The big news for the 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass 4-4-2 was under the hood with a 400 cid V-8 rated at 345 bhp and with 10.25:1 compression. A new smoother-shifting 3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission was also available. Exterior styling, meanwhile, changed very little. In the overall sales race, Oldsmobile held on to sixth position with 591,701 1965 models hitting the streets. Three level of F-85 (on which the 4-4-2 was based) were offered – the Standard, the Deluxe and the Cutlass. Fully half of the F-85s built for 1985 were Cutlass models. A total of 25,003 cars were fitted with the 4-4-2 package, which included the heavy duty brakes and suspension, larger wheels with red line tires, rear sway bar, fancy dual-snorkel air cleaner, and the high-performance engine with more radical cam and improved engine bearings. Car and Driver tested a 4-4-2 Cutlass convertible with a 4-speed gearbox and reported the quarter-mile in 15 seconds flat at 98 mph – certainly comparable with any Pontiac GTO at the time. The magazine said: “Summed up, the Oldsmobile 4-4-2 is one of those “special purpose” cars which should really be sold as the ‘all’ purpose car.”