1970 · Oldsmobile · United States
1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W-30: The 455 Comes Home
The 4-4-2 got a standard 455 rated at 365 hp, the W-30 went to 370 hp, and the small-block W-31 moved to the Cutlass and F-85 coupes.
United States · researched through 2026-09-23
On May 30, 1970, the field for the 54th Indianapolis 500 took the green flag behind an Oldsmobile 4-4-2, with Rodger Ward at the wheel, and Al Unser went on to win from the pole. The car that led them was a statement as much as a pace car. Two years earlier, Oldsmobile had needed Hurst and a Lansing contractor to put a 455 in its intermediate at all, because General Motors would not let the division do it itself. For 1970 the rule was gone, and the biggest engine Oldsmobile built was the standard engine in every 4-4-2. That change is the story of this model year.1,2
The rule had been simple and restrictive. Ate Up With Motor describes General Motors' limits from 1964 through 1969: no intermediate over 400 cubic inches, and no more than one gross horsepower for every 10 pounds of curb weight, while Ford and Chrysler set no such limits on themselves. Oldsmobile's workaround for 1968 was the Hurst/Olds, with engineless Cutlasses finished by Demmer Engineering. Once the corporation relented, the workaround became the product. The 1970 4-4-2 Vehicle Information Kit, now held by GM Heritage, lists the standard 455 Rocket at 365 gross horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 500 lb-ft at 3,200 rpm, with a heavy-duty three-speed and Hurst Competition Shifter as the base transmission.2
The W-30 was the sharp end. The same kit lists the W-30 455 at 370 gross horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 500 lb-ft at 3,600, with forced-air induction and an aluminum intake manifold, and it names the W25 fiberglass hood with functional scoops among the package's parts. A W-30 buyer had to choose between a heavy-duty close-ratio four-speed with the Hurst shifter and a performance-calibrated Turbo Hydra-Matic 400, and the package came with a 3.42 Anti-Spin axle, where the standard manual 4-4-2 used a 3.08. Five gross horsepower separated the W-30 from the standard engine on paper. The difference in the package was breathing, gearing and weight, not a bigger rating.
Oldsmobile sold the W-machines with a cartoon. Consumer Guide's history of the campaign says the Dr. Oldsmobile advertisements ran, inconsistently, from 1969 through 1971, mostly in print, built around a lab-coated mad-scientist character who created the division's performance cars. The pitch presented the 4-4-2 as something cooked up in a laboratory rather than an intermediate with a big engine dropped in. Consumer Guide's own verdict on the Doctor is unsentimental: it calls him little more than a footnote in performance history. The cars he advertised left the better-documented legacy, and their order forms and production counts are where the year's real story sits.3
A 4-4-2 was not expensive by the standards of the class. The GM Heritage kit's model price table, effective January 1, 1970, lists the Holiday coupe at $3,376 and the convertible at $3,567. The sports coupe is disputed: the same table, read by optical character recognition, gives $3,312, while Over-Drive Magazine's compiled table gives $3,141, a figure identical to its 1969 price that may simply be carried over. Car Life's March 1970 W-30 test car listed the W-30 package at $321 and Turbo Hydra-Matic at $227, and the whole car came to $5,016 as tested. Over-Drive lists the small-block W-31 package at $585 and the Rallye 350 package at $365.4,5
The production numbers are the surprise. Over-Drive Magazine's tabulation counts 19,330 4-4-2s for 1970: 1,688 sports coupes, 14,709 Holiday coupes and 2,933 convertibles. The same compiler counted 34,624 4-4-2s and Hurst/Olds cars for 1968, when the standard engine was a 400, so the year the 455 became standard was also a year of far lower 4-4-2 volume on these tables. Of the 19,330, 3,100 were W-30s, about 16 percent: 262 sports coupes, 2,574 Holiday coupes and 264 convertibles. Roughly one 4-4-2 convertible in 11 was a W-30. All of these figures come from a single secondary lineage that does not name its factory record, and they remain reported rather than verified.4,6
The rest of Oldsmobile's intermediate line puts the 4-4-2 in proportion. Over-Drive counts 268,691 mid-size Oldsmobiles including the 4-4-2, so the 4-4-2 was about 7 percent of them. The Cutlass S alone reached 100,473 and the Cutlass Supreme 83,938. The division still offered performance below the 4-4-2: the W-31 forced-air 350, rated at 325 gross horsepower, went into 207 F-85 club coupes, 116 Cutlass club coupes and 1,029 Cutlass S Holiday coupes, 1,352 in all. The bright Rallye 350 appears in 1,020 F-85 club coupes, 160 Cutlass sports coupes and 2,367 Cutlass Holiday coupes, though the compiler prints no total for it.4
What the W-30 could do is on record for one car. Car Life's March 1970 test W-30, with Turbo Hydra-Matic, the 3.42 axle and G70x14 tires, weighed 3,755 pounds at the curb and 4,195 as tested. It reached 60 mph in 5.7 seconds and ran the quarter mile in 14.36 seconds at 100.22 mph. Buick's answer from the same corporate family was close at hand: Buick's 1970 catalog rated the GS 455 at 350 horsepower and the Stage 1 at 360, both with 510 lb-ft, and Motor Trend's January 1970 automatic Stage 1 test car ran 13.38 seconds at 105.5 mph. Those are different cars on different days, and they are set side by side only as the period record.5,7
Some of what collectors most want to know about 1970 is still not settled. No citable source splits the 3,100 W-30s by transmission; the breakdown that circulates rests on an enthusiast forum post alone. Oldsmobile also sold pace-car replicas after Indianapolis, but no reliable count of them has surfaced. The engine ratings are period gross figures from Oldsmobile's own literature and should not be compared directly with the net ratings that arrived a year later. And the $3,312 versus $3,141 sports coupe price waits on a cleaner copy of the January 1970 price table. Those gaps are part of the year's history too, and guessing would not close them.4
The peak did not last a second season. For 1971, Motor Trend's October 1970 preview reported that compression had fallen to 8.5:1 for regular fuel, that the W-31 was gone and that the standard 4-4-2 engine was rated at 260 net horsepower; Over-Drive lists the gross figures as 340 for the standard 455 and 350 for the W-30, and counts 7,589 4-4-2s, with no sports coupe. The 1970 car therefore stands at the top of a short climb: the 455 arrived legally in the 4-4-2 only after the Hurst/Olds had proved the idea, led the field at Indianapolis, and then gave back 25 gross horsepower a year later.8,9,10
Fact sheet · 1970 · United States
The numbers
1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass and 4-4-2 — The 4-4-2 got a standard 455 rated at 365 hp, the W-30 went to 370 hp, and the small-block W-31 moved to the Cutlass and F-85 coupes.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-23.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Key facts
- 4-4-2 production 19,330 across three bodies, per the Over-Drive tabulation.4
- W-30 4-4-2 by body: 262 sports coupes, 2,574 Holiday coupes, 264 convertibles.4
- W-31: 207 F-85 club coupes, 116 Cutlass club coupes and 1,029 Cutlass S Holiday coupes, 1,352 in total.4
- Car Life (March 1970) ran a W-30 4-4-2 with Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 and a 3.42 axle through the quarter mile in 14.36 s at 100.22 mph.5
- A page-image read of Oldsmobile's January 1970 price book confirms the 4-4-2 sports coupe at $3,312 MSRP (the figure the first pass took by OCR from the GM Heritage kit), with the Holiday coupe at $3,376 and convertible at $3,567; the W30 W-Machine package listed at $321.23, or $369.68 with its mandatory mirrors and raised-white-letter tires.
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-4-2, all bodies4 4-4-2 · not stated by source Secondary tabulation; the underlying factory record is not named by the compiler. | 19,330 | built, model-year | Reported |
| All Oldsmobile mid-size cars incl. 4-4-24 F-85, Cutlass, Cutlass S, Cutlass Supreme, 4-4-2 · not stated by source Vista-Cruiser is not in this table. | 268,691 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-4-2 sports coupe (4477)4 4-4-2 · 2-door sports coupe · not stated by source In this year's table the W-29 column equals the series total, so W-30 cars are included. | 1,688 | built, model-year | Reported |
| 4-4-2 Holiday coupe (4487)4 4-4-2 · 2-door Holiday hardtop coupe · not stated by source Includes W-30 cars. | 14,709 | built, model-year | Reported |
| 4-4-2 convertible (4467)4 4-4-2 · 2-door convertible · not stated by source Includes W-30 cars. | 2,933 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-4-2 W-30, all bodies4 4-4-2 W-30 · 455 W-30 · not stated by source Stated as its own figure in the article; it equals the three body rows below, which the table lists separately. | 3,100 | built, model-year | Reported |
| W-30 sports coupe4 4-4-2 W-30 · 2-door sports coupe · 455 W-30 · not stated by source | 262 | built, model-year | Reported |
| W-30 Holiday coupe4 4-4-2 W-30 · 2-door Holiday hardtop coupe · 455 W-30 · not stated by source | 2,574 | built, model-year | Reported |
| W-30 convertible4 4-4-2 W-30 · 2-door convertible · 455 W-30 · not stated by source | 264 | built, model-year | Reported |
| W-31, all bodies4 F-85 / Cutlass / Cutlass S W-31 · 350 W-31 · not stated by source | 1,352 | built, model-year | Reported |
| W-31 F-85 club coupe4 F-85 W-31 · 2-door club coupe · 350 W-31 · not stated by source | 207 | built, model-year | Reported |
| W-31 Cutlass club coupe4 Cutlass W-31 · 2-door club coupe · 350 W-31 · not stated by source | 116 | built, model-year | Reported |
| W-31 Cutlass S Holiday coupe4 Cutlass S W-31 · 2-door Holiday hardtop coupe · 350 W-31 · not stated by source | 1,029 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Rallye 350 (W-45) F-85 club coupe4 F-85 Rallye 350 · 2-door club coupe · 350 · not stated by source | 1,020 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Rallye 350 Cutlass sports coupe4 Cutlass Rallye 350 · 2-door sports coupe · 350 · not stated by source | 160 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Rallye 350 Cutlass Holiday coupe4 Cutlass Rallye 350 · 2-door Holiday hardtop coupe · 350 · not stated by source The source gives no Rallye 350 total; the three rows are not summed here. | 2,367 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-85 series4 F-85 · 2-door club coupe · not stated by source Six 3177: 2,836; V-8 3277: 8,274. | 11,110 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Cutlass series (four-door sedans, Holiday sedans, wagons)4 Cutlass · 4-door bodies · not stated by source | 53,840 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Cutlass S series4 Cutlass S · sports coupe and Holiday coupe · not stated by source V-8 Holiday coupe 3637: 88,578; V-8 sports coupe 3677: 10,682; six Holiday 3537: 729; six sports 3577: 484. | 100,473 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Cutlass Supreme series4 Cutlass Supreme · hardtop coupe, convertible, Holiday sedan · not stated by source Hardtop coupe 4287: 68,309; convertible 4267: 4,867; Holiday sedan 4239: 10,762. | 83,938 | built, model-year | Reported |
Rows are separately scoped. W-30 rows are subsets of the 4-4-2 body rows; W-31 and Rallye 350 rows are subsets of the F-85 and Cutlass series rows.
All counts come from one secondary lineage (Over-Drive Magazine's compilation), which does not name its factory source. No second independent lineage has been checked yet, so every row stays 'reported'.
No 4-4-2 split by engine or transmission was found in a citable source.
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 4-4-2 Holiday coupe (4487), base5 | $3,376 | manufacturer's suggested retail price incl. federal excise tax and dealer preparation, excluding destination, 1970-01-01 |
| 4-4-2 convertible (4467), base4 | $3,567 | manufacturer's suggested retail price incl. federal excise tax and dealer preparation, excluding destination, 1970-01-01 |
| Car Life W-30 test car, as tested5 | $5,016 | magazine-reported equipped price, 1970-03 |
| 4-4-2 sports coupe (4477), MSRP (price-book scan) | $3,312 | manufacturer's suggested retail price, including reimbursement for Federal Excise Tax and suggested dealer new vehicle preparation charge; destination charge dealer-entered (January 1970 revision), 1970-01 |
| 4-4-2 Holiday coupe (4487), MSRP (price-book scan) | $3,376 | manufacturer's suggested retail price, including reimbursement for Federal Excise Tax and suggested dealer new vehicle preparation charge; destination charge dealer-entered (January 1970 revision), 1970-01 |
| 4-4-2 convertible (4467), MSRP (price-book scan) | $3,567 | manufacturer's suggested retail price, including reimbursement for Federal Excise Tax and suggested dealer new vehicle preparation charge; destination charge dealer-entered (January 1970 revision), 1970-01 |
| W-Machine package total (W30 + D35 + PK5) | $369.68 | manufacturer's suggested retail price (1970 Oldsmobile Models-Equipment-Prices, January 1970 revision); package total as printed, 1970-01 |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 455 Rocket V-8, 4-4-2 standard11 455 cu in · Quadrajet 4-barrel | 365 hp @ 5,000, 500 lb-ft @ 3,200 (SAE gross (period factory advertised)) | standard, 4-4-2 | Not yet sourced |
| W-30 · 455 Rocket V-8 W-30, forced-air induction 455 cu in · Quadrajet 4-barrel, air-inducted, aluminum intake | 370 hp @ 5,200, 500 lb-ft @ 3,600 (SAE gross (period factory advertised)) | optional package, 4-4-2 | 3,1004 Reported |
| W-31 · 350 Rocket V-8 W-31, forced-air induction 350 cu in · Quadrajet 4-barrel, air-inducted, aluminum intake | 325 hp @ 5,400, 360 lb-ft @ 3,600 (SAE gross (period factory advertised)) | optional package, F-85 and Cutlass S coupes (not 4-4-2) | 1,3524 Reported |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Transmissions
| Transmission | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy-duty fully synchronized 3-speed, floor shift with Hurst Competition Shifter | standard, 4-4-2 | Not yet sourced |
| Heavy-duty close-ratio 4-speed with Hurst Competition Shifter, or performance-calibrated Turbo Hydra-matic 400 | required choice with W-30 | Not yet sourced |
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
W-30package |
W-30 package (455 forced-air, fiberglass hood, stripes)5 | $321 | 3,1004 Reported |
W-31package |
W-31 350/325 forced-air engine package4 | $585 | 1,3524 Reported |
W-32package |
W-32 4-4-2 engine package4 | $141 | Not yet sourced |
W-45package |
Rallye 350 package4 | $365 | Not yet sourced |
W25RPO |
Fiberglass hood with functional scoops, low-restriction air cleaner | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 (on Car Life W-30 car)5 | $227 | Not yet sourced |
W30RPO |
W-Machine Package (performance enthusiasts; 370-hp Rocket 455 V-8 H.C. with special air cleaner, 4-bbl carburetor, aluminum intake manifold, dual-intake Force-Air fiberglass hood with special paint, wide body-side paint stripes, "W" emblems on front fenders, lightweight body insulation, manual front disc brakes; G92 axle at extra cost except with C60 which has G91 at no extra cost) | $321.23 | Not yet sourced |
W25RPO |
Hood, dual-intake Force-Air fiberglass (includes special hood paint; included in W30; N.A. with Y73) | $157.98 | Not yet sourced |
W26RPO |
Console with dual-gate shifter, sports (includes Hurst Dual-Gate shifter, lockable map case with lamp, rear console lamp; M40 required; N.A. with A52 or A65) | $76.88 | Not yet sourced |
W27RPO |
Axle carrier and cover, aluminum rear (G80 and W30 required) | $157.98 | Not yet sourced |
W35RPO |
Spoiler, rear-deck-lid air (coupes) | $73.72 | Not yet sourced |
Y73RPO |
Paint stripes, G.T. hood (N.A. with W25 or W30) | $10.53 | Not yet sourced |
G88RPO |
Axle package, 3.91-to-1 performance rear (off-highway use only; W30 required; includes G88 axle no charge, G80 anti-spin $42.13, V01 heavy-duty radiator $21.06) | $63.19 | Not yet sourced |
G92RPO |
Axle package, 3.42-to-1 performance rear (includes G92 axle no charge, G80 anti-spin $42.13, V02 heavy-duty radiator $15.80) | $57.93 | Not yet sourced |
G80RPO |
Axle, anti-spin rear (included in G88 and G92) | $42.13 | Not yet sourced |
M21RPO |
Transmission, fully synchronized 4-speed floor-shift close-ratio, Hurst competition shifter | $184.80 | Not yet sourced |
M40RPO |
Transmission, Turbo Hydra-matic 400 | $227.04 | Not yet sourced |
JL2RPO |
Brakes, power with front disc (M40 required with W30), without W30 | $64.25 | Not yet sourced |
JL2RPO |
Brakes, power with front disc (M40 required with W30), with W30 | $41.60 | Not yet sourced |
D35RPO |
Mirrors, sports-styled outside rearview, color-matched (included in W30) | $22.12 | Not yet sourced |
PK5RPO |
Tires, G70 x 14 blackwall Wide-Oval bias-belted with raised white letters (included in W30) | $26.33 | Not yet sourced |
D55RPO |
Console, sports (map case; with automatic includes floor-shift control and lamps) | $61.09 | Not yet sourced |
A52RPO |
Seat, bench front with bright moldings (N.A. with D55 or W26) (deduct) | $68.46 | Not yet sourced |
A65RPO |
Seat, custom sport front with center armrest (N.A. with D55 or W26; convertible) | $0 | Not yet sourced |
U21RPO |
Rocket Rally Pac (includes U35; N.A. with T81) | $84.26 | Not yet sourced |
N66RPO |
Wheels, Super Stock II | $73.72 | Not yet sourced |
P05RPO |
Wheels, Super Stock I | $90.58 | Not yet sourced |
N95RPO |
Wheels, simulated-wire | $73.72 | Not yet sourced |
N47RPO |
Steering, Vari-Ratio power | $105.32 | Not yet sourced |
N33RPO |
Steering wheel, Tilt-Away | $45.29 | Not yet sourced |
C08RPO |
Rooftop covering, vinyl (coupes) | $102.16 | Not yet sourced |
C60RPO |
Air conditioner, Four-Season (includes heavy-duty radiator; N.A. with G88 or G92; available with W30 only with M40, G91 and JL2) | $375.99 | Not yet sourced |
Y72RPO |
Engine-cooling equipment, heavy-duty (N.A. with G88, G92 or W30), with C60 | $21.06 | Not yet sourced |
Y72RPO |
Engine-cooling equipment, heavy-duty, without C60 | $57.93 | Not yet sourced |
U58RPO |
Radio, AM-FM stereophonic (includes U80) | $238.02 | Not yet sourced |
U63RPO |
Radio, deluxe pushbutton | $69.51 | Not yet sourced |
D99RPO |
Finish, two-tone Magic-Mirror (coupes) | $31.07 | Not yet sourced |
Paint
| Code | Color | Built |
|---|---|---|
10 |
Classic White4 | Not yet sourced |
14 |
Platinum4 | Not yet sourced |
16 |
Oxford Gray4 | Not yet sourced |
20 |
Azure Blue4 | Not yet sourced |
25 |
Gulfstream Blue4 | Not yet sourced |
26 |
Viking Blue4 | Not yet sourced |
28 |
Twilight Blue4 | Not yet sourced |
34 |
Reef Turquoise4 | Not yet sourced |
45 |
Aspen Green4 | Not yet sourced |
46 |
Ming Jade4 | Not yet sourced |
48 |
Sherwood Green4 | Not yet sourced |
50 |
Bamboo4 | Not yet sourced |
51 |
Sebring Yellow4 | Not yet sourced |
53 |
Nugget Gold4 | Not yet sourced |
55 |
Galleon Gold4 | Not yet sourced |
58 |
Burnished Gold4 | Not yet sourced |
61 |
Sandalwood4 | Not yet sourced |
63 |
Copper Mist4 | Not yet sourced |
68 |
Cinnamon Bronze4 | Not yet sourced |
73 |
Rally Red4 | Not yet sourced |
74 |
Granadier Red (as spelled by source)4 | Not yet sourced |
75 |
Fire Red4 | Not yet sourced |
76 |
Regency Rose4 | Not yet sourced |
78 |
Burgundy Mist4 | Not yet sourced |
Color names are the factory's. We don't show color swatches, because a screen color is no guide for a restoration.
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase4,5 | 112 in | 4-4-2, all bodies |
| Curb weight, W-30 test car with TH400 (as tested)5 | 3,755 lb | Car Life test car |
| Shipping weight, 4-4-2 Holiday coupe4 | 3,817 lb | 4487 |
| Standard axle ratio, 4-4-2 with synchromesh | 3.08 :1 | standard 4-4-2, manual |
| W-30 package axle ratio | 3.42 :1 | W-30 package (Anti-Spin) |
| Curb weight11 | 3,844 lb | 4-4-2 convertible 34467 (front 2137, rear 1707) |
| Curb weight11 | 3,771 lb | 4-4-2 sports coupe 34477 (front 2089, rear 1682) |
| Curb weight11 | 3,817 lb | 4-4-2 Holiday coupe 34487 (front 2119, rear 1698) |
| Axle ratios, 365-hp 455 (AMA power teams)11 | 3-speed manual: 3.08 std, 3.23, 3.42; close-ratio 4-speed: 3.42; Turbo Hydra-matic 400: 3.23 std, 2.56, 2.78, 3.08, 3.42 :1 | 4-4-2 34467, 34477, 34487 |
| Axle ratios, W30 455 (AMA)11 | close-ratio 4-speed: 3.42 std, 3.91; Turbo Hydra-matic 400: 3.42 std, 3.91, 3.23 with A/C :1 | 4-4-2 W30, 34477 and 34487 (no convertible listed) |
| Standard transmission | Fully synchronized 3-speed floor-shift heavy-duty manual with Hurst shifter | 4-4-2 |
| Standard tires | G70 x 14 single-white-stripe Wide-Oval bias-belted | 4-4-2 |
| Standard suspension | Rally-Sports (heavy-duty front and rear springs, shock absorbers, stabilizer bars and rear-suspension lower control arms; heavy-duty drive shaft and front engine mountings) | 4-4-2 |
Period road tests
| Test | Car tested | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Car Life, 1970-0350-60 mph | 4-4-2 W-30 455/370, Turbo Hydra-Matic 400, 3.42 axle, G70x14 tires, test weight 4,195 lbmagazine test; conditions per data panel | 5.7 s |
| Car Life, 1970-035standing quarter mile | 4-4-2 W-30 455/370, Turbo Hydra-Matic 400, 3.42 axletrap speed 100.22 mph | 14.36 s |
A road test result belongs to the one car that was tested, with its engine, gearing, tires, and conditions. It is not a figure for every car of the year.
Identification
- Body/model numbers
- 4-4-2 bodies were 4477 sports coupe, 4487 Holiday coupe and 4467 convertible.
Where the sources disagree
4-4-2 sports coupe (4477) base price
- $3,312 (MSRP effective January 1, 1970)
- $3,141 (factory price)4
Show both. The $3,141 figure is identical to the same compiler's 1969 sports-coupe price and may be carried over; the $3,312 value was read by OCR from a mid-year price list and should be confirmed against the page image.
Identification
Read a 1970 Oldsmobile VIN
The VIN decoder runs in your browser and never sends the VIN anywhere. How the factory numbered this year's cars:
Same model year
Also in 1970
- AMC AMX The last two-seat AMX: a restyled nose, a 360 base V8 and a 325-hp 390. At 4,116 cars it was the rarest of the three two-seat years.
- AMC Javelin Penske and Donohue brought the Javelin to Trans-Am, and the showroom answered with 2,501 Mark Donohue Javelins and 100 red-white-blue Trans Am Javelins, while total production fell to 28,210.
- AMC Rebel and Rebel Machine AMC's intermediate supercar: a 340-hp 390, four-speed and Hurst shifter in the Rebel hardtop, first in white with red-white-blue stripes. Totals reported for the one-year run range from about 1,200 to 2,326.
- Buick Riviera The 455 (370 hp gross) arrived with a restyle; production fell to about 37,300 with some 3,505 GS cars.
- Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX Buick's GS went to a 455 rated at 510 lb-ft, the Stage 1 option added 10 advertised hp, and a mid-year GSX package was built 678 times in two colors.
- Buick Wildcat The final Wildcat, Custom trim only, with the 370-hp 455; 23,645 built.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The year the Chevelle Super Sport split into RPO Z25 SS 396 and RPO Z15 SS 454, with the LS6 454 rated at 450 gross horsepower.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova Last year the source engine table lists the big-block (as 402) in the Nova. Enthusiast-compiled production: 307,280 cars; Super Sport 19,558.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS The Malibu/Custom El Camino could carry either RPO Z25 SS 396 or RPO Z15 SS 454, including the 450 hp LS6; the El Camino share is not separately published.
- Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS The first Monte Carlo, with the SS 454 as RPO Z20: 3,823 of 145,976 Monte Carlos per Chevrolet-report-derived tables.
- Dodge Challenger Dodge's first pony car arrived as a 1970 model with nine advertised engines, base, SE, R/T, and R/T SE hardtops, two convertibles, and a one-year Trans-Am homologation special, the T/A.
- Dodge Charger The last year of the second-generation body: a new full-width grille, three series (Charger, 500, R/T), the 440 Six Pack added to the R/T, and production roughly half of 1969's.
- Dodge Coronet R/T and Super Bee The final Coronet-based R/T and Super Bee: the R/T fell to 2,615 cars, while the Super Bee added a 3-speed manual and kept its Six Pack and Hemi options.
- Dodge Dart GTS, Swinger and Demon With the GTS gone, the Swinger 340 was the only performance Dart; it kept front discs, Rallye suspension and a twin-scoop hood and sold about 13,800 beside the new Challenger.
- Ford Fairlane The last Fairlane year: the name survived only on the Fairlane 500 beneath the new Torino, with a mid-year Falcon sharing the body at the bottom of the range.
- Ford Maverick Grabber The Grabber appearance and tire package arrived in mid-1970 on the new two-door Maverick; no Grabber count for 1970 was found.
- Ford Ranchero GT The Torino-based Ranchero GT could take the 429 Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet; reference counts give 3,905 GTs, while Barn Finds rounds the GT figure to about 3,600 of 21,640 Rancheros.
- Ford Thunderbird The 429 at 360 hp was the standard and only engine listed in the 1970 catalog.
- Ford Torino A new, longer body on a 117-inch wheelbase; the Torino Cobra became its own model with the 429, offered in 360, 370 (Cobra Jet) and 375 (Super Cobra Jet) horsepower forms.
- Mercury Comet and Cyclone A new, longer Montego-based Cyclone in three versions: the 429 Cyclone, the small-block Cyclone GT that outsold both others, and the Ram Air 429 Cobra Jet Cyclone Spoiler.
- Mercury Cougar The last first-generation Cougar moved to the 351 Cleveland, kept the Boss 302 as an Eliminator-only engine, and built 2,268 Eliminators.
- Mercury Marauder and S-55 The second and last year of the 1969-70 Marauder: production fell to about a third of 1969's, with the X-100 near half of it.
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda The E-body redesign split the line into Barracuda, Gran Coupe, and 'Cuda hardtops and convertibles, put every Chrysler performance engine through the 426 Hemi on the order form, and added the one-year AAR 'Cuda for Trans-Am homologation.
- Plymouth Duster 340 and 360 Plymouth's new Valiant-based fastback coupe arrived with a 275 hp 340 performance model priced at $2,547; the Standard Catalog lineage counts 24,817 Duster 340s among 217,192 Dusters.
- Plymouth GTX, Belvedere and Satellite Now hardtop-only, the GTX fell to 7,748 cars while its 440 Six Barrel option cost just $119.
- Plymouth Road Runner Production halved from 1969, the 440 Six Barrel became a regular option, and the winged Superbird was built as a Road Runner hardtop to put Plymouth back on NASCAR superspeedways.
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am A late-arriving, coupe-only second generation: 48,739 Firebirds, 3,196 of them Trans Ams, and 88 Ram Air IVs.
- Pontiac GTO A new Endura nose, a 455 added beside the three 400s, and GTO production falling to 40,149.
- Pontiac Grand Prix The SJ took a 370 hp 455, Hurst built the SSJ, and production fell to 65,750.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The T-37 and GT-37 bring budget performance to the Tempest.