1972 Oldsmobile 442

Description

With its effortlessly cool exterior draped in a shade of blue likely to reduce your blood pressure just by looking at it, and its freshly rebuilt drivetrain poised for action, this 1972 Oldsmobile 442 is one appealing vintage drop top. An extensive array of build receipts sits in its glove box as proof of the work that went into its restoration and it's in great form to provide miles of driving pleasure in its next chapter of service.

The 442s of this era were bold looking muscle cars. With its dual front grilles separated by an Oldsmobile badge on its nose and a broad pair of scoops crowning its hood, this is a sterling example of early '70s Detroit styling, and its Viking blue metallic paint - an aggressive term for such a tranquility-inducing shade - does it proud, benefitting from a very nice clearcoat to give it a nice, even shine. White stripes ornament its hood and run the lengths of its sides and when you look at the latter, you can appreciate how those stripes are impressively level as you glance from front fender to door to quarter panel - strong proof of this Olds' proper alignment that's reinforced by doors, hood and deck lid that open and close smoothly, with no overbite to be found. Well-planned design work gave these 442 drop tops a great presence that was never markedly diminished with their tops raised, and the powered white vinyl top you see here provides proof. It raises and lowers very smoothly and fits impressively well, due largely to its recently replaced frame, cylinders and seals.

The white vinyl upholstery contrasts nicely with the black dash area and carpeting to make for a good looking interior. The bench seat up front is in good shape, and its fold down armrest is a nice feature -broad enough for driver and passenger alike to rest elbows on. Though agile in appearance, this is a fairly generously proportioned muscle car, a trait that yields benefits in the form of the appreciable amount of legroom in back. The dash area is noteworthy, in that it has not only been refurbished and carries a bevy of very clear looking gauges in its instrument cluster, but is also very well-aligned, and has an unmistakable shine. A Vintage Air climate control system has been installed and, as opposed to the commonly seen underdash appliance, it performs its duty via four in-dash registers. A retro-styled AM/FM stereo with USB and auxiliary ports is on hand to cater to your audio needs. The trunk area in back is in good order, with no dings on the wheel wells and a full-size spare showing a lot of tread sitting securely inside.

There's quite an assembly of recently rebuilt or replaced components on hand to make this 442 a very road-ready machine. Among them is its original matching numbers 350-cubic inch V8 that's carrying an Edelbrock 4-barrel carb that's running strong and emitting a great note as it exhales out of its Thornton exhaust. It's bolted to a freshly rebuilt 4-speed Muncie M21 manual transmission to make for a very compelling driving experience. Other updated parts include the radiator, water pump, most of the front and rear suspension and the brake lines, so this 442 is set up well to provide hassle free motoring. This Oldsmobile drop top classic sits on a set of stock 15" Olds wheels, wrapped with BF Goodrich T/A radials.

With its unbeatable combination of exhilarating open air motoring and numbers-matching stock configuration, this 1972 Oldsmobile 442 convertible is a "must see". Call today!