General Information,
General Specifications,
Engine Specifications,
Drivetrain Specifications &
Lightning Rod Shifter Information.
You can also read about my feeling regarding Oldsmobile heritage.
I first saw the now famous Darth Vader 442 Concept Car when I was just 21,at the 1985 Chicago Auto show and it was love at first sight. The car
with its menacing prowess and stealth like looks, dressed all in black, with the most unbelievable, complimenting ground effects that a G-Body
could ever adorn. I was for all practical purposes, hooked! When I got home that night all I did was talk about the car for days and weeks on end.
That's how this story about my 1985 442 FE3X W-30 Concept car all begins. My father had been talking with a friend of his and told him about
how I'd been ranting and raving about this beautiful black cutlass from the auto show that we'd seen, low and behold he not only knew of the car,
but his son had been involved with some work on the concept cutlass, Darth Vader. The story is only beginning at this point, a couple of weeks
later I receive a call from him and he tells me he's heard of how much I loved the car, and if I would be interested in having a FE3X ground effects
kit done, all I would have to do is provide the car. With the help of my father we started to look for cars, and a week and half later I purchased my
1985 442 on March 27. The car was then shipped to the now defunct Cars and Concepts in Michigan, where they did the FE3X conversion. They
gave me a couple of optional ideas they could do on the car, the first being if I wanted a W-25 Ram Air hood, no brainier I felt , and I gave them the
go ahead. The other's were, I could go with the FE3X flat spoiler or a W-40 Hurst one, and the Gotti rims. I chose the W-40 Hurst spoiler and kept
the factory SSIII rims. They added another 20 hp to the factory 307 5 liter H/O motor, giving it a total output of 200hp, also added where a Hyper-
tech computer chip and 160 thermostat. The other option I ordered but left off where the wheel flares which have been in a box for 16 years. One day
soon I will have to add them. Both cars feature Hurst shifters, the difference is that the Darth Vader concept has a 5 speed manual and mine features
a 4 speed automatic OD and Hurst Lightning Rod shifters. Inside and out the car gets lots of attention at shows and on the street. The car has won over
100 awards at shows in its 16 years, and I've had numerous offers from people to buy it. Last year I had the pleasure to see the Darth Vader car in
person once again, and introduce it to its son. My 442 FE3X. GM and Oldsmobile personnel made it possible for me to get pictures of the 2 cars
together for the first time at this historic meeting.
This was the highlight of owning my car. If you would like to see further pictures of these
fine 2 cars to-
gether, you can view them here. I also had the opportunity of getting some
video footage of
Darth, and
you can download it in mpg format or zip format.
There was also a great Hot Rod Magazine article from March 1986 about the FE3X, which you can read via some page snapshots:
Page1,
Page2, and
Page3.
The car is a fabulous feat of GM Engineering, and something GM should of built. I still don't understand how they missed the boat on the FE3X,
they wouldn't of been able to keep them on the showroom floors. Its great owning a piece of history, a one of a kind. And I'm proud to own and say…
"There is a special feel in an Oldsmobile" especially in this one!
The 1985 442 FE3-X W-30 OLDSMOBILE features a high output 5.0 liter V-8 engine which has been carefully tuned to provide optimum performance available with the vehicles special transmission and axle ratio. The engine features a low restriction exhaust system, improved camshaft timing and value train components, specific calibration in carburation and ignition timing controlled by GM computer command system with Hyper Tech stage II chip. A chrome trimmed dual inlet air cleaner assembly in conjunction with the W-25 ram air hood is incorporated to enhance this engine's high rev characteristics.
Special features of this 1985 442 are it's High Output Powertrain,
Special handling package, Hurst Lighting Rod Automatic 4-speed shifter, Aerodynamic styling that is UNSURPASSED, and in tune with today's emphasis on low drag aerodynamics. The front FE3-X air dam that blends the front body fenders into the bumper system providing smooth transition of air flow into the already aerodynamic frontal area of the Cutlass G-Body and a rear deck lid wing that reduces drag as the air completes it's flow over the body.
