1971 Oldsmobile 442 W-30 Convertible
Round front parking lights and a black grille with 442 script identified the 1971 model year (subtle exterior updates that masked major changes under the hood).
General Motors’ corporate policy requiring engines to run on lower-octane regular fuel forced compression down from 10.5:1 to 8.5:1, reducing the W-30’s output to 300 net horsepower (a shift from the previously used gross rating system, which had produced higher published figures).
The W-30 package added a fiberglass ram-air hood, aluminum intake manifold, and the 455 cubic inch Rocket V8 paired with either a four-speed manual or Turbo 400 automatic transmission. Only 920 total 442s received the W-30 treatment in 1971 (810 hardtops and 110 convertibles), making it one of the rarest factory performance packages of the muscle car era.
This was the final year for the 442 as a standalone model. Beginning in 1972, it reverted to a Cutlass option package as rising insurance costs and tightening emissions regulations brought the big-block performance era to a close.
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