Every car model will reach what is known as the high-water mark. That is that moment when it reaches a peak, and for the Oldsmobile 442, 1970 was that year. General Motors released the shackles on Oldsmobile, and the company immediately dropped their 455ci V8 under the hood of the 442. This is one of those cars, and it has to be classed as the best of the best. It is in superb condition, and due to the loss of its storage, the owner has been forced to part with it. Located in Pompano Beach, Florida, you will find the 442 listed for sale here on eBay. The bidding has raced to $25,199 in this No Reserve auction.
The best word to describe the condition and appearance of this Rally Red Olds is stunning. The owner doesn’t provide any history on the vehicle, but you get the impression that it has been cherished and loved by him. The paint shines magnificently, with no evidence of flaws or problems. The panels are as straight as an arrow, and the gaps are some of the tightest and most consistent that I have ever seen on an Oldsmobile of this vintage. There is no evidence of rust in the supplied photos, and it doesn’t rate a mention in the listing. When the original owner ordered this classic, he ticked the box beside “W-30” on the Order Form. This gave him the fiberglass hood with functional air scoops. The feature not only knocked a few pounds from the vehicle’s weight but also helped to unleash some extra ponies. The hood looks to be in good condition, as do the original wheels. The chrome sparkles magnificently, and the glass seems flawless.
When GM loosened the shackles and allowed Oldsmobile to slip the 455ci V8 under the hood of the 442, they unleashed a beast. A “standard” 442 could punch out 365hp, but the W-30 version produced an “official” 370hp. When you consider that the W-30 option brought the functional hood scoops, a low-restriction air cleaner, along with upgrades to the carburetor, intake, camshafts, cylinder heads, and distributor, that sounds like a recipe for a gain of far more than a paltry 5hp. It seems that someone was, to be diplomatic, economical with the truth. The 442 was capable of demolishing the ¼ mile in 14 seconds, although some contemporary motoring publications had little trouble in bettering that figure. The engine bay of this Olds presents well for a survivor, and while the 455 is original, it has received a transmission update. The original 4-speed was removed, and a 5-speed Tremec unit has been bolted in its place. That would make this a far more civilized open-road cruiser, but there will be purists who will decry this change. Fear not, because the owner has retained the original 4-speed, and it will be included in the sale if the buyer wants it. To me, that’s a no-brainer. The ability to return the 442 to its numbers-matching status would be too great to resist.
I keep searching for something not to like with this Olds, and I’m fast running out of options. The interior is nothing short of immaculate, with no issues, problems, or apparent wear. The upholstered surfaces are perfect, while the dash and pad are free from wear and cracks. The lenses on the gauges are crystal clear, and this one comes equipped with the awesome Tic-Toc-Tach.
Things look just as good from this side. Aftermarket additions include some gauges mounted below the dash and a Hurst shifter for the Tremec transmission. The factory AM radio still holds pride of place in the dash, and the original owner chose to order the 442 equipped with ice-cold air conditioning.
What would you pay for this 1970 Oldsmobile 442? That is the million-dollar question, although the sum won’t be a million dollars. The transmission swap could have impacted its potential value, but the inclusion of the original 4-speed has saved its bacon. A regular 442 will command a healthy price, but the W-30 option pushes the desirability to a new level. I don’t have a crystal ball, so I can only make an educated estimate here. These have retained their value well over the past few years, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the bidding head into six-figure territory. Would you?
My fingers are getting itchy on this one. Looking for cheap trips to Florida! I hope it’s not atrailer queen, i want to drive it hone.. just magnetic!
Something mighty fishy here…….power brake assist to the front disc brakes was NOT available with the 455 W-30 engine, when the 4 speed was ordered. Manual disc only. The W-30’s camshaft duration & overlap specs (with 4 speed engine/trans combo) wrecked engine vacuum, thus almost zero vacuum available to the brake booster……..unless, of course, this seller changed to a milder camshaft……
Interesting that it’s a no reserve auction. The dealer has it listed on their website for $59,995! https://www.kdsautosale.com/details/used-1970-oldsmobile-442/71801025
If it doesn’t get to that number, my money is we’ll see “This auction ended early due to the item not being available” or something like that.
I just looked on Ebay and it is still listed.. Bidding over $61,000!! Wow!!
Wow-what a beaut! A classy American high class hot rod with many fewer made than most of the other “muscle car” era we see here at BF.
$33k with 7 days to go at the time of this posting but with the website showing it at almost twice are they gaming it to sell higher?
After reading Joe Padavano, Jcs and ACZ, it appears this is a fake.
As Jcs posted it may be worth the money as a stock 442 but the questions then become in the integrity or knowledge of the seller at that point-did they know, if they didn’t why not and were that the case in either instance what other issues LIE there..?
How disappointing, all in part to someone trying to misrepresent to those of us that appreciate.
Still a beautiful car. Good find, Adam.
At the other end of the high performance scale for Oldsmobile in 1970 compared to that yellow Rallye 350 yesterday, a stout W machine in eye grabbing red paint! The transmission upgrade is just that, an upgrade for actually driving the car at highway speeds with decent gearing minus the serious revs. Nice ride for sure,
it’s almost too pretty. We like it.
Is that a water injector on top of that carb?
Its a vacuum controlled door that opens the ram air intake ports located on the hood.
No, it’s a Red Bull injector
Another fake W-30… Yawn.
Power brakes and A/C were not available with 4spd on the W-30. The reason is that in 1970, the MT engines got the 328/328 degree cam that did not generate enough vacuum to operate either. The AT cars came with the 285/287 cam and thus were available with those options. The seller claims to have the original 4spd, so not a real W-30. Also, no photos of the cylinder head code, which should tell you something.
Good catch, Joe. Those are dead giveaways.
Joe Padavano, cylinder head part number from what I can see in the ebay picture is correct for a “F” head. A lot of other issues however that I see that aren’t correct or need attention whether it’s real or not.
Bruce, good eye, those are 404438 castings. The foam on the OAI adapter looks to be old, also. The fact remains that MT and A/C were mutually exclusive, so either this car was assembled with a drivetrain from a real W-30, or it’s an AT car that was converted at some point. The incorrect alternator, aftermarket valve covers, and other missing items like the breathers suggest the car has been significantly messed with in the past. The seller claims that the car was originally a 4spd, but who knows. All those W-30 parts bolt on to any Olds 455. The brake booster looks to be old and not a recent addition. Tellingly, the dealership ad does not mention “W-30” anywhere.
I’ll add that the car lacks the correct metering valve under the M/C, as used on factory disc brake cars in 1970 (and 1970 W-30s came with manual disc brakes as standard equipment). That and the new, incorrect replacement master cylinder and lines suggest a conversion from a power drum brake car. Another strike.
Joe, I’m with ya. Definately cobbled together. Stripes are wrong on the hood and sides, and no trunk stripes. The water neck is for a ’71-’72 car. No inner fender braces as evidenced by the hole in front of the hood hinge, which should be there.The left front hood extention molding is coming off next to the fender. I could go on…
That certainly takes the bloom off the rose.
The seller is using crafty salesman speak. He doesn’t state “original 4 speed” , instead he says “the 4 speed that came out of it.” 🤣
Nor does he claim it’s a W-30.
In opinion Adam added my embellishments than stated in the add.
Either way you’re spot on about avoiding this car without doing a lot of research.
Yep, fake as a three-dollar bill.
Adam, this 442 is Matador red, not Rally red as you assert in your write up. Two very different colors.
Oldsmobile’s Rally red is akin to Chevy’s Hugger orange and was a special option paint code in 70.
Sometimes I wonder if people will ever learn. If this 442 was listed honestly as a 442 with period correct W30 equipment added it would bring a lot more money on the open market than trying to pass her off as an original W30, which will make any serious buyer question your integrity – rightfully so. She looks like a super nice 442 Sports Coupe (post) with air, and anyone that is prepared to shell out $60K for a W30 knows the difference and will spot a fake right away. On the other hand, an honest original matching number 442 could bring close to that money all by itself.
Gorgeous Car. I don’t think I have seen a post coupe 442 with buckets and a console. Wonder if they were added? Its a lovely drivable car for someone who understands what he or she is buying
Bucket seats were standard equipment on the 442, even on Sport Coupes. A bench seat was a credit option.
If I were a betting man, my money would bet that this one isn’t a real W-30, but it does take me back to high school, when a friend got a real W-30 for his senior year transportation. It was a beautiful car in dark blue with black interior, and although I was disappointed that he had traded in his Mark Donohue Javelin in the same color combination, I was impressed with the performance considering the weight of the 4-4-2.
Will, that’s probably a safe bet on ANY “W-30” today. ;-)
Joe, a couple of other thoughts that you might be able to shed light on………Did W30s have red inner fenders up front or was that earlier years? Wasn’t a 1970 supposed to have a closed crankcase ventilation system? I don’t see a PCV valve and the oil fill tube has a breather instead of a cap.
Agreed; way too easy to create a fake that will satisfy way too many potential buyers.
ACZ: Yes, the car has PVC, but it’s actually into the valley on the intake manifold behind the water crossover, which is correct. There are supposed to be two breather vents connected to the air cleaner housing, which are also missing on this car (likely because the aftermarket valve covers don’t have the openings in the right places). Also yes on the red inner fenders, though like the hood those are reproduced and every 442 has them today.
This isn’t even the correct air cleaner base, and the snorkel is facing the wrong way. It’s supposed to be on the other side. The snorkel is supposed to have a hole in the bottom part of it for California emissions on a ’70. The breather tube holes in the air cleaner base should have a rubber grommet for the tubes to plug into. You can see the one hole facing the front of the car by the thermostadt housing, when it should be on the side so the breather tube can be plugged into it and into the valve cover on the opposite end. I don’t see a way to include pictures in this post or I would.
Nice looking car but not a real W-30 but a lot of the W-30 components including the red inner fender well. As mentioned A/C was not available on a 4 speed W-30 nor was power brakes. It also does not have the external fuel filter in the fuel line. Would be interesting to know the full history of the car but diefently not an original W-30.
The W-30 Olds Barn Finds Detective Agency appears to have caught their man. If so, is there an honest old iron dealer left in America? I mean what the hell!
On another issue.looks like this dealer is the same guy who is trying to sell the 57 Chevy wagon BF hilighted the other day…………….tells you something
Barn Finds Detective Agency and Fraud Prevention Unit! 👍🏻
Goes to show-“None of us is as smart as all of us.” (Kenneth Blanchard)
A couple things not mentioned, one is obvious. Shifter handle is incorrect, although someone has changed trans. The original shifter on a factory W-30 car is a Hurst Super Shifter, not a Competition Plus. The other thing, the sway bars on a W-30 verses a plain 442 are1/8 inch bigger. I’m not sure if a plain 442 even had a rear sway bar. I’ve owned my W-30 since 1983. My car does have missing original parts, but I’m not trying to pass it off on anyone. Not for sale, anyway. Cloning and trying to pass it off as real, makes you a liar.
Jeff, while the shifter is obviously not correct because it has a five speed now, all factory Olds shifters were Competition Plus, not Super Shifters. The Super Shifter won’t fit in the stock console, it sits up too high. I have several of these (W-30s and factory Competition Plus shifters). ;-)
They were, in my opinion about the fastest car on the road. I had a 1970 factory stock W30, automatic, when it was a 1 year old car. I beat every car that ran against me on the street, including a 69 charger with a 440, AND A 70 challenger with a HEMI!!! THAT IS a true fact. JACK, from Canada
That’s likely very true. The only thing it can’t beat is a Stage 1 GS.
So you’re saying that’s a fact Jack! ?
Sounds like a line from a Bill Murray movie..
I agree, Jack; they ran well for a stock, heavy car. I did put about 10 car lengths on my buddy’s W-30 in my ’66 340-powered Valiant, which made him unhappy.
Lol
He was probably unhappy because of whatever broke on his car.
Almost any time someone looses by that much , something went wrong
I’m not saying you couldn’t beat him, but unless your 340 was really built up, it’s hard to see a good running 370 HP car loosing by a150 feet
Nothing broke on his car. My 340 was stock except for the Direct Connection cam, Crane lifters, and the usual bolt-ons (headers, LD340 manifold with Holley 700 double-pumper, and electronic ignition). I had a 4-speed and 4.30 rear gearset. It would run 12.20s on street tires through the mufflers. He was unhappy because I had about $2,000 total in my car, which looked like it was ready for the junkyard. The W-30 was a nice car, though.
Calling a swapped in 340 with a different cam, lifters, intake, exhaust, tuning and so forth mostly stock is a stretch. Along with deep gears and other stuff you’re not telling us I can see a hot rodded Valiant being quite formidable against any truly stock muscle car from back then, especially if you were running in the low twelves on street tread. It’s like the guy who had a ’55 Chevy with a mostly stock 454 in it, just a few things done here and there… he’s gonna blow your doors clean off, lol.
Troy s, no disagreement; I should have said “internally stock except for the cam”. That’s the point I was making in response to Bmac777’s comment that “any time someone looses (sic) by that much, something went wrong”, and that “it’s hard to see a good running 370 HP car loosing (sic) by a150 (sic) feet. It doesn’t make sense to say that any time a race isn’t close, something broke for the loser. Sometimes the other car is a lot quicker, and with my Valiant having roughly the same power as the W-30 but being about 800 pound lighter, that was the case. My original comment was merely a light-hearted memory of my ratty-looking Valiant causing my buddy to feel a little bad about his car. Of course, if his car was still around today, it would be worth at least an order of magnitude more than that ratty Valiant, which met its demise when I pulled the 340 out in ’78 to put in my ’65 Barracuda, sending the Valiant to the crusher for about $30 in scrap value.
Nice car,too many red flags,had a 69 442 with 400,400,and posi.loved it,but it was a beater body wise,it was way back in 89,so only paid $300 for it,0-60 in under 6,and gas was was a buck a gallon.
So so many flags for someone wanting a real car. Fools and their money are always parted. Some dumb-ear fool will invest in it. Thanks Joe for your knowledge.
Ahhhhhh…my Oldsmobile friends. As a previous owner of W-30, W-31, and W-32 cars, along with a host of Stage 1 Buicks, I can tell you…you do not want to go toe-to-toe with any real Olds or Buick enthusiast. We can spot a fake a mile away and we have all learned from one another, over the years. As a proud current owner (and many more in the past) of a MoPar, it’s amazing the stark contrast. Lots of MoPar guys will believe anything and, if they cannot find the proof, they just make it up, lol. There are a few of us that have to keep them honest over in that camp, as well.
Interesting! I have been driving Mopars for 50 years, and I have always found the Mopar guys to be the most likely to call out anything that isn’t exactly “correct”, ranging from the obvious, like numbers on VIN tags to the not-so-obvious, like battery cap colors for different year models, color and location of dabs of paint applied to components as verification of factory inspections, etc. The only other group I have seen that even comes close to the Mopar crowd would be Corvette owners. I have never worried about any of that; my car is not an investment, but rather a vehicle for enjoyment. I have a ’65 Barracuda with a 433 c.i. 3rd gen Hemi; if anyone finds anything on mine that looks original (other than doors and glass), I must have missed something. p.s. It’s Mopar, not MoPar; they will call you out on that too!