Howdy all. NFG here. Cool forum. Thx for any help in advance.

I have a question, but first my story, if you will.

When I was a kid, my folks gave me a sweet 1972 Olds 442 when I turned 16 in 1983. They bought it in '74 and Dad slowly built it up over the years. Believe me, I worked for it cutting firewood from 6:am to noon every Saturday morning of my adolescent and teen life, and cutting 2 acres of grass twice a week. Dad loves that damn fertilizer!
Anyway, being just basically a not very bright kid, I partied that car into the ground and eventually it merged with a damn tough telephone pole. It was a draw, but both lost in the exchange. I got a couple of nice scars, which cool chicks like, but lost my prized ride in '88.

As I've gotten older I've grown to appreciate every thing about that car like I should have then, and like some of you I would guess, I attach it to my ever-fleeting youth, remembering all of the great times that happened in/on/around that car. It was a total chick magnet. Anyway...blah blah blah married w/ kids, yeah.

Here's the deal. I have some money now and I'm looking to replace the car, but cannot find an exact match.

It resembles this car, but differs in some ways....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___OLDSMOBILE-CUTLASS-442-1972_W0QQitemZ160286539361QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20Truck sQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item160286539361&_t rkparms=39%3A1|65%3A-1|240%3A1318&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245


How it differs...
Ours came with a bench seat and column shifter (dad later changed this to the pleather buckets/floor shift).
It did have the ram air fiberglass induction hood like the model above, with the round corner binders.
Automatic tranny.
It came with a 350 Rocket engine, and a Quadrajet 4 brl carb (which Dad added a shift kit, cam, headers, and a Holly 750 dbl pumper.)
It also had same front honeycomb grill.
It had all the 442 emblems inside and out.
The dash was the same, except in wood grain/black.
It's original color was a Holy Bright Terror GREEN (my color name, not theirs), with white stripes on the ram air induction hood. I was pimpin' before I even knew what that was (and I still don't really). It was god awful, but dad changed that too. It ended up being satin black stripes on glossy black. I wish I could show you a picture, but I'm afraid I'm all out of those as well.

It did not have the 455, the rear spoiler, AC, or rear bumper cut outs for the tailpipes.

My dad always told me it was kinda rare, having around 2000 of em made. I've searched and can't figure it out.

W25, W30, F-85, many others...crimony, I'm lost.

Any ideas?

(sorry for the long post)

 

Welcome. First, the car in the ebay ad is a self-described clone, so it probably didn't come with the hood, wing, or even the red paint originally.

As for the car you had originally, 1972 was a transition year for Olds. The 442 had been a separate model previously, but with encroaching emissions and safety laws, in addition to the increasing insurance costs on musclecars, Olds turned the 442 package back into an option package available on several Cutlass models. For 1972, the 442 package was a handling and suspension package that included springs, shocks, sway bars, and the 442 emblems and grilles. This package was designated the W29 option and was available with any engine offered in the Cutlass line that year. Those engine options ranged from the 350 2bbl single exhaust through the high-output W-30 455. !972 was also the first time that the engine code was included in the VIN.

There were a number of options available in 1972. The W-25 option was the fiberglass Outside Air Induction hood and air cleaner. This could be ordered on any 442 and many other Cutlass models that year. The wing was actually not available in 1972, so the car in the ebay ad has had one added to it. Dealers also installed the wing on customer cars. There were three greens available in 1972, paint code 36 Radiant Green, paint code 43 Pinehurst Green, and paint code 48 Sequoia Green.

The F85 was the low-end model in the Cutlass line. The F85, Cutlass, and 442 were all based on the same body. The differences were mainly trim and upholstery patterns.

 

Excellent post. That just taught me 10x more than I knew. Many thx.