1970 Oldsmobile W-30 4 Speed Barn Find

This is an authentic 1970 W-30 4 speed wearing special order Rally Red, paint code 73.

There were a total of 1,270 4 speed W-30s produced in 1970, based on documentation from the GM Heritage Center. 1,032 of those were the hardtop version, such as this car.

It was ordered as a steel wheel hub cap car with 3.91 posi, mandatory HD cooling, AM radio and no console. Buckets were a standard option. It also carries the Rocket Rally Pack and the W-Machine package.

The car was purchased new in the Indiana, Pennsylvania area and parked in a barn in 1982 by the second owner. He passed away recently, the family cleaned the car up and brought it back into the public eye, and eventually it was put up for sale. There is a very detailed thread about the car on ClassicOlds.com, written by Bill King, the prior owner’s son in law.

While it has had some work over the years, as well as some day two modifications, it is still a very original car.

Another cool aspect is that it was built in October of 1969, which is believed to be the first month of production, with 367 W-30s produced. Based on research, this is one of the earliest documented W-30s currently accounted for. The last three digits of the VIN are 007, hence Agent 007.

We recently spoke with Stephen Minore, a.k.a. Dr. Oldsmobile, and as of 9/13/2026 he said it is now the third earliest W-30 known. Of the other two, one was a magazine test car and the other went to a dealer for his son. Both are well documented cars, and both were built on October 15, 1969, while this one was built on the 17th.

Oldsmobile was the only domestic MFG which ran a different camshaft when the 4 speed option vs Automatic was selected in 1970, along with the W-30 option. The vacuum generated at idle was so low that A/C and power brakes were not available with this combination. Std 442 was rated @ 365hp and 500tq while both auto and 4 speed W-30s retain the same HP and TQ rating of 370hp and 500tq. There are independent studies which state that the acutual output of a 4 speed W-30 was 420-440 hp. This info is supported by the non insurance issues, mature, adult based 1970 Toronado W-34 (442 spec engine was rated at 400hp and 500tq).