It is always a little irritating to see a car for sale listed as a “barn find” still sitting on the seller’s trailer from when he/she acquired it. However, this seller isn’t a flipper and acquired this car as part of a package deal in order to get another car needed for a project. Bidding is currently at $280 with reserve not met, which leads me to believe this may sell for a reasonable price. We have featured two second generation F-85s recently, both of which were reasonably priced for what they were. This 1963 Cutlass F-85 looks to be a good, honest project ready for restoration, though it is located in Wisconsin which is cause for concern about hidden rust. Check it out here on eBay!
Although this car will definitely need a full restoration to be nice again, the interior looks complete sans radio and relatively unmolested minus relocation of the 3-speed shifter from the column to the floor. It is a little tough to tell, but the seats may be in decent condition and the dash looks to be in usable shape. The carpet looks to be either very worn or partially removed, which could be good if a potential buyer wanted to get a look at the floors to inspect for rust. With first generation F-85 values on the rise, now could be the time to buy!
Under the hood is an aluminum Oldsmobile 215 V8. Interestingly enough, this same engine was also available in “Jetfire” configuration with a Garrett turbocharger, which was fairly advanced for the time. Though Jetfire models were much faster than the standard 215 equipped models, they were criticized for having little handling upgrades. The lack of a breather on this particular 215 is cause for concern, especially given the amount of nature sitting atop the intake. The seller does not say anything about the condition of the engine, but who knows, with a quick tune-up it could fire right up!
This Cutlass F-85 is a little rough around the edges, but for being a Wisconsin car it looks to be in pretty decent shape. There have already been 7 bids on this vehicle, so obviously at least a couple of people are interested! Though I personally prefer the second generation F-85s, this could really be a nice looking car once restored. Rust appears minimal, but it is definitely there and both bumpers will need to be repaired and re-chromed. Would you take on this project? Or wait for a nicer one to come along?
1 man’s junk is another man’s treasure. would love to have this car.we had a 63 buick special only had the V6 but was a great little car
“My Cousin Vinny” ???
Potential for a unique little runner if fixed up.. My brother had one in the day and it was a little sleeper with the 215 and 4bbl. If the rust is minimal, it could be fun to fix up.
This is not strictly a first gen F-85, apart from the wheelbase. 1961 was first year F-85 model, and a completely different body style (61/62 not as plain or heavy looking as 63). Atop that “Cutlass” was a 1961 trim level not the model – GM had a way of confusing things. Cutlass was an earlier larger car – I suppose they wanted a form of continuity. Culass grew to beome the model name. That said, early 60’s Cutlass/F85 body cars are rather rare so good luck to whoever decides to take this one on! http://momentcar.com/image-modelYear/13657-oldsmobile-f85-1961-9.jpg.html#overlayGallery_modelYear_13657_oldsmobile-f85-1961-9.jpg