How’s that for a barn find?! “Hey, why didn’t the guy hose it off first at the very least?!?!?!” I know a few of you are thinking that, and I get it. I also like nice, clean vehicles, but every once in a while, it’s fun to see an actual dirty barn find. This 1985 Oldsmobile Calais 500 is an Indy 500 Pace Car edition that has been stored since the late 1990s, and it’s listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. The seller is asking just $3,000 or best offer. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Hans H. for the tip!
I don’t recognize the wheels from any Olds Calais 500 Pace Car brochure that I ran across, but it’s because the center caps are on the floor of the passenger side, so that’s good news. Other than a couple of rust spots on the driver’s side, the exterior of this car looks pretty nice. Spoiler alert: the hood isn’t bent, it’s partially open from the seller – gasp! – actually caring enough to take the time to pop it and show potential buyers the engine! A very crisp tip of the hat, seller! Great photos overall, very well done.
We’ve seen a few of these special editions from Dr. Olds & Company over the years, and I know it isn’t exactly a ’68 442, but I like these special edition vehicles. The go-fast graphics package vehicles have almost always been a thing in the vehicle industry. By the mid-1980s, all-out white-knuckle performance wasn’t really a thing for the most part, but they kept trying with what they had available.
The seller lists the miles at 160,000, so it hasn’t been hidden in that pole building since 1986 for sure. The interior is where these cars really shine, literally, with silver leather and red leather seats. The driver’s side could use a little work here, and I have to believe that a good upholstery shop can match that silver leather. The back seat looks like it’s right out of a brochure, and the headliner looks like it’s a parachute, so plan on some dollars there. I paid $1,000 to replace the headliner on my ’87 Renault GTA, and that was a relatively small car. Again, the seller has provided a ton of good photos, so please click on the link to see all of them.
This is Oldsmobile’s 455-cu.in… er.. hey, wait a minute. Can you imagine a 455 in this car with rear-wheel drive? Instead, we have the rare (in this car) Buick-sourced 3.0-liter OHV V6, which was rated at 125 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque. The seller says the V6 was put in just 106 of the 2,998 cars produced. Power is sent through a THM-125 three-speed automatic to the front wheels, and the engine turns over, so that’s good. I know this isn’t on everyone’s (or anyone’s?) wish list, but with the V6 and a $3,000 or best offer asking price, this could be a fun project. Any thoughts on this one?
Man it would have been so cool if it had the Quad4 and the 5 speed. 😢. Still an interesting and unique ride this could become.
I was a huge fan of the Quad 442 Olds had out in the 80’s. I’m with you there.
I’m going to say this twice by mistake, but I wanted an Olds Quad 442. Cooter hit the nail on the head, the Quad 4 and 5 speed would be great in this car. But the V6 was no slouch either. I’m actually surprised at the condition of this one being a true barn find and the mileage. It honestly doesn’t look all that bad. This just might clean up really nicely.
An intriguing find, you might go for years (or forever) without seeing one of these on the road. My gut says there’s something major amiss with this, I’m not the guy to roll the dice and buy it but kudos to whoever does.