Oldsmobile 442 Generation 2 1970 W30 Convertible
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Car producer : |
Oldsmobile |
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Model: |
442 Generation 2 1970 W30 Convertible |
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Year: |
1968-1972 |
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Type: |
Cabriolet |
Despite storm clouds on the muscle car horizon, the 4-4-2 returned in 1971 with only minor modifications from the previous year. Engine output was down for 1971 due to a lower compression ratio (8.5:1), which affected all of GM's engines as the result of a corporate policy requiring engines to run on lower-octane regular leaded, low lead, or unleaded gasoline, in preparation for the introduction of the catalytic converter on 1975-model cars. The base 455 was rated at 340 hp (254 kW), with the W-30 achieving a rating of 350 hp (261 kW). The W-27 option was downgraded to an aluminum cover for the cast iron differential housing.
The 1971 4-4-2 was available in a hardtop coupe and convertible body type. The sport coupe disappeared for the first time since 1964, only to return in 1972.
Quarter mile performance as reported by Road Test magazine was 15.2 seconds @ 99 mph (159 km/h), and 0–60 in 8.9 seconds, using the TH400 automatic transmission.
1971 Model Year Spotting Tips: Black grille with silver surround, silver headlight bezels, round parking lights in front bumper, horizontal tail lights.
Oldsmobile introduced the W-30 force air-induction package in 1966, adding further performance to the division’s muscle flagship. The W30 engine added an outside-air induction system (admitting cool air to the carburetors via tubing from the front bumper) and a hotter cam, rated – or, more likely, underrated – the same as the L69. The battery was relocated to the trunk to make room for the air hoses, which prevented the package from being ordered on convertible models. Red 455 CID engines were backed by modified W-30 Turbo 400 automatic transmissions The W-30 package reached its full potential in 1970 when General Motors lifted its restrictions on displacement in its intermediates. Oldsmobile got the 1970 442 W-30 just right, producing a sporting machine loaded with luxury and packed with the largest engine ever installed in a mid-sized Olds. The 1970 W-30 was more than a special induction system on an existing engine; it featured a forged steel bottom end, a radical camshaft and free-breathing heads and was balanced and blueprinted at the factory. Oldsmobile dropped this very special powerplant into a handsome body with a well-appointed interior and specified heavy-duty suspension and brakes.
