1971 Olds 442 W-30 4-speed Convertible - vintage road test

[Ganglydude]

Something about this video just makes me think about the end of the United State's glory days. I mean yes, many great strides were taken in the late 60's/ early 70's towards human rights and the environment, but I just can't help but feel that we lost something great about us as a nation in that period; not just beautiful cars like this, but... Maybe pride? It saddens me because Bud talks about what progress takes away from the 442, and maybe that applied to something from us as Americans too.

[sean55719]

i miss it already and i was even born yet for another 17 years haha id'a bought it and the challenger both that year

[G8GTJav]

Drifting a 442 convertible? That's nuts! Driver had talent. Getting my 442 restored. Can't wait.

[71sleek]

I can't wait for spring, had to have my girl out today, just finished replacing general stuff under the hood along with a detailing and had to cruzzze. I have the exact olds but it's a supreme with the saddle brown color combo THANK YOU GOD!!

[bg147]

Pretty quick to 70 mph, considering the bulk involved. Sweet car.

[nitrojunkie1029]

"were gonna miss what progress takes from us." indeed we do

[Mrlittleitaly27]

What exhaust does that have on it, that a muscle car exhaust



[MCADJim]

You know if that guy had ever heard of threshold braking, he probably could have cut his stopping distances by better than 10%.

[pegleg1992]

>minimum body roll

OHMAHGAD

[OnyxChronyx]

@pegleg1992 LMFAO!! So true

[mustang633NY]

@rageofalphawolf no look at the new Mustang - 400+hp 5.0L and good gas mileage. chevy has a 300hp impala that gets 30mpg... little cars are unsafe at any speed

[keyofdavid888]

This was part of GMs bloat. Glad Olds is gone.

[mustang633NY]

@keyofdavid888 I assume your either kidding or your not a car guy because that is one of the nicest vehicles GM ever produced - and one of its top sellers in the 70s and 80s

[keyofdavid888]

@mustang633NY you assume wrong but its cool i just think olds was unnecessary for GM. I even owned one. But GM had Olds/Buick in the same category (mid-level luxury) and Chevy/Pontiac in the same category (Chevy was "general" AND performance and Pontiac was performance).

GM made great cars and my favorites were actually Pontiac but they made a very smart decision in cutting the fat.

[mustang633NY]

@keyofdavid888 on paper it looks good but look what happened w/ Pontiac. The best new car the General came out with in decades went to market and they cut the brand before the model was even a year old! The Pontiac G8 had no bad reviews from any auto media and the V6 models got decent MPG. They Look great - not like anything else on the road. Im sure that if their durabilty was good then it would have been a HUGE success for the General and PMD

[ebrahimkebrahim]

Pampered my car in 83

[ebrahimkebrahim]

Finest in the wheel of time

[mercoid]

Now THATS a fucking CAR! Nice!

[theunknown302]

0-30 lol

[4gasem]

Amazing that it only weighs 3600lbs.  My G8 weighs over 4000lbs. Amazing what safety equipment and sound deadening weighs... lol This handles DAMN well for a convertible.

[djt1967ss]

it handles good for a big car!

[MegaCokamo]

GM should just make the 442 thats all im asking

[IGotYourBack91]

remember these are on bias ply tires, steel belted radials would knock the timed runs down as they grip much better.

[TriggerHappyLunatics]

Imagine if Oldsmobile was revived, and produced a modern 455 with direct injection and all the amenities of todays engines....if we can get 300 hp about of a 3.6 V6, I don't think 800 hp is that out of reach. And today's transmissions should be able to deliver 20 mpg highway. But that's only a dream....

[Amure1]

lolol the stopping test cracks me up

[AAVista]

This isn't just an Oldsmobile... it's a "Young-mobile," too! It took off to speed, handled and braked like a young stud instead of an old fart!

[YagabodooN]

I want one, oh wait its 2011 FUCK 

[prttygurl13]

Ughh I want one so bad :'(

[V10PDTDI]

I think it is the best handling car of all the test in the 70' s

[DeAdiSSu3]

@V10PDTDI 70's or not, this '71 442 and the '69 gtx 440 handle shockingly well, the best i've seen so far from these old beasts!

[mccrackenphillip]

how is there 69 camaro test

[mustangcharger]

AAAAAAUUUG. Bud, why can't you do the 0-60 and /14 mile e.t - especially for this one!

[Tundraboy05]

2:30 Epic Bumper Shine

[oldscutlass86]

wonder where that car is now

[CamaroAmx]

@oldscutlass86 sadly, it most likely became a washing machine, then later a bunch of soup cans. these press fleet cars usualy didn't have long lives. once the press was done with them, they were crushed.

[Cognetto]

They came out with the Bill Bixby Hulk edition 442????awesome!!

[AlexanderRozhenko]

This is a great looking old car, minus the puke-green paint job. Throw some Candy Apple Red on it and you've got quite a ride!

[DerAdventurer]

Cheap gas, too much power and sky as the limit! Wonderful times.

Its interesting to observ, however, the way they tested cars back then and how they do it now. Currently driving like that in a test would be considered offensive and wrong from the point you give people ideas. But back then, they were all about fun. Also nice to observ ABS brakes were the best invention on active safety devices(when you still have something to do for the car - AIRBAGS come when nothing more can be made).

[Seattlecarnut]

I love these videos! Keep them coming!

[Seattlecarnut]

Nice looking car, the 1971 Oldsmobile 442. Although exhaust emissions is important, and so is safety, we also appreciate performance and excitement in our cars. Unfortunately, the US govt. is denying drivers the right to make that decision.

[Jgeneraledger23]

sounds f-in AWESOME at 2:46...

[maluch525]

3:41 - 40 year old DRIFT! :D

yeah!

[jungleguybest]

i noticed that i typed buick GTX but i meant GSX.

[jungleguybest]

exactly,we can all criticise the handling of those cars,but we forget that they were mounted on suiss cheese,put some modern good wheels/tires on and watch them play,then we will say: holy smokes they are good.

anyway,i like those cars,especially the buick skylark GTX 1969/1970.

[EricJamesHanson]

0-70 in 7.5! That's good for 0-60 in about 6 flat with those slippery old tires. Put today's awesome skins on that machine and I bet it pulls 60 in 5 seconds! What a car, and the '71 had low compression of around 8.5 to 1.

[Pavelov]

I love how the driver has his helmet unbuckled! He's like ahh screw it!

[spencerleeb]

anyone know the hp/trq rating on a '71 rocket 455?

[sk442]

@spencerleeb This W30 had 350 horses not sure about torque, it should be around 400.

[TechMaven]

@sk442 I think the 71 rating was 460LB/FT.

[cobraopts7]

@TechMaven pontiac did at the time but olds had 500lbs

[TechMaven]

@cobraopts7 Olds had 500LB/FT in 1970..compression and torque dropped in 71'.

[TechMaven]

@spencerleeb 1971 W30 was rated 350 gross HP...Standard 442 was 340.

[Andr3sb]

Minimum body roll for a boat !!! and look how the freaking thing brakes 0_0 the poor guy drinvin` had to wrestle with the steering to keep it between the cones .

Still i have to say that it looks pretty damn good .

But really words like "handling" and "braking" don't go in the same sentence with " muscle car "

[tejastiger61]

GOD bless "BUD LINDEMANN" ! You were the BEST Bud .

[rever65]

My blood pressure/heart rate goes up every time I watch these films. The fact that they are low budget productions is what makes them appealing. The jerky camera shots, the angles, and the erratic splicing make all of the slick, modern auto related programs lame by comparison.

[tecana88]

love this car

but now the GTR is the future

[saleenxxx]

@tecana88 ahah 2009 gtr skyline is a fat joke that you can never work on @ home, this car may not be as fast i bet its fun as hell on a open road or parking lot or stop light to stop light . GTR? ahhahaa

[undeadkillers]

@tecana88 No it isn't.

[dexamyl]

that's one gorgeous 4-4-2 !

That colour combo looks quite nice .

[loldecepticonlol]

3:42 Proof that we were drifting long before the Japanese.

[koioo2]

am all energyed up ready.fantastic video.so bad oldsmobile is gone

[7fixsfj3]

WOW!!!!

[kridley73]

Check out 4:34. Dude had this thing sideways. Love this car

[cobraopts7]

is there a 5 speed that will fit my 73 cutlass s

[loldecepticonlol]

@cobraopts7

Tremec T56 should fit

[willem01]

I'll buy it!!

: /

[TechnicalEvaluation]

Awesome car. I had a '72 a long time ago, but it was only the 350. Still hauled, though.

Funny how they don't mention in this clip that the 442's tail doesn't like to stay put at all! In that 200 ft. braking test, damn thing nearly fishtailed off the road.

[willem01]

@TechnicalEvaluation

i have a crappy '73 lincoln, it even "fish-tailes" at low speed if you suddenly apply the brakes hard...making me "look the fool"!!...

lol!!

: /

[CRUISOMATIC]

@Aliendear ... agreed!

[Greenmyth75]

How'd you like to have been the cameraman for those head-on slow motion shots?

[NTC335]

萌え☆

[youfja]

Excellent

[IndyFan53]

To hell with Saturn and hummer! GM should have kept the Olds branch and gave it as much concentration as the Chevy, Buick, and Pontiac branch and made each of their cars unique and different from each other.

Rocket V8 FTW!

[MiracleMileV8]

@IndyFan53: If it hadn't been for GM letting themselves be manipulated by the idiots over at the bean counters and stuff, the muscle car era might have lasted WELL beyond 1975, IMO.{P.S. I love the Rocket V8, too. :-)}

[GasVein]

Top-down fun for four, with luggage.

[jason75]

Grand

[spikedpunk]

Oh how we long for the days, but, there are some who have enjoyed this recently....

[stevew2989]

The Olds is without question of one of my favorite muscle machines. The reverse 180 at the end of the vid was amazing!

[Rarerat]

Great Video!!