The Oldsmobile Achieva was a front-wheel-drive compact sedan and coupe sold from 1992 to 1998. It used the GM N-body platform shared with the Pontiac Grand Am and Buick Skylark, replaced the Cutlass Calais, and was itself replaced by the Alero.
Oldsmobile Achieva at a glance
| Maker | Oldsmobile Division, General Motors |
|---|---|
| Production | 1992–1998 model years |
| Class | compact car |
| Platform | GM N-body |
| Sister cars | Pontiac Grand Am, Buick Skylark |
| Body styles | two-door coupe, four-door sedan |
| Trim levels | S, SL, SC, SCX |
| Base engine | 2.3 L Quad OHC four, 120 hp |
| Other engines | 2.3 L Quad 4 160–190 hp, 2.4 L from 1996 |
| V6 options | 3.3 L 3300, later 3.1 L 3100 |
| SCX production | fewer than 1,650 |
| Replaced by | the Alero for 1999 |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Oldsmobile Achieva.
History of the Oldsmobile Achieva
A Calais under a new name
The Achieva was first shown as a concept car at the 1991 Chicago Auto Show, positioned to replace the compact Calais. It shared the Calais’s front-wheel-drive N-body architecture and identical wheelbase, and to save money Oldsmobile did not design its own greenhouse: the coupe used the Grand Am upper body and the sedan that of the Skylark. Regular production began for 1992 with four trim levels — S and SL on both body styles and the sporty SC and SCX coupes. The base S had a 120 hp 2.3 L Quad OHC four, the SL came with the 160 hp DOHC Quad 4, and a 160 hp 3.3 L V6 was optional. The SC had a 180 hp high-output Quad 4 with a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic.
The SCX and the W41 engine
The SCX was the highest-performance compact Oldsmobile and the last of the division’s performance “W-Machines”. It used the SC’s deeper front bumper with fog lamps, lower side cladding, a rear bumper with dual exhaust cut-outs, a silver stripe and W41 decals, a 140 mph speedometer and a tachometer with a 7,200 rpm red line. The chassis gained the FX3 suspension with a larger front anti-roll bar, a wider rear axle with dual rear anti-roll bars, Computer Command Ride electronically adjustable struts and higher spring rates. Its engine was the 190 hp W41 Quad 4, the most powerful naturally aspirated four GM had built to that point, with different camshafts, a low-restriction dual exhaust and a 7,200 rpm redline, driving through a Getrag 282 five-speed with special gears. Fewer than 1,650 SCX cars were built: 1,146 in 1992 and 500 in 1993.
1996–1998
For 1996 the Quad 4 engines were replaced by a revised 2.4 L four and the V6 choice moved from the 3.3 L 3300 to the 3.1 L 3100. The Achieva ended production after 1998 and was replaced by the Alero for 1999.
Design and features
- Quad 4 family: single-cam, DOHC, high-output and W41 versions of the same four-cylinder engine.
- SCX chassis: FX3 suspension, Computer Command Ride struts and dual rear anti-roll bars.
- Shared bodywork: the coupe used the Grand Am greenhouse and the sedan the Skylark’s.
- Racing intent: the SCX was built to qualify for showroom stock series such as IMSA Firehawk.
Oldsmobile Achieva versions
- S and SL: the volume models, in coupe and sedan form.
- SC: the sports coupe with the 180 hp Quad 4.
- SCX: the 190 hp W41 coupe with the competition suspension.
- C41 SCX: a racing package with no air conditioning, hand-cranked windows and a Torsen differential; only 15 were made.
The Achieva replaced the Cutlass Calais and was replaced by the Alero. More models are in the Oldsmobile collection.
Video: 1995 Oldsmobile Achieva S
Video by iiiTEDiii on YouTube.
Sources
- Oldsmobile Achieva, English Wikipedia: models, engines, SCX details, production
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