at that time. Overpriced even with my GM Discount but fun to Drive. Had it 5yrs and 101K miles. After my 100K Warranty expired had get rid of it, went threw 5 Head Gaskets and wasn't about start paying for them every yr.

[@uncreative_name48]

This is exactly the kind of cars that I love to see - ones most other enthusiasts would just glance at and scoff - this is wonderful! Thank you Jay!

[@johndoedro]

These are my favorite episodes, random rare cars with cool stories.

[@audioisgood]

So good to talk to someone with such knowledge and passion for one specific model package. This is what makes this channel stand out. Well done, Jay.

[@Hot80s]

When Jay put the key into the ignition, and you started to hear the chimes, Bongbong bong brought back a lot of mid80s teenage memories with either your father, your mother, or your uncle.

[@georgemallory797]

I raced a Calais with the Quad 4. I was driving a Buick Regal 3800 with the tuned 16" suspension. I had 1/4 tank of gas and was driving alone. The Oldsmobile had 3 or 4 guys in it and was also stock as near as I could tell. I could not lose this guy. This engine was no joke. I remember being in disbelief. I finally understand why. Great video, gentlemen.

[@jerrycraig6522]

We are SO glad that you're ok Jay Leno, you really are our car guy, we ALL get alot from you!!!

[@LauRoot892]

Ugh 😑

[@theodoregarcia8830]

This guy is so informed on this car its great showmanship of well studied , and well spoken individual .

[@jameskeyes1131]

Jeff is a very smart, well informed guest who knows his stuff about old Oldsmobile high performance cars. One of the best Garage shows so far.

[@LauRoot892]

Keyes

[@geothon]

Jeff Szafraniec is probably the most knowledgeable and down to the point hands on guest on this show ever.

[@w41duvernay]

Yeah, Jeff is the MAN for speed parts for the Quad 4.

[@pete1208]

What a nice young man so polite and knowledgeable about his passion and respectful towards the legend that is Jay Leno

[@ogr7771]

This is a great video. I too was a mechanic in the 80's and always a Chevy guy.....(still am) but Jay was correct in saying that from the mid 70s to early 80s the bestselling American car was the Olds Cutlass. Because I was a mechanic and noticed that the Oldsmobile were very reliable, we bought Oldsmobile Delta 88s as our family cars till they went out of production, those were great cars, even now my eldest granddaughter drives a 97 Olds Cutlass Supreme.

[@miurasvlamborghini]

What a great episode, it's nice when the guest and Jay really meld together in conversation.

[@timtimtimmay4654]

This is one of the most underappreciated cars ever made. It really set the stage for the coming age of DOHC GM tech for years to come.

[@daevid21]

Would you say the ecotec 2.2 is part of that

[@mkendall8393]

Maybe you could say that there are learnings between the two but in reality these two designs couldn’t be more different.

[@timtimtimmay4654]

@@mkendall8393 There are most definitely learnings between the two. Bear in mind the proximity of when the Ecotecs started and when these ended, the other vehicle platforms that shared the Quad 4, and moving forward their later generations or replacements as they were phased out (like the Grand Am for instance). Oldsmobile and Pontiac may have been axed by GM, but there is a lot of technology, especially from Oldsmobile, that moved forward.

[@NorthernChev]

I VERY MUCH remember this car! My boss back then had one. He bought it new in '91. I first saw it at a party at the President of my University's house in 1992. I actually got to drive it that day. This entire line of experimental engines and all the prototype cars and it's entire history was explained in multiple car magazines of the time. I may even still have them, I doubt I could ever find them, but this was HUGE back then. I find it so hard to believe Jay knows so little about it, considering how much rave was made about it back then. If you were a car guy in those days, you KNEW about this engine and these cars.

[@NorthernChev]

Man, my most vivid memory of driving this thing was how high it would rev. Nothing of the time could spin like this engine did. It had "OK" low end torque but when the power band kicked in, WHEW! Off it would RIP!

[@ramcharger154]

Yeah, Leno must've not read magazines back then. It really was in every magazine

[@JWTiny]

I remember the add where they ran it dry (no oil) for 24 hours straight and then another where they did some crazy miles with no oil.

[@billyjoejimbob56]

Wikipedia does a nice job of laying out all the engineering variations.

[@enhancementtank5876]

He's cgi character give them credit

[@gregoryballestero4369]

I feel like KZbin is one of the reasons there are the younger kids that really know what they're talking about when it comes to automotive and engineering you can learn how to do everything on here and that's good because the kids that have that type of "engineering brain" have a good place to feed their knowledge well before a vocational school or college

[@jinx0192]

I love when the average Joe like Jeff here brings their car, and love for it to Jay's show. Very interesting episode. Very knowledgeable young man. Thanks Jeff, and Jay!

[@williamwintemberg]

I remember reading about the Quad Four back in the day. Quick math in my head registered 100 hp per liter. That got my attention! I knew it was possible back then because of my association with motorcycles but the thought of this power in a production automobile really got me. A guy I worked with bought one of these, it was red and looked exactly like the one in this video. He and I talked about the car quite often because he knew I was a car guy. I didn't know anything of the low production numbers and neither did he. I didn't know of these numbers until watching this video. I really hope he sees this video at some point. I learn so much watching Jay's videos!

[@LauRoot892]

WintemBerg 😮

[@MichaelWilson-sn1yo]

So glad to see you rolling again. America loves you Jay! Never do dangerous things alone. Glad your friend was quick on his feet!

[@mediocreman2]

This was recorded months ago.

[@bobjohnson1587]

I think his friend is in for a BIG bonus! 😄

[@bobjohnson1587]

@@LauRoot892 I bet you ask that of all the guys. In fact, having scrolled down the comments I know you do. 🤔

[@LauRoot892]

@@bobjohnson1587 nope 👎🏻 I Ugh 😑

[@meneerhalfwerk7096]

Man how I love Jay so much. The way he interacts with people is from out of this world, if we were all a bit like him there would only be peace.

[@ajhackbarth9639]

I've seen an insane amount of Jay's videos, and this is by far my favorite. This guy REALLY knew his stuff and Jay was giddy talking to him. Awesome video.

[@303nitzubishi4]

He may know his stuff but he sure didn't show it here as far as the Quad4 engine and the N car goes

[@BlueFirefly12]

@303 Nitzubishi It's a 30 minute episode... How deep into it did you expect the guy to go?

[@ericbelletynee5448]

@@303nitzubishi4 Let's see 2 cars , engine, crank shaft and what were those the pistons at a value of 15k each aperantly, plus a brief history of the car. Yep not much there. And trust me I'll rip on anything that's sketchy for the most part.

[@damaster692]

I smoked a lot of imports with this car n engine , redline 7200,

[@slycarlo8747]

@@ericbelletynee5448If you don’t like the information presented, don’t watch the video. This guy obviously has a passion for theses cars and that engine program.

[@flamezoidtron]

i swear I've worked with guys just like this in countless shops, just a good regular dude doing his thing, great cars man! good job being noticed!

[@ericblade6152]

Thank you Jay and Jeff!!!!!

[@ec6933]

Love how much this guy knows about a weird car that no one knows about and the internals of its engine from 30 years ago that's what makes car culture so great

[@michaelglewwe46]

My buddy in high school had a ‘91 Chevy Beretta GTZ with the quad4, that he had put all the w41 parts in, it was quite quick for the time, and smoked the majority of imports at the local street races. What a fun engine. Great video!

[@maxedwellseven6724]

Wow, that guy really knows his stuff! I’ll bet Jay would have a hard time keeping up with him discussing engines. I’m very impressed with his knowledge.

[@keithgreer1]

What a great guest. He really knows his cars

[@danielneal9137]

He has a few of them, 2 showroom condition and the one in race trim, plus an Achieva W41 in race trim and a Cutlass bodied drag car that Fueling Engineering built.

[@ericblade6152]

@@danielneal9137 It's possible Jeff has a sizeable quantity of all remaining 1991 W41's left in the world

[@Draftinwithjr3815]

@@ericblade6152 c'mon now. I've only owned 12. Still have 9 😶‍🌫️

[@ericblade6152]

@@Draftinwithjr3815 of what 208? How many left now? :-D

[@BlueFirefly12]

@@ericblade6152 Jeff has a letter from Oldsmobile stating that there were 200 produced. Of those 200, they know the whereabouts of between 20-25. That includes those that are still on the road, those that are sitting in barns, those that were junked, etc.

[@scoupedively5798]

I'm glad to see this car, this platform, this STORY finally get the light it needs, but as someone who owned a warmed up W40 and another High Output Calais model since 2009, I can't help but bittery laugh too. There's an incredible outpouring of love here for the car and Jeff (who truly is a linchpin for us Quad4 guys) but I remember having to take a lot of heat both in real life and online about this car "not being a *real* 442 because it wasn't V8/RWD", even though these would eat the G-body 442 alive. They were an important step forward for GM, a display that they CAN perform on the World Stage in the performance 4 cylinder market, and the stepping stone for the Ecotec family to come to fruition (even they they aren't related in anything other than basic construction). There is so much unsaid in this timeslot about the Q4 story, but Jeff would be there for 3 days.

[@Vicus_of_Utrecht]

Same goes for the '80s Charger. Poo poo'd for being a fwd 4 banger. But the Shelby's would toast the old V8s and contemporary Mustang & Camaro V8s.

[@robertb5922]

I had the W41 in my new 93 Olds Achieva SCX. It was the ONLY stick shift on the entire lot and they seemed relieved to find a willing buyer. I drove it for five years and 100K before trading it in. It was a fun car.

[@BreakStuffClub]

I had a bright red ‘93 SCX, what color was yours? It was sold new in Norristown Pennsylvania wonder if it was the same car?

[@fanof308]

I know exactly what you mean. I had a 92 white and a 93 aqua teal. Price point for what you got was hard to beat, insurance was lower, and it was amazing to drive.

[@JF930H]

Oh man. Finally something from my childhood! Hope Jay is doing well.

[@BlueEmberDarkHorse]

Back when i worked for Bob Saks Oldsmobile in Farmington Hills Michigan we had a Quad 442 identical to the car behind Jay....took it for a ride to see if was comparable to my all white Beretta GTZ at the time and both cars would burn the tires off the front end....only problem with the quad 4 was the notorious head gasket issue .....but i love those little engines....wish i had the cash at the time to buy that quad 442....would be a nice memory of the dealership and a great car to enjoy today and take to shows!

[@SpeedRacer-pz9jn]

I enjoyed this guest ! Jeff - thanks for saving this rare performance oddity. Your knowlege & passion for old cars is awesome ! Jay - Get well bro... we all got a scare from the steam car mishap. Thanks for what you do !

[@StephenVella]

I ordered one of these in Dec. 1990 from a dealer on the east end of Long Island. t was my first new car and I couldn't have been more excited when it arrived. I drove it for 10 years and put on 60k miles with no problems whatsoever. I remember going to the Spring Nationals in Columbus, Ohio that were sponsored by Olds. They had several of these with slicks mounted on the front! I think they ran high 14's in the low 90's

[@440mgnm]

That’s awesome

[@davidkaychannel]

Jay, Thanks for doing this edition. It takes me back. My first “new” car was a 1989 Olds Calais I ordered from the factory in late 88. I would have ordered the International Series Calais but the high output 185 hp Quad 4 was not ready until 1990. I didn’t want the flashy body panels of the International series if I didn’t have the motor to back it. Therefore my car had the standard Quad4 with 155 hp. I also ordered the FE3 suspension on my car and the 5 speed manual. It was fun to drive and it was a sleeper at that time. I remember challenging a co-worker to a rolling start race on our way back from lunch one day. I thought I could give his 1986 5.0 liter Mustang GT a run for the money but only from a rolling start. After the race start I kept waiting for the Mustang to overtake me but it never did. It was very close but I won by half a car length. We were both surprised. He of course said his car needed a tune up and blamed the loss on that…😮

[@daveondre4892]

My LT1 Caprice would have taken this or a 4.9 Mustang once over 45MPH as well ;-)

[@bwofficial1776]

GM could build the most unassuming sleepers. The supercharged Buick Regals and Park Avenues packed a surprising amount of power.

[@daveondre4892]

@@bwofficial1776 stock 94 Caprice was dead even to these and the supercharged Sebrings upto 45MPH then it was game over for the supercharged.

[@kevn33]

@@bwofficial1776 True. My friend bought a supercharged Park Avenue and I always wanted a supercharged Riviera.

[@OlayerB]

Probably my favorite leno garage video so far. As a road racer, specializing in fwd, this is extremely cool and interesting.

[@1pcfred]

I used to be good friends with Jim Feuling's nephew. He'd tell me stories about his uncle. He had sheds in his backyard that he kept engines running in to test his stuff out.

[@kevinroeber4181]

The Quad 4 was a great running engine. When I went to North Star engine training got into a heavy discussion that the North Star was just 2 Quad 4s same bore and stroke same valve size and valve angle. memories

[@wtw84]

This was great. Two car guys talking about cars. Jay is a treasure😊

[@LauRoot892]

White ?

[@terryorcutt8739]

Love the Quad 4 engine snarl! Thanks for doing this feature, Jay. This is clearly way outside your wheelhouse, as you kept admitting. I'm a Gen X'r and the Quad 4 was a big deal. Yes, the engine was a thrasher, but it demonstrated there were signs of life in GM at the end of the Malaise Era. The Calais and Buick Somerset were also very attractive coupes for the day. Anyway, thanks Jay for recognizing the oddballs that don't just resonate with you. It definitely shows your character as an enthusiast.

[@clayweddle2936]

Fellow Xer, my mother had one of these when I was in high school, I loved that engine instantly. My mother liked to complain about how loud it was, but she sure didn't mind blowing the doors off of cars that you would assume were faster 😂

[@wit2pz]

This is the first car I walked into a dealership to try and acquire for myself. I was in college. I had no credit history. 19 yrs old. The salesman let me test drive it. I was beautiful; red with gold colored trim, even the wheels were accented in gold! We got back to his desk and the dude listened to my "I PROMISE" pitch and guzzled a quart of milk, looking me dead in the face! Lol! I remember milk running down the side of his mouth while I plead my case! Man, it was one of the most humbling, kind, humorous let-downs of my life!! Great memory!

[@enhancementtank5876]

would never lease a car, if there ever was one I'd go to the oldsmobile dealership and sign for a 2003 aurora v6 because I know I'm gonna keep it forever. If I'm in college in 1990 I'm looking at a 1990 cutlass international. I've owned a 1991 thunderbird however if I'm gonna be buying from off the lot or ordering its gonna be from an oldsmobile dealership

[@borisb2367]

In highschool i had a 94 grand am gt with a quad 4 HO and 5 speed. Very fun car. Thanks for a great episode!

[@TheHati59]

Kiitos Jay näistä videoistasi, intohimoni autohin ja niiden tekniikkaan saa unohtamaan murheet joita nykymaailma ja eurooppa koittaa kestää. Parempa huomista toivoen ja etenkin sinulle, surukseni luin kokemastasi onnettomuudesta. Pikaista parantumista toivoen Harri Koskinen Finland.

[@Wikcentral]

My brother had one in Black/gold. He got a deal on it, as the dealer had it as a demo car for 6 months. While he was deployed in Japan I drove it for a couple of years. For the time, it was fast. It felt fast, but it was still FWD so it handled like a FWD. I suprised a lot of fox bodys and Irocs at the lights.

[@mikerobertson1781]

Wow! That guy knows his sh*t ..... and what a great, relaxed conversation with Jay in the car. Just a great pleasure to watch.

[@LauRoot892]

Where are you From ?😏

[@benjismith593]

I'm an 80s kid, and never knew this existed. Such a cool piece of automotive history!

[@blaketindle4703]

I never thought I’d like an Oldsmobile, but that Quad 442 is sweet! Engine sounds great!

[@1pcfred]

Oldsmobile, what a deal!

[@adamfrbs9259]

I haven't missed a video in over 7 years and neither has Jay...even with the burns. Speedy recovery!!

[@alicebrianna7835]

So glad to be related to Jeff. Such a down to earth person! ❤

[@jesseballard4753]

I really like seeing the rare American performance cars. The Olds was a really nice example of history. Well done.

[@petersisco2499]

I love 442s . I've never seen one of these personally but I have been aware of these from even back in the day .

[@lerch400block]

I rolled my grandmother's 96 cutlass supreme ls, going 90, with my future wife on our 1st date, no injuries just a few scratches. She still stiffs up when I give it the beans. We are both certain our son was conceived that night. He just finished college this week, and he is the safest driver I've ridden with. There is a special place in my heart for the late 90's cutlass

[@JViello]

Wait...first date, conceived a child, future wife? Damn son, you work fast. LOL Sounds like rolling the car was just the cap off for the night. LOL

[@thereseaquilina2400]

What a great episode! Jeff is so knowledgeable and articulate

[@rueben44]

This is why I love Jay. Who else would bring you this story? Very interesting.

[@JOHNWAYNE1920]

WOW, I had an 89 grand am with the quad 4 and a stick and I loved the car. If I ever see a clean low mileage on BAT i'm paying whatever it cost. I may even consider one of these 442. Great memories from high school

[@JessHull]

love this episode I always love when Jay features these more pedestrian or "attainable" performance cars. I'd take an episode like this over a crazy ferrari or lambo one any day.

[@erikwoodward3788]

Growing up in the mid 80's the Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais International with the Quad 4 was one of my favorite cars. Sure I loved the MR2 and CRX etc but everything was around 100hp. Here was Oldsmobile with it's 180hp chain driven dual overhead cam, and then they threw a turbo on it and set a land speed record. Oldsmobile line up in the late 80's was very cool.

[@SourGrey]

Yeah very lowkey

[@triple6758]

The first Quad 4s that made it into cars such as the Cutlass International were beasts. 2" intake tubes. The whole car was a tour de force in modern amenities. Steering wheel controls, heads up display, multi functional trip computer in the center stack with maintenance reminders. Just astounding for 1991. Those of us who were around for those and other great cars from the 90s don't get super excited about all the 'new' features these days. We had most of this stuff in Analog, decades ago.

[@kevn33]

I worked at an Olds Dealership as a tech and a coworker from the bodyshop side bought a new 1991 442 with a high output engine, 190hp I recall. We had some hail damage on some lot cars so he took one of the hail damaged hoods and installed a hood scoop like you would see on a nova. I wish I had pics. He needed me to drive his car back from the airport. He drove like 90mph all the way there and I had a blast driving it back to his house. Was a very fast car.

[@charlesdalton985]

A friend had one of these, fun car. Good handling, decent performance, good gas mileage. It’s a shame so few people appreciated them then.

[@kwajtube]

in 1991, for the same money, one could have had a 3000GT, or a 300zx twin turbo (both 300HP), or the eclipse or turbo celica (both 200HP, AWD) - all more reliable, better handling, and much better looking. it's no mystery why they weren't appreciated more, though it was a good effort from GM, they were just still way behind everything else, including (shudder) Ford.

[@triumphtrident]

@@kwajtube GM has always been behind Ford,

[@RealmCenter40]

@@kwajtube For an apples to apples comparison I’d be willing to bet a Spirit R/T would have been a lot cheaper vs. this car in ‘91.

[@LrulestheworldM8]

@@RealmCenter40 The spirit RT was the ONLY car in this cars price range that actually put up a fight. All the others were left in the dust. The cars OP listed we're far more expensive than this W41

[@RealmCenter40]

@@LrulestheworldM8 I had just barely had my drivers license when these cars were new. I liked them but my budget was more rusted out ‘78 Dodge Monaco tier. I’m just going off fuzzy memory but as I recall the SHO was pretty expensive also.

[@georgejacob3162]

Jay has such enthusiasm for all kinds of machinery. He could probably make grass growing sound exciting!

[@larrywhinnery1808]

Agreed. Despite his background, he seems humble.

[@jonsmotorcyclerescueandrev3538]

My cousin had one back in the day and I was shocked at how fast it was given the pedestrian looks of the car. I had never really heard about it prior to riding in it with him at the wheel late one night. I was glad to get back to the house still in one piece and mighty impressed by that engine!

[@Wonky_ties]

I love stuff like this, so much more interesting than supercar/hyper car content.

[@toomanyhobbies2011]

What a great video. Oldsmobile had a lot of innovation in the 80s and 90s, ending with the Aurora and their Indy engines. Had an '89 Olds 88 with the 3800 that was my commuter car. Comfortable and had enough power to get out of it's own way, partly because it was relatively light-weight.

[@randolfo1265]

I had a 1990 with the 3800. F85 suspension, great engine, smooth, powerful enough and a comfy car to boot. It was a nice satisfying car that a family could live with.

[@danielneal9137]

Glad to finally see this debut, have been waiting for months to see it since I first found out he was heading out there. Great guy and cool collection of oddball Oldsmobiles.

[@zlinedavid]

1) I love that this comments section is basically a W41 owner’s reunion. Former owner of a ‘93 SCX here. Unfortunately, mine went to the big scrapyard in the sky. Had some moron jump on their brakes in the middle of a two lane highway. Said a deer ran in front of her 🙄. It was either rear end her or take to the ditch at 55 MPH. I chose the ditch, and if Tore the subframe and alignment all to hell. I did the right thing and parted out the W41 specific parts to other owners. 2) God I miss that sound and feeling that pull at about 4000 RPM.

[@nicksflixworld]

Dang, that sux! My step mom is an original owner of a W41 surviver. Still clean and fun.

[@BrewBlaster]

I loved this video. I worked on a lot of maintenance type work on Quad Four equipped car in that period. The plastic cover for the ignition was a weak link for that system and caused other failures. The heads were prone to oil and coolant leaks and there timing chain issues. There were other issues, but when they ran right, those little cars were a blast to drive. I wish I had one now with all the kinks worked out and a turbo.

[@wny9521]

I can't stop smiling seeing the great Jay Leno and our hometown friend Jeff driving together. Jay has always been good to Buffalo NY. I know Jeff's family and our Buffalo community is extremely proud of Jeff. Amazing! Rich Fontana

[@Draftinwithjr3815]

Thanks Rich!

[@mikescayenne]

Wow, jay leno talked to this kid for a half hour in this random Oldsmobile about GM history like they have been friends for years. What a great experience to have this talk with jay leno, This man continues to show his love and passion for cars, just a regular guy talking about GM like any of us would be. 27:57

[@stephenhood2948]

I can still remember how revolutionary the Quad 4 was when it was released. Thinking back it was the first iteration of the motors we see today. 4 valve, DOHC, Direct ignition, aluminum heads and small displacement. It was vastly different from anything Detroit was making at the time.

[@adamhayden5152]

God that sounds soooo damn good cruising around. One of the best sounding 4 cylinders!!

[@furyfantoo]

7:50 This guest nails the answer for Jay. So many base-model cars built in the last 10 years can embarrass performance cars from year past. We have minivans nearing 300 hp now (and that's *net*, mind you). For those that will say 'but they have no torque', well, there are 6-9 speed gearboxes to compensate for that. And they do it effortlessly - you no longer need to be a skilled driver, you just need to know which modes to turn on or off.

[@MrAbelone]

Pretty sure the family garage down the street, oldest son had one of these. I know he had a little red one like this that was bad to the bone and for years all he did was rebuild these and grand ams and resale. I remember him selling me a Grand Am and he got me saying it’s got the Quad 4 like that one as he pointed over to a row of covered cars, where he kept it, a 72 SS Chevelle 454, Grand National, a CJ5 Jeep that would tote the front wheels, but almost every time he twisted the drive shaft. Lol. He also built what we called a “dune buggy” basically a stripped down VW with some sheet metal tacked to roll bars. That thing was crazy strong and fast also. Blue flake paint with hand painted Cobra on the front. Memories! Good ole days. Think I’ll blow dry my mullet in slow motion to ZZ Tops “Rough Boys” now.

[@Jandjspeedshop]

Awesome Jeff now you are famous. To think these traveled all the way from WNY to sunny California. Congratulations on the exposure of these rare cars & meeting an awesome famous car guy.

[@mikeclaerhout5300]

Jim Feuling was a friend...RIP. I remember back in the day seeing a video of this (maybe not this exact one) engine on the dyno, pulling nearly 1200hp. The exhaust headers were translucent! The original development engine had tie bars from head to sump holding it all together. I wish I had photos of it today! Cool video.

[@kevn33]

Sounds cool

[@1pcfred]

I was real good friends with Jim Feuling's nephew Larry. That was a long time ago.

[@Aaron48219]

When I was a kid, one of my friends father's was a high ranking Olds employee and I remember him driving one of these home before they went on sale to the public. This had to have been around 1987/88. I later went on to work for Batten Performance in Romulus with my father and we had one of the Aerotech engines on a display stand in our lobby. Little known fact, one of the three Aerotech cars hit a deer at speed. I don't know what ever happened to the video footage, but the deer was absolutely vaporized into a red mist.

[@1pcfred]

When I was a kid, one of my friends was Jim Feuling's nephew.

[@johnmurraycompton569]

I love these lost cars. They're not everyone's favorite look, but to a handful, they're beautiful.

[@dyer2cycle]

..I had never heard of these..to me, they look O.K., and sound peppy, and may be fun to drive...although I would have probably not given them a second look at the time if I had heard of them...too small for my taste, plus I never really cared for 4 bangers of any kind, but the real deal breaker would have been that it was transverse engine and front wheel drive..I absolutely HATED that configuration at the time, and honestly still don't like it...that layout always spelled "disposable transportation, not a real car" to me...

[@johnmurraycompton569]

@@dyer2cycle I didn't mean these cars only. I meant cars lost to history in general.

[@twoeightythreez]

The Allante absolutely was NOT rear wheel drive. What it was was the car that introduced us to the Northstar V8 and the ability to run 50 miles without any cooling system. This car is absolute proof of how a bad reputation can tarnish a good product I worked at a GM dealer as an entry level tech and never even knew this car existed.

[@robertsmith6124]

Learned about the back in the early 2000s when I had a 93 grand am. It was a base model with no options but it had the quad 4 and a 5 speed. I would out run a lot of the hopped up imports with it and good handling. It was actually a pretty fun car for a high school kid.

[@chriszasada9756]

The rumor was this engine was suppose to go into the Fiero but Olds didn't get it developed in time or didn't want to give it up to Pontiac. I knew a guy who had one and it embarrassed quite a few cars back in the day that was until a Omni GLHS showed up .

[@ericgordon4746]

Wow!!! Reminds me of a Grand Am, Celebrity, and a Lumina. I used to twist all of those to the max. Great cars. This brings me back to my youth. Great chassis and weight transfer were insane. This is the best video I've ever seen from the show.

[@LauRoot892]

Gordon 😑👋

[@hoyavp2236]

I grew up with A.J Foyt and his family in Houston. Mr. Foyt holds more records than any other driver still to this day.

[@2012listo]

This engine made 1k hp in the Olds Aerotech back in '85. I was hooked on turbo I4 power from then on.

[@gregblastic4041]

I raced against that car at Waterford Hills just outside Detroit. SCCA ITS class. A buddy of mine owned it. Actually he bought it from another acquaintance. It wasn't very competitive in ITS, who would have thought it would end up on Jay Leno's Garage! You can see the yellow WHRRI log book as well as the blue SCCA log book!

[@rudimerm7686]

Good kid and a truly unique car. Loved GM's turbo cars in the 80s and 90s (GNs, Turbo Regals, Typhoons, Syclones, Turbo Trans Ams, Turbo Grand Prix, etc.).

[@theejoeylee]

There was a turbo sunbird and grand am also

[@zlinedavid]

@@theejoeylee Sunbird yes. I don’t think they put the 2L SOHC in the N-bodies though.

[@theejoeylee]

@@zlinedavid yes. Turbo 2.0 grand am. It was like an 88 to 90 model. My manager had one like 20 years ago lol

[@zlinedavid]

@@theejoeylee I stand corrected. They made them from mid 1987-1989. I'll be damned.

[@theejoeylee]

@@zlinedavid Yeah it was only 10 years old at the time and always broken down. I never rode in it. Last I knew ,he had removed the turbo and was running it naturally aspirated, but it wouldn't run right of course . Guy wasn't that bright.

[@stuffandjunkandthings364]

I loved these cars when they were new, I had a picture of the Aerotec on my wall (and the Beretta GTZ with the quad 4). These were the cars that made me the automotive oddball I am today (and also the reason i scour autotrader for early 90's Oldsmobiles).

[@DavidValdezBigWaveDave]

As I grow older I’ve learned to really like the beretta more than I did when I saw them all over as a kid in the 90s. The tail lights are just so damn cool

[@leadfoot8593]

Finally got my hands on a near mint 94 cutlass supreme. 3.4 4cam too bad it's a slushbox.

[@DavidValdezBigWaveDave]

@@leadfoot8593 is it a coupe??

[@leadfoot8593]

@@DavidValdezBigWaveDave sure is. had an 88 back in 98 5speed to boot but always loved the harder edged 94 my 88 had the 2.8v6 I've been thinking what a terror it would have been with a built up quad4.

[@BaconNarwhal310]

My first car was a 90 GTZ with the Quad 4 and 5-speed. I loved that car. 20 years later I'm looking for another one and I just can't find one.

[@arturasstatkus8613]

Thank You,Sir,Jay Leno.

[@JohninTucson]

I had a Pontiac Grand Am with the Quad four engine with the automatic transmission, and it loved the higher RPM's and would hussle along nicely. The W41 appears to enjoy the same thing with the bonus of a manual gearbox. The only downside to me is the loud exhaust sound, but then again this engine was developed for track enthusiasts that want to hear the loud exhaust note - as it should be.

[@LauRoot892]

Tucson