1968 Oldsmobile Olds 442 W-30 W30 in Willow Gold & Ride on My Car Story with Lou Costabile 

I'm Tim's son. I was born in '93 and he got this car in '95. I learned how to drive stick in this car(mechanical clutch) worked on this car and spent many a weekend at shows riding around in the '68. The smell of 110 octane and the squeak of the clutch before we were about to take off from a light still brings up nostalgic memories. I absolutely have dibs on this car :) I couldn't be more grateful to my dad for raising me in with this car and the ideals of hard work.

Working a 12hr 6 day week at Strathmore Paper and bought a 68 442 (used) as my first car in 69. Like new cond. except for chips in the paint on the lower dash. Didn't realize till some time later that the chips were in perfect position where the previous owner had been speed shifting into 3rd gear. But the 442 was built so well that I drove it for years without a problem. The Hurst alum shift grip from its 4 speed now hangs from a cord for access to my attic.

Yup, there's no mistaking Tim's Olds as a sleeper, because it definitely looks & sounds great! Thanks, Lou!

As soon as I heard tire screechin' I knew I'd love Tim's car and this feature! Thanks Lou!

Lou, I'm repeating myself but the GM - A-body from '68-'72 may be the best looking cars they ever produced - the flow and lines on the Cutlass are damn near perfect. Thanks to Mr. Wong for sharing this rare and gorgeous peice of muscle but moreover the story...it adds emotion to the tactile. And that farm road! Ohhh...the beautiful tree canopy - perfect. Imho this vid may be the best filmed backdrop yet Lou. MOST enjoyable thanks!

1968 is the best looking 442 ever! Beautiful car. Thank you for bringing us great cars in you videos.

Best idle exhaust sound !

Great Olds Lou ! Always loved the first year of this A Body the best...Thanks to you and Tim for featuring this great Muscle Car !

ya gotta love those snorkels reaching out and descending down beneath the radiator

Stunning! The best year and best looking Olds 442 in my opinion… True 400 ,4 speed , Dual exhaust 🤙🏻🇺🇸 Thanks again Lou

Nothing beats a GM A-Body to me 😎👍

We had several W-30 442’s in my neighborhood. I had the privilege of riding in one. An absolutely beautiful Black on Black one. I was 15 at the time. I still remember the torque that car had. Awesome

Lou, I bet your heart skipped a beat for a moment there....a skittish beast indeed!

This was a time when every vehicle was built unique to every GM division with thier own engines transmissions and options the Oldsmobile is a very elegant gentlemans muscle car nice find Lou 👌 😀

It's amazing the contrast of the Chicago Suburbs vs the Chicago city proper.! Wonderful country living.

Another great car Lou ! You’ve definitely got an eye for some unique muscle… always been a fan of the 442’s. Every manufacturer has their “offering” into the performance market and I can appreciate them all. (Especially when they include 3 pedals) Even like the light gold color, it works well with the black interior. Super clean and mean..! 👍🏼

Always liked that color, cam profile and exhaust are just great.

What a nice 442 - very clean and straight. Love it! Beautiful car! Thanks, Lou for bringing it to us.

I love the inconspicuous color. I would also agree that though I love the Chevelles of this era, they are everywhere and flooding the shows. It's nice to see something different. The right package and the right amount of pedals. :) Thanks for sharing. Take care Lou.

Just got clarification Tim correctly mentions the W-36 side stripe available on all 4-4-2's in 1968 and part of the W-30 package. The 400-370 D casting heads had the same 2.067 intake valves and 1.625 exhaust valves like the regular 4-4-2 C casting heads, however the D heads were special in the fact that the #3 and #6 exhaust ports had a wall cast in them to block heat to the hot air passage to the intake manifold heat cross over passage. ( The #4 and #5 passages were still open to provide carburetor choke heat) They also had the ports at the valves shaped differently for a venturi effect. These D casting heads were designed to use with steel tubular headers to gain their full potential. Very nice video of a superb example of a '68 W-30. Thank you Lou and Tim for sharing this.

had a 68 W30 and i did have power brakes bought it 1977 kept it till 2004 . Was modified Joe Mondello and Harland Sharp of roller rocker fame . I was one of firist guys to run roller rockers in a Oldsmobile back in 1981 . When it was done it would pin you in the seat it was a aucmatic car shifted at 6200 rpm . Yes ii was not Your Fathers Oldsmobile But my Dad loved that car every time I let him drive it ! Thanks Lou !

That stripe is just beautiful and that idle sound is unreal!

Outstanding example of '68 Olds 442! Mr Wong is a lucky man!

Another great video Lou. My Uncle used to race back in 1960s and 1970s and he always told me that you didn't want to mess with a 442 Oldsmobile in a street race. He drove a 1969 Dodge Dart GTS at the time.

thanks, LOU, sweet ride

Thanks for sharing your car Tim. Great video Lou. 442 have always been one of my favorites muscle car. Like Tim said you don't see yourself coming and going.

Rare survivor , I love it !

Beautiful car. The willow gold color caught my eye, because my day bought a Delmont 88 that year, and ordered that color with a black vinyl top. I had a 1969 W30 that I bought in the early 70's, and wish I had it now. Keep up the stories, we love them.

This is a great sounding car! I was smiling as I was watching!

OMG - what an awesome piece of American Muscle. Thank you Tim & Lou for taking the time to share this with all of us who sincerely appreciate this very rare bit of American history!

Lou, FANTASTIC!! My dad sold Oldsmobiles at Boyd Peterson Iin Los Angeles 1964-1968. I always loved that vintage - the headlights and grill shape were nicknamed the "barbell" grill. Re-curve the distributor, richen the jets up 1 - 2 sizes, run "cheater-slicks" and they were fast!! And the extra sound deadening, nicer carpet and patterned vinyl along with AM/FM, rear defrost...plus OLDS excellent build quality.. .a real gentleman's hot-rod!!! You ALWAYZ PICK THE BEST-OF-THE BEST.. THANK YOU!!

1968 to 1972 were my favorite Cutlass years. My first car out of high school was a 1970 Cutlass S. After about 1984, Oldsmobile lost its appeal imo and the rest is history. Great trip down memory lane. Thanks

Another gem that you uncovered Lou. Seems like Tim and his 442 are a perfect match. The man keeps it in meticulous condition and seems as thrilled with the vehicle now as when he purchased it 25 years ago. Interesting that the W-30 didn't have power brakes as an option. When you have this car moving and have to slow it down in short order you probably have to put both feet on the brake pedal! Thanks to Tim for showing us his fine ride and to Lou for yet another great segment.

NO taste, thumb down? Go away! Tim, an amazin ride you got with neat color combo. Thanks for the details Lou.

Have a 68 442 as well. Lou does a great job with covering the story and the car!!

Superb Condition ! Avoided every piece of hail since 1968 - wow !

I would like to add that the W-30 added ram air and hotter cam and heads. Power was boosted from 350 to 360 wink wink.

I had a 1968 442 4 speed ! Replaced the 400 cube with a 1969 455 0.30 over 535 hp it was beautiful and a beast

Miss that sound from the v8s.Is a rare yr.Another great interior.

Thank you Tim and Lou for this share, wonderful Olds!

Thank you so much Lou. Your channel is the greatest!

"Willow Gold" - just love gold painted cars from this era, always have, brings out something special in them and has a "gotta have" factor I still feel to this day. The side racing stripe in black certainly has aged well and the extra large 4-4-2 in the grille adds to the presence. The '68 and '69 442's are my favorite but it just doesn't get any better than this one. Another off=the=charts car on Lou's channel. Thanks man.

thanx lou, another classic racer!

another great video Lou love them 442s

My mom had a 64 Corvair Monza that she loved, but when she saw the 68 Cutlass at Randhurst mall she fell in love with it, traded in the Corvair for the Cutlass, it had a 350, automatic, no air, black vinyl roof, & a few other things, & it was in the same shade of Willow Gold, a black bench seat, she was freaking out cause she didn't think anyone else was buying those, but people did buy them, & I still have the paperwork for it & a bunch of other cars we've owned, I also have the original owners manual, plus I've got brochures on the 68s, & a promo model of a 442 in white with a black interior, so to see a car like that in the same color as my folks car is pretty cool, BTW, that Cutlass went well over 100,000 miles, so it was a strong running car

Oh yeah! Beautiful car, my mom had a ‘68 cutlass yellow w/ black interior, thanks for sharing, brings back good memories driving around with her ❤️

I can't help but think what a lucky man you are Lou. they decided I wasn't strong enough to survive the surgery so I'm waiting on an alternative to show up.

Iam a mopar guy at heart. But this 442 is jus gorgeous. 4spd. W30. An that idle! Luv to have in my garage

There's something about the banded stripe up front that makes this car stand out amongst the GM A bodies. Tim has an awesome car. Glad he has kept it for so long. As always - thanks for the trunk and treats!

I love it! That color has grown on me. First class beautiful car!

Hi Lou, thank you for this great video and your great work! Tim has a nice car!

68 442 is best looking out of the bunch..it's got a mean but sophisticated look to it .

Haha, you could feel that quick snap upside the head through the camera in real time as you said that, right?

That Olds engine in this time period had a particularly wonderful nasty rumble to it as heard on Tim's great 442 here. Thanks, Lou and Tim for bringing us a great car for us to appreciate. I really miss Oldsmobile. Pontiac. Plymouth and AMC. Each stamped their own mark on the musclecar era.

Trunk n Treats 🤙 Thanks Lou. Thanks Tim !!!

Goodday Lou, I had to watch this video more than twice. As the biggest Oldsmobile fan in Australia, I can't help but feel the 2 video's were made for me. Tim's W30 is without doubt a true testament to a absolutely gorgeous gorgeous muscle car. In my diecast collection I have a 1968 W 31 & about to purchase a 1968 W 30. Oldsmobile in my opinion did the best A Body with the fastback back half compared to the other 3 GM manufacturers. Loved the trunk & treat & your humour had me in stitches. With the T&T I just couldn't make iut the numbers of how many 1968 W 30 were built. Thst idle so tough. Your number 1 Fan in Australia Louis Kats from Melbourne Australia ☺ 👍 ❤

Lol, a little sideways action at the beginning. Love it

I read that Oldsmobile, like Buick, had their own special performance 'goodies' that made each division 'separate' while still part of the same GM company. That was a very, very special time in America's automotive history.

Awesome 442! Love looking at the brochures too!! Sooo sweet! Funny how green has left the color offerings of today...Fun vid big Lou!

Looks like you had a lot of fun in that marvelous Olds 442 Lou! Seeing these cars back then, who would ever think Chevy would phase them out. Cool car that sometimes get back burnered by all the other muscle cars of that age. Thx again Lou!

Very good looking olds Lou. Another great find, thanks for sharing.

Friggin awesome car 😎, I owned at least 25 cutlass Oldsmobile's when I was younger , I wish that I still had them ☹️, I loved all of them , they are very kool and powerful car's😎👍

Tim's 442 is awesome..W30 to boot! When i was in my teens, my cousins husband had a 66' 442 dark blue, which he traded for a new 68' silver/black vinyl topped 442! I drooled over those cars. Both were nice!

Beautiful 68 442. The color is sweet

Such a great body style and color wow thanks guys

The 442's had a deluxe interior that was standard on the Cutlass S. All 442's started as a Cutlass S, 442 was a performance package as well as the W-30.

💕👍 timeless gold

Wow what a beautiful car my good friend had purchased regular1968 442.Willow gold From the original owner which still had the factory plastic on the backseat back in very late 90s all he did to the car was added the fort fender cigar stripes down the front fenders Red line tires and touched up a few bad spots in the car

great car - beautiful and interior seat pattern is so unique

Hi, Lou! Yep, does look great in your rear view mirror...don't expect it to STAY there too long! LOL! The headlight detail is pretty distinctive, and you can easily tell if one is coming at night (at least if the brights are on). The '67 Olds intermediates had it too, and it was also reminiscent of the 1959 Oldsmobiles. Obviously Tim loves his Youngmobiles, and when it comes to fast cars, you sure can't go Wong with a 442! Many thanks to both of you for this screechin' Rocket ride!

YEAH!!! 442 WITH A Hurst! Oldsmobile in 1968 "Small block?? we don't need no stinking small block"

Wooaw - A beautifuf car : ) A real high performance muscle car : ) Thank you for sharing Lou : )

Outstanding car. Love it

68 is my favorite of the 68-72 era cutties. due to the headlights and tailights treatment.

One of my favorites cars Old 442

Beautiful 😍 That thing goes like a Rocket! Thanks Lou!

Muscle car beauty! That's a true rocket on the wheels!

Once upon a time American car makers really cornered the market and outstanding automobiles.

Ho Lou, thank you for one more great video! Interesting looking, a family car!

Beatiful car and color, thank you for not taking it to Earl Scheib and getting it repainted resale red or black like all the other guys

I wish they'll bring back Oldsmobile cause they made such very interesting cars back then, the 73 Oldsmobile Delta 88 is my personal favorite out of all of them

what a awesome Olds and great owner !!

It's always great to see an Oldsmobile. The GM B-O-P divisions had the classy muscle cars. That 400 has a great lumpy cam sound at idle. It also sounds great at full throttle. Great car for sure.

chingon MR LOU

Love that car! Very nice body style and the W-30 ram air is pretty impressive!

Great Car Lou I've only had one Oldsmobile in my lifetime that I cannot remember for the life of me what year model it was it was a Delta 88 when I bought it it was very cheap car but it was very tired I was working for Norm Livermore Chrysler Plymouth in Houston it was only 24 miles from my hometown to work and it burned 1 gallon of gas and 5 quarts of oil to get to work I bought the recycled oil that I kept in cases in my trunk and of course the car was yellow

Beautiful.. love me a 442!!

Wow, what a machine!

Beautiful exhaust note!

The Cutlass on which this car was based was everywhere in the late sixties and seventies, and the 1968-72 body style was really nice. We had a blue '69 Cutlass wagon, a neighbor had a yellow 1970 Cutlass wagon, and an aunt had a green 1971 Cutlass S coupe. The base and Supreme models were more commonly seen than the performance models like this 442 and the Rallye 350.

One HELLUVA Machine !

nice piece

Yeah these were rally nice cars. A beauty

Very cool Olds for the young, lol!!! I always liked how they did the cold air induction on these cars by having the inlets under the bumper giving the car a sleek hood and "sleeper" effect!!! The color of this one is fantastic!!! Funny fact, I've played a racing game for many years called Real Racing 3 and my cars on there all have a vertical stripe on the fender that was inspired by the stripes on these cars!!! Good one Lou!!!

Nice muscle Olds!

The first nice Oldsmobile.

WOW !!

Nice car . my first car was a 1968 olds cutlass supreme

Love it, Lou do you own any old cars?

Ha, that 442 Ad at 4:30 is the same one I ripped out of a library magazine in high school in 1981. I think It still is in my basement somewhere.