Story
1972 Oldsmobile 442 Hurst/Olds W-30
The target is covered here as a 1972 Hurst/Olds W-30/W46 research guide, with conservative public wording. The safest source-backed identity is a Hurst Performance conversion on the 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme hardtop-or-convertible body family, sold in Hurst/Olds form with Oldsmobile's 455 and Hurst-specific appearance and interior equipment. The public-facing target name preserves the requested 442 relationship because 1972 W-30 cars are tied to the W29 4-4-2 appearance/handling package in the reference literature, but the Hurst/Olds body evidence points to Cutlass Supreme hardtop and convertible bases rather than a separate 442 model line. [source: src-hoca-1972-spotter-tips; src-hoca-w45-w46; src-hemmings-w30]
The W-30 Hurst/Olds configuration is the W46 path. Hurst/Olds Club authentication material says W46 cars used the L77 455, carried an X as the fifth VIN digit, were not available with air conditioning, and used a 3.42 Anti-spin rear axle with heavy-duty cooling. The same club material cautions that factory 1972 Hurst/Olds cars should show W45 or W46 on the Fisher Body tag; cars without those codes may be post-production conversions rather than factory-production H/O cars. [source: src-hoca-1972-spotter-tips; src-hoca-w45-w46]
Appearance evidence is unusually specific: 1972 Hurst/Olds cars were Cameo White, used reflective gold decal striping, wore H/O exterior emblems, and used a fiberglass forced-air hood. Hardtops received a special half vinyl top, while pace-car decal sets could be ordered but should not be treated as proof of W-30 identity by themselves. The interior evidence supports black vinyl trim, Strato bucket seats, an Oldsmobile console with Hurst Dual-Gate shifter, and a glove-box Hurst/Olds pace-car emblem/decal; Rallye instruments and sport steering wheel are recorded as common/orderable rather than universal. [source: src-hoca-1972-spotter-tips; src-hoca-history; src-hoca-paint-formulas]
Production remains partially bounded. Hurst/Olds Club spotter material reports 633 1972 Hurst/Olds production-line cars: 499 hardtops, 130 convertibles, and four wagons for Indy support. GM Heritage gives a narrower 624-629 range for Hurst Oldsmobile cars and states that only 10 of 130 convertibles were W30-powered. Because the club spotter sheet says no current W-30 breakdown was available there, this guide records the safe body totals and flags W-30/W46 body-breakdown reconciliation for follow-up rather than asserting a single complete W-30 total. [source: src-gm-heritage-1972-pace-car; src-hoca-1972-spotter-tips; src-hoca-history]