Hello,i am in England uk and have a 1971 442 w30.
I am trying to find out how rare it is as the speedo is in Kilometres per hour and not Mph.It also has rear de-fog and is a non A/C car.I believe it to be some sort of export model,but cannot find any information on how many they made for export.
It started life over here as a US Embassy car from new.It has only had 4 owners since.
Any information would be very helpfull
THANKS.

 

Is it also right-hand drive?
I just can't imagine shifting left-handed, or even driving from/on the wrong side!

 

I will try to see if my records show any indication of export, but I don't think they do.

What is the color? Stripes? Pictures!

 

post a picture my friend.

 

Here are some pictures of my 442 w-30
Its has been in England since new. Fitted with Kilometre speedo, not mph.Any body know how rare this is or if they did an export model.
As you can see it is just out of storage after many years.
The previous owner who owned it since 1981 told me that the 455 was removed in the late '70s and put in a boat !! It was replaced with a 350 olds.
Still has original Trans and rear end.
Also has tilt steering, rear de-fog and dash mounted hood lock.
Take a look and if you have any information please let me know.
Thanks very much.

 

Now that is SWEET

Love the km speedo, that cars rare for sure.

Do you mind posting the VIN and data plate?

 

Super nice car, I'll take it. You should find that boat with that w-30 motor in it and try to purchase that if it's not long gone. Would be worth a search though.
Scot

 

Anybody have any information on this.
Thanks.

 

Very nice car. I've seen that speedo a few times before. Since there is no mph or kph indicator on it, it is often mistaken for the "ultra rare 200 mph" speedo. But I believe it is as you have stated - kph - used on export vehicles. That in itself would make the speedo rare, if not the car.
Also, I have seen export Oldsmobiles with a metal plate (similar to the firewall data plate) mounted on the drivers side inner wheel well. This plate had vin number, engine size and a few other pieces of info I can't recall. Does your car have this type of plate anywhere on it??

 

It is very hard to tell if the car was modified by Oldsmobile or by a contractor with out the build sheet. Oldsmobile did not keep as detailed records as some other car makers. That is why others ask for vin numbers and the data plate info. GL with her and enjoy.

 

Nice Olds! I'll be this car scares the Mini Coopers right off the road.

 

What I find unusual is that the UK used (and I think still does) use miles and mph. So, why would it have Kmph speedo?

 

They use the metric system, so they use km not m????

There are only 3 countries in the world that still use the Imperial System of weights and measures. Those countries are Liberia, Myanmar (was known as Burma) and the United States of America.

Sam

 

72xw30

I think you are wrong. In the year of that car they used miles. Plus I believe they still use miles.

Google it.

 

Could have been a car procured by goverment contract to specific specifications. But hard to tell if it was modified by Oldsmobile or the procurement office.

 

Hi 442uk, welcome to the forum.
I have a 455 from a '70 Toronado, it needs a complete rebuild though as it is siezed. I'm in Margate, Kent, where are you?.
Does your car still have the TH400?, if it has a 350 it might not last long behind a 455.
We still do mph over here, we invented it after all, a bit of trivia here, imperial pints, quarts & gallons are 25% larger than US measures, you guys use 16 fl oz per pint, we use 20. Gives us flattering mpg figures!.
Most US cars with kph speedos were for export to mainland Europe rather than the UK. A few cars were built rhd for export to places like UK, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand but a car converted from lhd is worth less than if it was left original. Lhd when driving on the left is no big deal, American cars are rare over here and other traffic tends to give you a wide berth. Your USPS guys manage rhd everyday.
Regards,
Roger.

 

Thanks for info. My main question is does anybody know how many of these were built for export.
Thanks.

 

Hi

Thanks for all your replies, i have been contacted by a fellow board member on here who can hopefully shed some light on this car, but if anyone else has any info about this car it would be much appreciated, also rustyroger i am located in east anglia near cambridge.

many thanks