In 1979, after a three year period without the option, you could order a Hurst/Olds option for your Cutlass Calais. The option was $2,054 above the Cutlass Calais cost and 2,499 were built. This was the first Hurst/Olds built entirely by Oldsmobile, and not contracted out to Hurst. It was also the first Hurst/Olds that did not have a 455 cubic inch engine. Here is a 1979 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds 4-4-2 with W30 option for sale here on eBay in Levittown, Pennsylvania.
This car is not in great condition. It has been parked since 1996 and once again we hear “ran excellent when parked”. Unfortunately, I don’t think this one was found in a barn but probably deteriorating in a field. As you can see, the trunk lid has been eaten up with rust. The white paint is also in poor condition. Yet there doesn’t seem to be any body rust except for the trunk on the car. But the seller does say it will need floor work, so that means rust there. While this car is finished in white and gold, the option was also available in black and gold.
Things that are missing are two small pieces of lower rocker chrome, wheel center cap, radio, and headliner. Most of those will probably be easy to find, while the wheel center cap may be a little difficult. What will not be easy to find are the graphics.
The interior is not in great condition either. The seats have some splits in them and the carpeting may as well be thrown out and replaced when you do the floors. The dash top appears to have a few cracks, the steering wheel center is cracked, the radio is missing, and the door panel armrests need some refreshing. But of course, it has the Hurst shifter.
Since the 1979 Hurst/Olds couldn’t get a 455 cubic inch engine, it could get something that was not available in any other 1979 General Motors intermediate, a 350 cubic inch four-barrel V-8. More than likely, this one is going to need a lot of attention to get it back on the road. The air conditioning compressor is off but is with the car. The car had 88,000 miles when parked. This is a no reserve auction, so get ready to bid. But open the pocketbook further for restoration costs.
I always thought that these would be cool restomods with a day two twist. Interior would be easy to source via malibu/grand prix buick whatever it was. A little salvage yard shopping would stretch your $. And 350 chevy motors are available everywhere in every condition and state of tune. Could be a great hot rod for less than $5k of upgrades.
A 350 is plenty. I would buy it, make it run and drive it. Flat black on the rusty parts. I live in Phoenix. The rust stops here.
See the rear bumper? Yup, one pothole from falling off that car. Oldsmobile must have found a very cheap supplier of frame rails from the late 70’s to mid 80’s. The one thing they all share? A saggy rear bumper. These cars, although cool looking, are just lipstick on a pig. Poorly designed…I’d.never buy another.
Most times they lost the bumper due to an aluminum reinforcement and steel brackets. Dissimilar metals and galvanic corrosion.
Makes me wistful. This particular car/package was ubiquitous in that era. Used to see (or so it seems in memory) two or three a day. This was also in an era when GM had 45% or so of the domestic market and selling 5.5 million cars and trucks in the USA was a bad year. GM’s US employment was somewhere around a half-million salaried and hourly workers circa ’78.
Does anyone know what the W30 package consisted of other than a bunch of decals in 1979?
The old W30 O.A.I. (Outside Air Induction) was totally performance oriented but what did it really mean in 1979?
C’mon, Bill, get with the lingo here: title of post should read “Needs restored”!
Man have cars come a long way since this crap.