We get lots of great tips here at Barn Finds from our readers with suggestions of cars to feature, but when I saw the one from Brian K. titled “Someone’s Crazy Here” I just couldn’t wait to dig into it! At first, I was a bit puzzled by what he may have meant by that statement, as this 1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass S is an absolute beauty, having only traveled a total of 18,000 miles since it was new. And on top of that, it’s got a surprise under the hood that’s sure to please. But then I saw the seller’s asking price of $78,980, and things started making a bit more sense. But if cost is no object and you’re looking for a top-notch Colonnade-style cruiser, this could be the one. It’s located in Henderson, Nevada, and can be found here on Craigslist.
Thanks for sending this one our way Brian! I certainly agree with the seller’s description when he says this one makes you feel like stepping back into ’73, and his use of the word stunning when describing the car’s condition seems to be spot on. However, he doesn’t really expand on why the Cutlass looks so good or give us any information about the car’s past. Is this the original paint and vinyl top? Has there ever been any body work performed? We really don’t know, but with 18k miles I’m hoping it’s just a very well-cared-for factory finish, and even if there has been a respray the outside presents beautifully from all angles.
The wow factor continues when you open the doors and take a peek inside, with the interior looking far better than you’d expect in a half-century-old Cutlass. This one’s got those cool swivel seats and factory T-Tops, and I’m also liking that nothing in there appears that it has been tampered with. The door jambs and weather stripping are looking A-OK too, and nothing about the trunk disappoints either.
Here’s the surprise I was telling you about. Under the hood is a 430 HP Chevy LS3 engine, but no word on if it was a new crate motor or if it came out of another vehicle. The car is also said to have a 6-Speed automatic transmission, but no details here either, so I went to the seller’s website to see if I could find out more info about the tranny. I found this short video where the seller mentions it’s a 4L60, but I thought that one only had 4 forward gears in its standard configuration. There’s no mention at all about the rear-end specs. Make no mistake, I’m loving everything about this 1973 Cutlass S, just finding it somewhat cost-prohibitive. But maybe others will see nothing crazy at all regarding the price, or perhaps even consider it a bargain. What are your thoughts?
Oh, this grinds my gears, big time. Apparently, nothing is sacred anymore. To take such a fine example of a car, and bastardize it with this baloney( I use that word a lot lately) only tells me, it’s the motor that’s the cheese, and not what a beautiful car this was. For shame!
In a side note, when gas was almost $5.00/gal, a guy was at the local gas station with a car just like this. The pump was up to $75.00 bucks, I said, “I bet you never thought $75.00 bucks would fit in there”. He didn’t look too happy,,,If there’s an automotive hell, I hope they rot in it.
I completely agree with you!
Well said!
Can’t anything be left stock-original anymore?
Especially since it was likely a Rocket 350 and only had 18,000 miles on it.
Once again,I can think of a lot of cooler ways to
spend that kind of money.
Nice car but for $79,000? Good luck with that pipe dream.
A crackpipe dream is more like it! Lol!
I’m a guy who likes LS swaps but not a fan on what looks like an nice original. I didn’t see any evidence of brake or suspension upgrades either. Lot of zoom without much whoa. And $80k ? I’ll smoke some of that. Lol
“KC” as in Kansas City? Yeah, if so, Kansas a bit behind on the weed initiative, it comes up again for voting this year. I’m sure they are tired of busting folks coming from across the border of Colorado. I hope the Chiefs take it!!
I told you honey it’s up for sale but no ones callin!
Learned something new today-didn’t realize t-tops were a thing in 1973, esp on colonade coupes!
Don’t believe they were
Same here.
T tops were not a offering in 73 unless Hurst aftermarket add on.
I believe 1975 was the first year they offered Hurst T-Tops on the Hurst Olds only which was a Collanade Cutlass S.
They put the vinyl top through the long side back windows on at least the 74 and 75 Hurst Olds.
Beautiful Cutlass, but unrealistic price. BTW, GM never did offer the Hurst T-Tops on Colonade coupes; only the more formal roofline coupes with the opera windows, so these were done AFTER it was built. You don’t see many colonade coupes with these, and I can understand why. NOTORIOUS LEAKERS.
Take a ’73 “who cares” Oldsmobile and double the HP and add overdrive and it’s somehow “bastardizing a beautiful automobile”. LOL! Talk about BALONEY! It’s a clean old car that has been vastly improved, that’s all. The price is between the seller and the buyer, and the seller sure doesn’t have to worry about getting any offers from the whiners commenting today.
You are correct Sir Dave.
Or as my buddy always asks, want some cheese with that whine?
Very well put response!
The proverbial nail on the head! Nice comment Dave.
I had the same car no t tops same color I much rather the olds rocket engine it looksike there could be a little rust under the top well known for the rust there wish I still had mine no doubt the asking price is way over priced
I had one just like it too. Bought it brand new in November 1972 direct from factory in Lansing. My Dad worked at Olds.
You bleed Oldsmobile so to speak I do too. My best friends uncle ran the local Oldsmobile dealership and naturally they drove Oldsmobile. I had a 71’ cutlass, 76’ and 79’ then I moved on to the Trofeo. Although when I got my DL Dad had a 73’ Grand Prix which was no disappointment
With that asking price, and being in Nevada? We’ll see this car and owner on Pawn Stars, with the aftermath showing the dejected owner, being interviewed in the parking lot, saying “I know there’s someone out there who’s stupid, um, I mean, appreciates this car for what it is.”
My grandmother bought a brand new 73 cutlass in this color. It was beyond a stripper. She would special order her cars without clearcoat, without hubcaps and with whatever the smallest engine option was. But I remember my brother and I sort of standing up on the rear seat and laying our heads on the hat deck looking up through that big, sloping rear window as we drove around the potato fields of Long Island one night after a drive-in movie. I never saw so many stars before or since.
Funny how an old car takes you back sometimes.
Two stage paint wasn’t offered on GM cars until the mid 80’s. Also GM offered some premium colors but never a clear coat delete credit.
I live about 3 miles from this “dealer” and every car they have on offer is listed at least 3x what it’s worth. They have lot turnover, though, so I’m not sure if there are a lot of idiots paying their prices or they’re very open to negotiation.
Big winners from Vegas with money to burn or maybe launder?
I believe that “”resto moding” should only be performed on cars missing their engines or their condition is so bad that restoring isn’t possible. If you want to do a resto mod then go find a car like that and save it from oblivion.
Just like old houses that have survived 100 years with their original natural woodwork, pocket doors, mantles etc intact and someone comes along and paints all of it or worse guts it to make it trendy.
I blame cable TV for all the home AND car flipping shows. Be car or house if it’s original let it be.
I agree!…. especially on the old house issue! Lol! It just doesn’t match very well when you see 100-year-old farmhouse with the interior all done in shades of black and Gray in an attempt to look “modern”. 🤦♀️ Don’t they realize that the type of people who would spend any kind of money on old houses and old cars typically aren’t the Young, City dweller trendy type??? 🙄
I know when I spend money on anything vintage….. I want exactly that! The way it came originally!!! The only exceptions I might make (say in an old home) would be a modern HVAC system and modern electrical. 🤷♀️
Maybe when you twist their arm to take $60k it makes you believe you are a master negotiator and feel pretty good about yourself until you tell your buddies at the car show.
One born every minute
Love everything about this car except the price tag and the tires. Needs raised white letter tires. Don’t care if it’s got t-tops that were not factory…and certainly don’t care that the engine has been swapped out for this LS3. My first and second cars were a ’75 Olds Cutlass Salon (totaled) and then a ’76 Olds Cutlass Salon with t-tops and the 350’s that were in those were DOGS! So slow! This thing has _____ now! Can you imagine watching this thing come off the line? Yeah, it’s a heavy car but that LS3 might make it look a little lighter!
Forgot to ask. Was that louvered hood offered on this body style back then?
This hood on this car is the standard Supreme hood with two die-cast pieces set into the hood skin on either side of the centerline.
A different style louvered hood was standard on the 442 with cross-wise slots on the centerline giving the appearance of reversed louvers (going down into the hood), and was not available separately.
The Hurst variant had the 442 hood with an added fiberglass piece that fit over the 442 slots and gave the appearance of (raised up) louvers facing rearward.
I like the 75’ Salon and the 76’ was beautifully styled but 160 HP didn’t cut it. A friend had one and one day he borrowed my 71’ Cutlass S with the 350’ Rocket he said your car is fast. I said your car has the same engine lol
All Detroit iron from 73-74 rusted terribly. Wonder what the story is with this one being low mileage. As they say on Mecum auctions, Greeny-Tanny-Browny.
rusted bad for a two year period ? Come on, 73 and 74s rusted just as much as the previous and later years, some areas of course rusted worse, it depended where the car ended up. . The gauge of the steel was still the same for that time period .
I’ll put aside the price and just say it just looks totally weird with those t-tops in this body style.
Do you think they would have boxed up all the original parts (engine) to go along with it so a real car enthusiast could get it back where it should be? What was that kid thinking when he swapped it?
78.000 I could buy a GTO or Camero, or a GTX. that olds is worth what. 8,000
And their rebuttal is always….”BuT iT’s gOT aN LS sWAp”!! 🤦♀️😆
A high school friend of mine had a similar car with the T- tops think it was a 76 with the water fall front end and a nice car but with that if I’m not mistaken 258 V8 was painfully slow & the crest of the malise Era for cars that couldn’t get out of there own way thankfully over. This time around you won’t hear the power your car has no headers to install, no turbo thrush mufflers, no air intakes , just a whine of a electric motor. Such a pitty such fun will have to go.
It was a 260 v-8 with 110 HP. I may be mistaken but that’s what I remember. Painfully slow
What! $78,900 and no white letter tires!
The price of this car is the funniest thing I’ve seen on the internet all week. Laughter is truly the best medicine.
Oh well, it’s obviously a no – sale. They didn’t go far enough, because it won’t appeal to a “purist or a resto- modder”. They probably spent so much money on the new engine they panicked and put it up for sale to see if they could get their money back. Too late, it’s a mess. Good luck. Nice well done article. An article that’s more interesting than the car.
If it was a builder and someone did the LS I’d say cool.Taking an 18k original an doing that …not for me.Almost 80 k …no way. Imo.
I always loved that dash and the end to end color coordinated interior.
Put the 350 back in it, maybe a 20,000 30,000 car, I don’t see another ingenious LS YAWN !! Swap, with no chassis or brake upgrades, I’ve owned a number of these cars, I currently own a 73 Grand Prix SJ factory 455 car w every option including power sunroof, and I wouldn’t dream of an LS swap, how do you plan on stopping and steering this thing full throttle on the waterbed suspension that it comes with, no power windows, no options, keep it
$78,980. for this one? While this Olds is a nice looking car,
it still is an overpriced gas hog. Max. speed limit on most interstates is 70 MPH and on most State Hwy’s 55 MPH.
The only place that much HP is legal is on a race track, and this one is not set up for racing. You will never be able to run this car at the max speed the engine will produce legally. If you do you better have some high ins. protection , because you will need it. Not to mention the cost of speeding fines!!!! What a waste of money. As for me NOT INTERESTED!!!!!!!
It’s only illegal if you get caught.