1972 Oldsmobile 442 W-30 Convertible-Matador Red

1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass/442 Convertible freshly painted in beautiful Code 75 Matador Red
If you have been looking for that classic muscle car investment then this rare Classic Muscle Car Convertible just may have your name on it!
This Olds does have the original numbers matching Rocket engine. I double checked the numbers and they do match the vehicle identification number.
It was garage kept during the prior ownership, and it has always been inside during my time with this red beauty.
It has gone through a frame-up restoration during the past year. When I made the purchase this was a very clean car with no visible rust. At some point the rear quarter panels were replaced, but the paint needed to be freshened up. I was told this car had never been in any accidents, and everywhere I inspected I saw no signs of this car ever being damaged.
With each passing year, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find a Matador Red 442 with black stripes in a convertible. Everyone who knows these cars know this color and interior combination is one of the most popular and most desirable.
This body was recently restored with a gallon of code 75 Matador Red paint with the black W-30 stripes buried under the clear coat. The body was meticulously wetsanded at three different levels to bring out the mirror finish as evident from the pictures. After the paint work was complete there was a brand new set of 442 emblems installed with brand new 442 grille's attached to a new stone shield. Brand new headlight bezels and all new weatherstriping were also installed. No expense was spared to really make this car look spectacular.
This Olds starts right up and drives down the road beautifully. The winning bidder will most likely have endless thumbs up wherever they drive. You should have an outgoing personality to drive a car like this, because everywhere you go people will be attracted to you like a magnet.
The engine was nicely detailed and has just about every possible original factory part in place. This is a very highly optioned Oldsmobile with Power Steering, Power Front Disc Brakes, Power Windows, Power Bench Seat, Tilt Wheel, AM Radio, and Factory Cruise Control. I did test the cruise control when I first made the purchase and it did engage properly. That is a very rare option to have on one of these cars. The factory air conditioning is all hooked up the way it came from the factory, but it will need an R-12 Freon charge to blow ice cold. The prior owner said it was never converted over to the new type of refrigerant.
There is a newer alternator, and new Monroe shocks in the rear. All new braking hardware and brake shoes were installed in the rear. These cars stop great with factory front disc brakes. The set of four wheel well opening moldings were all high speed polished. The rear bumper has the bumper guard option. The dual exhaust system was just installed brand new this past week with the rumble of flowmaster mufflers and the infamous chrome trumpet exhaust tips running out the rear. This car sounds exquisite to say the least.
The convertible top is brand spanking new and was just installed last week and features a new glass back window. The top goes up and down very nicely through the switch on the dash, and the doors still open and close like back in 1972. The blue manufacturer's driver door decal is brand new as are the GM mark of excellence medallions.
All the seat belts are present for a family of six. The bench seat was professionally reupholstered and has four-way power with a nice arm rest in the center of the split bench. Sitting at the local drive in movie theater should be nice and comfortable for many years to come.
I tried to place all of the original factory decals in the correct spots in the engine compartment, door jambs, and under the trunk lid.
According to the OldsFaqs website only 1,025 of the Cutlass Supreme/442 convertible models were made with an automatic transmission in 1972. They said whether this model is a real 442 or a converted Cutlass Supreme it is still considered to be like a real 442 if it is converted properly. If it were a real W-30 it would have an X in the vehicle identification number. This particular car was simply made to look like a W-30 model. The fender wells were only red on the very first 10 1972 W-30's that rolled off the assembly line in December of 1971, so I left the original black fender wells when I restored this car.
I'll give a little background on the 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, Cutlass S, and 442 models. Prior to the 1972 model year the vehicle identification numbers in all 442's started out with 344. That was the way to determine whether that specific car was ordered from the dealership as a true 442. This is easily verified by the OldsFaqs website that anyone can look up online. The 442 could be ordered as a separate model up until 1971. Oldsmobile decided to make the 442 an ordered option starting in 1972.
The OldsFaqs website made the statement that there is no such thing as a fake 442 in 1972. All 1972 442 convertible models started life as a Cutlass Supreme, since the 442 was an ordered option. Whether the car was factory ordered as a 442, or dealer installed, or a private owner installed all the 442 options, they are all considered Cutlass Supreme or Cutlass S bodies. This is why all 1972 442 convertibles have Cutlass Supreme on the glove box door, and all 442 hardtops have just plain Cutlass on the glove box door.