Details

• Condition
  Pre-Owned Clear Title
• Engine
  W-30 455ci V8
• Drivetrain
  Not Specified
• Interior
  Black
• VIN #
  344871M181101
• Mileage
  58235
• Transmission
  Automatic
• Exterior Color
  Black
• Stock #
  SN3425
• Warranty
  

1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 W-30 — documented W-30 car with 455ci V8, TH400, and black-on-black bucket seat interior Why This Car Is Special The 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 W-30 sits at a specific crossroads in American muscle car history that no other car occupies. This was the last year the 4-4-2 existed as its own standalone model. Starting in 1972, Oldsmobile demoted the 4-4-2 to an appearance package on the Cutlass Supreme — a trim level, not a separate model. That decision makes every legitimate 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 a documented endpoint, and makes a W-30 car from that year something considerably rarer. To understand what the W-30 package meant, you have to go back to how Oldsmobile built it. The W-30 was not simply a cold-air induction add-on. It was a factory performance package centered on a blueprinted 455 cubic inch V8 with a special high-lift camshaft, an aluminum intake manifold, ram-air induction through an open-element air cleaner, and a low-restriction dual exhaust system. Oldsmobile rated the W-30 455 at 350 gross horsepower with approximately 460 lb-ft of torque. Those figures understate what the engine actually produced on the dyno — a common factory practice in the early 1970s as insurance companies began using horsepower ratings to set premiums. The torque number is the honest figure. This engine pulled hard from low rpm, which is exactly what made big-block Oldsmobiles so effective on the street. The production numbers confirm how rare this car is. Oldsmobile built 7,589 total 4-4-2s for 1971. Of those, only 920 were equipped with the W-30 package. That is roughly 12 percent of an already limited production run, in the final year the model existed as a standalone nameplate. Numbers like that are why serious collectors pay attention to 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 W-30 cars. The Body by Fisher door jamb tag present on this car confirms the 1971 model year, the body style code 34487 identifying it as a 2-door hardtop coupe, and the...