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
1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 W-30 Tribute, wearing gorgeous black
paint and packing a thundering 455 V8 big block under the hood?
Timeless design with plenty of performance at a 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 red hood stripes
and rear trunk outline, the twin forced-air scoops under the front
bumper, the egg crate front grilles, the red inner fenders, and the
dual trumpets in the rear bumper, this tribute 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. It's an original California car, so it was super-solid
before the restoration even began, but that doesn't mean the
builders weren't comprehensive in their approach to refreshing this
beast. The work was very well done not too long ago by someone who
knew Oldsmobiles inside and out, so it looks the way the factory
might have built it back in '69. 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 incredibly nice, finished to a top-end driver-quality standard
that's borderline show in most circles. The black finish is miles
deep and shines up beautifully, easily reflecting our own photo
booth in every panel, and the bright chrome and '442' and 'W-30'
badges provide the perfect contrast.
An equally large amount of time and money was spent on making the
interior of this Olds just right, and the black buckets, center
console, and rear bench all look great. Everything is quite correct
and a nice complement to the bodywork, and there's no question
you're sitting inside a performance car when you get behind the
wheel and feel that the wooden shifter in your hand. Optional Rally
Pack gauges are set inside three sporty pods, and the entire dash
is an awesome combination of black vinyl, woodgrain applique, and
aluminum accent trim. A trio of auxiliary gauges were mounted under
the dash, an OEM four-spoke leather-rimmed steering wheel looks
properly sporty at the head of the cockpit, and the woodgrain trim
on the center console ties the cabin together nicely. Like most
vintage performance cars, options are sparce but you do get a JVC
AM/FM/CD stereo, a working heater/defrost unit, and seatbelts fore
and aft. Out back, the trunk lays bare the incredibly solid pans on
this Cutty, and it comes outfitted with heavy-duty mats and spatter
paint that will preserve the metal forever.
The reason you build a 442 W-30 tribute like this is horsepower,
and lots of it. The 455 Oldsmobile V8 packs a tremendous punch and
runs well, all thanks to a big 4-barrel carburetor atop an
Edelbrock aluminum intake, 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 red block is dressed up with Rocket
Gold valve covers and an original, dual-snorkel air cleaner. A big
aluminum radiator keeps the big block cool and the dual exhaust
with twin Magnaflow mufflers ends in stainless trumpets under the
rear bumper. Tubular A-arms, front and rear sway bars, closed-in
rear trailing arms, fresh shocks and springs, power front disc
brakes, and power steering mean that this Olds is built for fun,
not just static display. Shiny Cragar wheels spice things up and
wear Cooper Cobra white-letter radials all around to finish the
look.
Offered with its original purchase receipt, owner's manual, and
Protect-O-Plate, 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!