Seen here, before, but, for clarity, the car is a 1967 (I have owned it for 23 hunting seasons, since a guy offered me way too much money for the 1971 W30 442 I restored before I did this one):
Stan, your claim of what cars would run faster than the 442 is easily proven wrong with a little study of history. In 1967, four engineers from Lansing loaded up a 1967 442 W30 production mule on a trailer behind a 1 ton GMC van, with a few spare parts, and a set of used slicks, drove to Pomona California and swept C stock at the Winter Nationals with the car. Swept it.
There was no factory support or money used. The car was a radio delete, heater delete, 4:33 geared four speed car with a bench seat. The motor used the factory W30 308 cam. Oldmobile sold about 500 of the single 4 barrel W30 models in 1967, and 54 W30s the previous year, which used a mechanical linkage 6 barrel arrangement, which, actually worked all the time, versus the vacuum arrangement used by, well, everybody else. In 69 and 70 the factory produced F85 and Cutlass W31 models, with factory blueprinted 350 motors that would happily run down the strip in front of most of the big blocks cars of the era, when a set of headers and slicks were bolted on.
People seldom went to Olds for a drag car, but, they had one for you if you really wanted it. Nobody is afraid of mine, stop light to stop light, but, I've gotten used to the PS, PDiscB, first generation electronic ignition, AC, tilt, cruise, PW, P Bucket Seat, PTrunk, exterior thermometer, and all the other extra cost options some soul in Mountain View, California, decided it needed when it was ordered in late 1966. I love to set the cruise to about 70, turn the AC on and head to the little, informal car show in Anoka, MN on hot Saturday afternoons in the summer. The look on the ticket guys face is priceless when I buzz the drivers window down and he sticks his arm in to collect my $3, and feels what 4.25 lbs of R12 in a suction throttling valve 6 cylinder AC system is capable of. Or, show up at my local gun club with the car on a sunny Sunday afternoon, with a few doubles in the trunk.
You want to see the typical muscle car of the era fall apart, run it at 70 for ten miles. Or, try to stop, fast, twice, with one that has drum brakes.
Go fast is cool, but, the Olds is a so much more well rounded car, when it has a few options.
Best,
Ted
PS Geo, congrats. 12 years past I somehow convinced Alexandra of the notion that her life would be better with me here in the states, and she has assured me she would do it all again in a heartbeat. First for both of us, but, we got to the ballgame very late in life, aged 39 and 43.
Better late than never. Thing is, she still looks 39 and I, uh, don't.
Not sure I'd have picked being married to me. But, she did, and says she is happy. I am, too.
