Not every car a manufacturer makes can look good. For every Jaguar E-Type or Chevrolet Corvette out there, there is always going to be a Pontiac Aztek or a Mitsuoka Le Seyde to remind us that not everything can look good. One of those cars came from Oldsmobile in the 1990s.
This car came as the end of the road approached for the American car company. Oldsmobile was heading into a downward spiral from 1993 onwards, but even with this happening, it wanted to have a final crack at the performance car segment, and it started with the Achieva.
The Oldsmobile Achieva wasn’t a good-looking car. It wasn’t particularly offensive; it was just a bit bland, had a strange mustache grille, and slightly awkward proportions. But the manufacturer felt there was some scope for improvement, and chucked as many performance parts and add-ons as it could at the unassuming vehicle.
The results ended up being quite spectacular. What emerged was the Achieve SCX W41, a car that many of those watching from the outside probably didn’t think was possible. This was Oldsmobile’s final, true track car, and it ended up being much cooler than you might have thought.
Why General Motors Wanted an Oldsmobile Performance Car
Oldsmobile had been struggling for some time, with its downfall really starting to take place in the mid-1980s. Confusion within the brand wasn’t helped by GM deciding to make nearly every car in its umbrella look almost identical to try and save money. By the early 1990s, this was being felt in a big way at Oldsmobile. So, realizing what had gone wrong, GM tried to do something about it.
Despite cancelling the Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais Quad 442 W41, which was an SCCA racer for the road, the company decided to create a small, performance-focused coupe to try and revive its past image of performance. They took the Achieva and ended up creating the Achieva SCX W41, the last true track for the road that Oldsmobile would go on to produce.
It took the engine from the Cutlass Calais Quad 442 W41, and the Achieva would effectively act as that car’s successor. But it didn’t use the 442 under the hood, with the Calais being the last to use that nomenclature. Oldsmobile effectively took everything from the Cutlass Calais and improved it, hoping to win back some customers and show the American public just what it could do.
What lay under the hood of the Achieva SCX W41?
Under the hood was a Quad-4 inline-four engine, the high-output L0 version. The 2.3-liter engine produced an impressive 190 hp and 160 lb-ft of torque. Good going for an engine displacing just 2.3 liters. This gave the car a top speed of 130mph and a 0- 60 mph time of around 7.8 seconds. All things considered, those were some good numbers.
Oldsmobile also gave the engine aggressive high-lift camshafts, as well as a uniquely tuned ECU to raise the rev limit from the standard 6,800rpm to a more enjoyable 7,200rpm. Power was handled with a five-speed manual transmission. Oldsmobile also gave the car computer-controlled suspension, a larger front sway bar, and a wider rear track to help improve cornering. Inside, other than a couple of new gauges, the car was largely the same as the standard Achieva.
This Is How the Oldsmobile Did on the Market
Sadly for Oldsmobile, the Achieva SCX W41 wasn’t exactly a sales hit. Production ran for just two years, from 1992 to 1993, and in that time the company sold just 1,650 examples. That makes them one of the rarest cars the company ever produced, but they do pop up for auction from time to time. While hardly anyone remembers it, the Achieva SCX W41 was a great coupe, and it achieved some great success in racing. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to save the ailing Oldsmobile brand.