Too Much Cam: 1969 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W-30

The 1969 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W-30 holds an interesting spot in the collector car world. Looking at it, nothing seems wrong — in fact, everything is right with it: good looks, W42 hood stripes, OAI (Olds Air Induction) scoops under the front bumper, and a cool ad campaign with Dr. Oldsmobile and his motley crew of laboratory misfits.

But Oldsmobile fans tend to prefer the earlier, short-stroke 1965-67 400 over the long-stroke 1968-69 400. Then there’s the mild cam used for base-engined automatic cars (it downgraded horsepower from 350 to 325), which was not a positive for the model’s reputation.

W-30s also reside in a culture that promotes stock vehicles despite the engine being so aggressively cammed that it was designed to be modified for maximum effect … and then there’s the 455 that was introduced in the ever-popular 1970 model (aside from the 1968-69 Hurst/Olds).

As such, 1968-69 4-4-2s are often overlooked. It used to be difficult to find a W-30 version of the ‘69 despite 1,389 being built. Muscle Car Campy found one, a Sports Coupe owned by Karl Metz. This was the body style with a B-pillar, which makes it one of 2,984 built. Of those, only 171 were W-30s. Note the unusual bench seat, which was a no-cost option in substitution of the standard buckets.

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