Vehicle Description
1970 Oldsmobile 442 Hardtop
In the car world, three characters can have profound impacts on
value and desirability. Think Chevy ZR-1, L-88, 454, or Buick GSX
and WE-4, how about Nissan GT-R, Porsche 911, Chrysler 300, Pontiac
GTO. For Oldsmobile, few digits hold as much reverence as 4-4-2.
Not four hundred and forty two, rather four-four-two.
For consignment, a 1970 Oldsmobile 442 hardtop in period green with
white stripes and top. Our consignor has owned it for about 15
years and in that time has only put 1,830 miles on the car. In
1970, Oldsmobile eliminated the limit on engine size to keep up
with the horsepower race, and 455's were standard in 4-4-2's. This
car has its numbers matching transmission.
Exterior
A bright white stripe runs below the waistline of the car, runs
over the wheel openings and touches the very front and back of the
car, intersecting the Antique Jade paint that dominates the panels.
The white is picked up on the hood scoops and is matched by the
vinyl roof. This is a bold 70's design that seemed perfectly normal
in the day, and now stands as a testament to our preferences and
how the use of color has changed. The split grille is flanked by
dual headlights and leaves room in the middle for the Oldsmobile
emblem while 442 emblems, at one time containing dashes, reside on
the front fenders. Fender chrome and other bright work on the car
is immaculate and 14-inch Magnum 500 wheels wear 225/70R14 tires
all around. The paint is excellent too and imperfections are
limited to some cracking in the opening of the hood scoops, a
spider crack on the surface, and some possible bondo damage near
where the bumper wraps around the front right.
Interior
Veering from the more common black interior, this car features
Pearlescent White internally, starting with the door panels which
are a model of 1970 GM elegance with stitched and buttoned vinyl
features and a woodgrain trim piece. White bucket seats repeat the
pattern and are flat for a sporty car, a trend that would
eventually be replaced with sport seats, but Oldsmobile always
retained a bit of glass, even when going fast. Condition wise the
seats are excellent and the rear bench is basically pristine. A
simple 4 spoke steering wheel leads to an equally unfussy dash
where a woodgrain panel houses three gauges and the clean
presentation extends to the middle where an original looking AM
radio is housed just next to the climate control panel. The center
console is quite cool, bringing in more woodgrain and hosting a
round knobbed shifter with lockout park mechanism on a simple
indicator platform. Black loop carpet on the floor looks great and
contrasts with the lovely white headliner, shoulder belts attached,
looking nice. A loose mat covers the trunk floor and everything is
clean back here as well.
Drivetrain
Show quality conditions continue under the hood where the very
clean 455ci engine resides with a '68-70 era casting number and
topped with a Rochester Quadrajet 4-barrel carburetor. A numbers
matching TH400 3-speed automatic transmission is on board and sends
the muscle to the rear 10-bolt with 3.23 gears. To manage that
power, the car is equipped with power brakes, disc in front, drums
in back.
Undercarriage
Some road dust but no surface rust, no invasive rust, no grease
build up, thus relatively clean underneath. We note a bit of
residual oil on the flywheel cover but no other fluid anywhere. The
dual exhaust flows cleanly into a pair of stock style mufflers and
then exits out back through chrome tips. Coil springs are up front
and a 4 link with coils are out back in typical A-body
configuration for the time.
Drive-Ability
The 455 of this 4-4-2 lets its presence known by the rumble that's
not humble, and eagerly sets off onto our test loop with all the
horses galloping out of the stable. Fluid acceleration is met with
good tracking, decent handling, and spot on braking. The white
cabin allows light to bounce around and visibility is good. The
only thing that didn't function perfectly was the A/C which was
cycling on and off. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these
functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot
guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your
purchase.
A muscle car for the ages, the 4-4-2 was a feared road king back in
the day, taking the A-platform to a new level of excitement. Bold
graphics, great green paint, a perfect vinyl roof and of course,
that drivetrain, render this car a serious contender for those
discerning shoppers looking for a textbook representation of the
era.
344871R101003
3-Oldsmobile
44-442
87-2 Door Plainback 2 Door Hardtop Coupe
1-1971
R-Arlington, TX Assy Plant
101003-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
ST 71 34487-1971 442 2 Door Hardtop Coupe
BDY R00065-Arlington Body #
TR 937-White Vinyl Buckets
PNT 49A-Antique Jade, White Vinyl Top
08B-2nd Week August
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in
person.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
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