Vehicle Description
Followers of the Oldsmobile brand know that the W-30 was the top
dog, but it's also known that those legendary muscle cars are hard
to come by, and tend to break the bank when they do hit the market.
A faithful tribute is the next best thing, so how about this slick
1970 Cutlass 442 W-30 Tribute wearing handsome black paint and
packing a thundering 455 cubic inch big block mated to a
quick-shifting 4-speed? Timeless design with plenty of performance
at fraction of the cost of the real thing? Yes please!
If you're an Olds fan, you'll recognize the body lines underneath
the sinister black paint right way. Between the white hood stripes,
the twin-nostril W25 ram air hood, the white side stripes, the big
rear spoiler, the red inner fenders, and the dual trumpets in the
rear bumper, this 1970 Olds has every visual trick Oldsmobile used
to get buyers into the showrooms to get a look at the top-dog W-30.
And they all work quite well to recreate one of the most
eyeball-grabbing pieces of muscle ever offered in the era. The work
was well done several years ago by someone who knew Oldsmobiles
inside and out so it looks the way the factory might have built it
back in '70. Admittedly, it's not subtle so don't expect to keep a
low profile, but if it's attention you crave, this car will do it
better than most. The paint and bodywork are decent but not
perfect, and the paint has a good shine that still presents well
and other goodies include those awesome four-pack taillights, a
blacked-out split grille up front, and hood pins to give it a
dominating look in the other guy's rear-view mirror.
An equally large amount of time and money was spent on making the
interior of this Olds just right and it gives the black buckets a
slick look that matches the comfortable rear bench. It's quite
correct and a nice complement to the sinister bodywork, and there's
no question you're sitting inside a performance car when you get
behind the wheel and grasp the cue-ball shifter in your hand. The
optional Rally Pack gauges are set inside the factory woodgrained
applique of the factory bezel, all set into a handsome woodgrained
dashboard and assisted by a set of auxiliary gauges that include an
aftermarket tachometer mounted below. An OEM four-spoke
leather-rimmed steering wheel looks properly sporty and the Hurst
shifter manages the 4-speed manual transmission, arguably the only
gearbox stout enough to handle Oldsmobile's biggest big block,
especially if you want to have a lot of fun. The retro-style
AM/FM/AUX/Satellite radio powers speakers throughout the interior,
if you dare try to drown out the rhythm of the big block rumble
from under the hood. Out back the trunk is outfitted with a
carpeted mat as well as a custom cover for the full-sized
spare.
The reason you build a 442 W-30 tribute like this is horsepower,
and lots of it. The 455 cubic inch Oldsmobile V8 packs a tremendous
punch and runs well, all thanks to a Quadrajet 4-barrel carburetor
on a stock-style intake, and long-tube headers, just in case you
were feeling light on torque. Those red inner fenders are correct
for a W-30 and make for a clean presentation and the block is
dressed up with blue valve covers and an original snorkled
open-element air cleaner. A big radiator keeps the big block cool
and the dual exhaust with twin Flowmaster mufflers ends in
stainless trumpets under the rear bumper. Front and rear sway bars,
front disc brakes, and power steering mean that this Olds is built
for fun, not just static display. Color-coordinated Super Stock II
wheels always look best on an Oldsmobile and wear 215/70/14 front
and 245/60/14 rear BFGoodrich white-letter radials all around.
Far more than the sum of its parts, this 442 W-30 Tribute is a
timeless design powered by a legendary motor. Does it get any
better for American muscle cars? Call today!