Experimental study of variation of exhaust gas temperature was carried out with the changes of spark timing and exhaust valve timing during the cold start operation of an SI engine. To investigate the effects of these variables on combustion stability, cylinder pressure and exhaust gas temperature were measured and analyzed. Experimental results showed that exhaust gas temperature increased when spark and exhaust valve timings were retarded from the baseline cases. However, combustion stability during cold start deteriorated under the retarded conditions. To increase exhaust gas temperature for fast warmup of catalysts while maintaining combustion stability, an optimal condition for spark and valve timing retard should be appied for the cold start period.