This triple green 71 442 Convertible was sold new at Dueck Chev Olds in Vancouver BC, and delivered on June 11 1971. The original owner allowed his 15 year old son to order the car with the father specifying he wanted a convertible and all the comfort options. The decision to order the car with the W-30 package was at the sons urging.
An order was placed in December 1970 and the order was filled by delivering a 442 hardtop in Feb 1971. Big mistake as a convertible was what the father wanted. A new order was rushed into the Zone office but the buyer was told it may not make the 71 production run as convertibles were being phased out. In the rush to get the order in, the son and father failed to notice that certain options they thought were standard equipment were not on the first car and subsequently missed on the re order. Items like Super Stock wheels, rally pack and the sport steering wheel. Thus when the car showed up in early June 1971 it sported dog dish hub caps and that thin stock steering wheel.
I first saw this car when I moved to Vancouver in July 1975 and moved into an apartment about 4 blocks from where the owner lived. I soon realized the owner was a client of the company I worked for and over the years got to know him through business. I rarely mentioned the car until 1984 when I went to his offices with my own 1971 442 Convert. Mine was not a W-30 but was identically equipped to his otherwise.
One day in March 1988 he called me and said he was ready to sell his 442 after 17 years to buy a jag convert, and did I know anybody interested in buying his car? I committed to the car right then without even asking the price!
I restored the car between 1991 and 1996 using over 130 NOS parts and sparing no expense or effort to make this a show car. It has subsequently won Best in Class at the Olds Nationals in 2001. Of the 110 442 convertibles with W-30 only 9 were sold new in Canada.
The car has all its original drive train and components. I drive it about 200 miles per year. It is fully documented from GM of Canada and I have the warranty card and 2 build sheets.
