This is a stunning concours restoration of a 1970 Oldsmobile 442 with the desirable and rare W-30 performance option. But this car goes far beyond being a W-30. It was custom ordered by Mannering Oldsmobile dealership in McAllen, Texas in the stunning color combination of Sebring Yellow with White interior AND the dual-gate automatic transmission, Am/FM 8 Track and air conditioning. We’ll be willing to bet that this is the only example with these features. Leading to the reason this car has been on many magazine covers and articles.

The W-30 option included the venerable 455 cu in V8 with the fiberglass hood with integrated air ducts feeding into the low restriction air cleaner. The engine was tuned for greater performance, making sure that this was not your mothers Buick! The automatics used for the W-30’s used the dual-gate Hurst shifter and were tuned especially for the car. The power is delivered through the 3.42 Positraction rear end and the super-rare W-27 aluminum housing and differential cover, which saved 18 pounds over the standard-issue differential. .

We love the iconic red fiberglass inner fender wells that separate the W-30s from other 442s. Whether looking inside the hood or outside the fender wells, the red panels are impossible to miss! And the minuscule amount of weight they save might help the 0-60 time by .000001 seconds!

This W-30 was bought new by Jim Bormann at Mannering Oldsmobile on July 6, 1970. He paid $4,285 for the car. This 442 was custom ordered by the dealer in Sebring Yellow with White interior, automatic transmission and air conditioning. Sebring Yellow is incredibly rare, partly because it was an additional cost over the base colors. And the color looks very contemporary today: think about new Corvettes, Ferraris and Porsches all having yellow as one of their most sporting colors!

Mr. Bowman sold the 442 after about five years and later purchased it back and commenced a total, frame-off restoration that is fantastic today! Shortly after the restoration in 1991, he was awarded Best of Show and Best Engine at the National Muscle Car Association World Finals in Memphis. Since then, the present owner has done everything needed to make it look about as nice as it did when it won Best of Show. The car looks better than new.

The 442 comes with detailed photos of the restoration and a notebook with the various articles and magazine cover sporting the car. Also included is a signed letter from the original dealer and from the original and then long time owner, Jim.

The W-30 version of the 455 Oldsmobile Rocket V-8 was the most powerful engine ever offered in an Oldsmobile intermediate, and like its GM cousins, would be the zenith of the muscle-car era. With a 4.12-inch bore and a 4.25-inch stroke, the W-30 featured a 10.5:1 compression ratio, a high-performance hydraulic cam, big-port heads and an aluminum intake manifold mounting a specially calibrated Rochester Quadrajet carburetor. It was rated at 370 HP at 5,200 RPM with 500 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 RPM. It had a well-deserved reputation as a torque monster and was one of the greatest street performance engines of the era.

This W-30 is available for inspection in Las Vegas, NV. For more details and information, call, text or email Harry Clark at +1.602.245.7200 or harry@classicpromenade.com.