Story
The 1971 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 was still a distinct Oldsmobile model line, and W-30 was documented as an option rather than a separate series. The source-backed picture is therefore narrower than a generic 442 story: the W-30 record belongs to the 442’s two-door Holiday hardtop coupe and convertible range, with the 455-cubic-inch W-30 V-8, forced-air induction, and 4-barrel Rochester Quadrajet evidence repeated in period-spec references. Over-Drive’s 1971 mid-size fact sheet records the 442’s special 455, dual exhaust, FE-2 suspension, Strato-bucket seats, heavy-duty wheels, 442 emblems, and G70-14 tires, and records W-30 production by body style as 810 hardtops and 110 convertibles. For powertrain details, the same reference lists the W-30 455 at 350 horsepower and 500 lb-ft with forced-air induction; it also lists close-ratio four-speed and Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 paths plus 3.42 and optional 3.73 limited-slip axle information for W-30 applications. Auction documentation is treated only as corroboration for known authenticity concerns: surviving examples are checked against factory paperwork such as order forms, invoices, broadcast sheets, Protect-O-Plates, and shipping records, while visual cues such as the force-air hood, red inner fenders, W-30 emblems, and W-27 aluminum axle cover remain supporting evidence rather than identity proof by themselves.