It is actually hard to put into words just how incredibly nice and clean this 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass S Holiday Coupe is. It doesn’t matter where you look on this beauty, the presentation is simply superb. As an added bonus, the owner claims that it has a genuine 24,393 miles on the odometer. If someone is on the hunt for a classic vehicle that is ready to be driven and enjoyed immediately, then this is a car that could be worthy of serious consideration. It is located in Belmont, Ohio, and listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the Olds has now reached $15,069, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
When it comes to producing a striking appearance, it’s pretty hard to go wrong with a black-on-black car. This Cutlass would seem to prove that, with the Ebony Black paint and the Black vinyl top endowing the Olds with a menacing, yet classy, appearance. The paint has a wonderful shine to it, and one of the great advantages of a high-gloss black paint job is that it makes any panel defects fairly easy to spot. In this case, the panels look close to perfect, with no obvious dents or defects. The close-up photos supplied by the owner of the usually prone areas show no signs of any problems with rust, and the owner doesn’t mention any issues in the text for the listing. The chrome and trim all sparkles nicely and provides a great contrast to the Ebony Black paint. The Cutlass is fitted with Soft-Ray tinted glass all around, and this looks just as good as the rest of the vehicle.
Occupying the engine bay of the Olds is a 350ci V8, which produces 250hp. The Cutlass also features a 3-speed Turbo Hydramatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. The spotless presentation continues when we gaze around under the hood, with everything looking clean enough to eat off. The owner doesn’t mention just how well the vehicle runs or drives, but if appearances are any indication, then it should potentially be very good. There is one area of slight confusion with this car. The odometer definitely shows a reading of 24,393 miles. However, the text actually says, “Only 24393 original miles on this 350 cid engine.” So, does the owner mean that the entire car has covered that distance or only the engine? Regardless, the vehicle does come with a significant collection of documentation. This includes the Protect-O-Plate, both Build Sheets, the Window Sticker, Bill of Sale, and the original Owner’s Manual.
The basics of the interior of this Cutlass are original, but someone has made some changes at some point. The Grey and Black upholstery on the seats is a later addition, while the gauge cluster and tachometer hanging under the dash are further additions. I quite like the upholstery, because it does look neat and crisp. It also appears to be free of any wear or issues. The gauges and tach are a bit less to my liking. The installation just looks untidy, and if I was buying this car, I would either search for a neater solution, or I would ditch the lot completely. The rest of the dash, the pad, door trims, and carpet, all present very nicely. The dash houses the original deluxe push-button radio, and if nothing has been altered, this should also feature the Bi-Phonic rear radio speaker. Warmer days in this black-on-black car have been made a bit more pleasant thanks to the inclusion of air conditioning.
If neat and tidy classics are to your liking, then there’s a reasonable chance that you will like this Cutlass. It really does seem to have a lot to commend it, and if it proves to be as good in the metal as it would seem to be in the listing, then it has the potential to be a very enjoyable vehicle to own and drive. The listing hasn’t reached the reserve at this point, and it will be interesting to see both whether it does, and if so, what the reserve actually is. The reason for this is that I have managed to find the same car listed on another website, and there it has been priced at $23,900. That will at least give potential buyers some idea of the owner’s expectations. Do you think that these are realistic?
It’s a nice car, but I wouldn’t trust the dealers description. You can make all the claims you want about low mileage, but a picture of the speedometer is not proof. It never has been, neither is a copy of the window sticker, which shows the car was sold in New York, so it’s hard to believe it’s a southern car, as claimed.
The reupholstered interior and significant modifications to the engine also suggest more than 24,000 miles. As for the engine, headers, aluminum intake manifold, 7000 redline on the aftermarket tach and especially the vacuum reservoir for the power drum brakes suggest it may have been driven hard or will not have a cruiser friendly drivetrain.
Steve R
The ad says ”Only 24393 original miles on this 350 cid engine” which suggests the engine was rebuilt (along with the car) and has only traveled that many miles since then. The car left the factory with chrome door edge guards. They are gone AND there is no sign they were ever there.
If so, why did he show a picture of the speedometer Showing that number of miles? I’m assuming it’s lie, or at least wishful thinking, and a case of bad grammar .
Steve R
Do you mean body side moldings or door edge moldings? Most Cutlasses had body moldings. This looks like a nicely-appiinted dealer resale unit, circa 1980 or so, slick black paint and all. Pretty car but I’m not trusting it all that much.
Its Odviously been a repaint or just a plain Cutlass as all Olds S/ Holiday Coupes models had buckets with a dual gate shifter and a Red S badge on front fenders and this has none, best ask questions and bring a magnet with on personal inspection of body work and paper work,
Interior has been redone with new fabric on seats as thats not ORIGINAL Oldsmobile fabric
Super nice Olds, so nice to see these popping up.
I feel the need to reiterate a prior comment for @Adam Clarke.
I hate to be the grammar police but the use of the phrase “door trims” seems to be showing up with increased frequency. I think that a more accurate and common term would be “door panels”. While some may think that that may be the term for the outside of the door, that phrase would be the “door skin”. While I am wearing my official badge, in reviewing his posts may I also suggest to Adam that he could cut his use of commas in half with no problem at all.
We now return to our regularly scheduled program.
Peace
Amen, hallelujer, and praise Jeebus on the use of “door trims” in the automotive lexicon. While we’re on the subject, the word “trim” in this context is already plural (uncountable, to be precise), so the “s” is nonsensical.
If I’m not mistaken, Adam is an Aussie, and over there they are referred to as “trims”. You know what he means.
To which Adam will likely reply Bloody seppos. You know what I mean.
There’s a lot of non-original stuff on that car that questions the 24K mileage claim. While the car is an original paint code 19 Ebony Black car, that’s not original paint – it’s not OEM lacquer, it looks too shiny, like BC/CC. The reflection of the parking lot stripe down the side of the car suggests body panel alignment issues, possibly due to welding in patch panels on the front fenders. This would not be uncommon. The car was originally an L65 2bbl car. Why does it need an extra vacuum canister for the power brakes? The repainted gold on the valve covers (and their rubber grommets) also begs questions, yet the dealer provides no info on the engine. The M/C with recent flash rust and shiny new irridite cover is also a replacement. This could be a really nice car, but there are a lot of unanswered questions that require an in-person evaluation. A Linden, NJ car is not a “southern car”.
Also the spare tire. It has a Michelin spare tire and if it was a 24k original mile car, I’m sure the original spare would still be in place.
Like they say a picture is worth 10k words…if you’re interested in this beautiful specimen bring along a real expert to check it out in person! No need to have any “ARM CHAIR” Experts’ inputs from a picture….
Just based on the comments here, I wouldn’t go near it. Thanks, all!
A ton of great comments here. Note the slight? gap at the trunk and RR fender, something may have happened here. That same image has spurious reflections in the black mirror finish. This is a pretty car, but I would also like to see it in person… check the trunk paint finish compared to the fenders. My grandad had an early 70’s Cutlass and kept it immaculate. The chrome bumpers look correct to me. These cars do need love and preservation and I hope it goes to a good home.
I wish people would just be honest when they offer cars for sale. Especially eBay or Craigslist list. They’re essentially preying on people that have a limited amount of knowledge. I know there are several of you that follow BF. So this is specifically directed to you. Cut it out! We’re not all fools. I realize that this extends beyond car sales. I mean just listen to politicians. Or corporate marketing jerks. We know you’ve changed your cereal box from 12 to 11 ounces, and made the box larger. geez.
Interesting, I bought an old Volvo 240 in BC last year and thought it would make a great holiday for my wife and I to drive it back to Nova Scotia..I purchased the car by taliking with the owner, asked how he wanted to be paid.I sent a 250 dollar purchase price to nim by check as it would be a month before we could get away…No problem..When we showed up at the airport he was there to pick us up in the car.We got talking and found out he had not cashed the 250 dollar check as he wanted to be sure we were happy with the car………..unbelievable……..We drove that car across Canada and had a nice holiday….without a hickup…….I,m still driving it
Michael van,
What a great story. Thank you for sharing that.
C. 358
I bought this car in 2010 from the original owners family and have all the info for the new owner if he wants it. First the miles are 124,000 not 24000. I have the phone number of the son of the first owner who was in Vietnam when this car was bought by his mother and after she drove it 20 years he rebuilt the whole car. I won a trophy every time I entered it and is better in person than the pictures show. Three different build sheets were found in this very special car during it’s restoration to prove it’s triple black.