I noticed the title to a listing for an Oldsmobile and it read, “Classic 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 2dr hardtop, Good clean original car – $10,000.” OK, it got my attention, ‘da real ting for $10 large? Well, that appears to be the case, and we have Scott to thank for surfacing the listing. Let’s dig in here and check the fine print. Kennewick, Washington, is where you’ll find this sophomore year Oldsmobile muscle car, and it’s available here on craigslist.

Getting off to a slow start in the inaugural year of 1964, and selling just about 3,000 442s (admittedly, in an abbreviated model year), things picked up significantly in ’65 as Oldsmobile’s intermediate-sized muscle car, and Pontiac GTO competitor, saw its fortunes rise to about 25K copies. The big news, and a new 442 feature, was the upgrade in engine size to 400 cubic inches from ’64’s more moderate 330 CI displacement. Back to this example, its code R Target Red finish is in surprisingly sound nick, though some of it appears to be non-original. Best of all, the body shows to be free of rot, the bane of GM A-body cars from this era. The trim is all in place, and the chrome-plated bits look fine, though the rear bumper may have experienced some friction. The alloy wheels are obviously aftermarket, perhaps from the eighties? All-in-all, this 442 presents surprisingly well.

Back to that matter of power, the 400 CI engine in question was initially good for 345 gross HP, and the seller tells us that this powerplant “Has been rebuilt about 10 yrs, bored 20. Over with Edelbrock intake and carb.” He adds that it has been sitting for three or four years, and “Currently not drivable but won’t take much to get running again.” Oh, OK, there it is, it had to be something. That one’s definitely worth an inquiry; it could be minor, and maybe not. One holdback for this hot rod is its un-hot rod-like two-speed Jetaway automatic transmission.

The interior is another surprise – it looks fine. However, the seats, with their seatback releases, aren’t original; they’re GM strato-bucket units employed by all the GM divisions, starting in ’66, and these date to ’67 or ’68 – not a big deal really. The upholstery appears to be a velour material, and that’s incorrect, but it still shows well. The nylon-loop carpet is clean and unworn, though the dashpad has registered a crack or two. I’m not sure about that floor shifter, but my thought is that this may have originally been a bench seat car (standard equipment on F85-based 442s) with a column shifter, and the switch to buckets allowed for an aftermarket floor shifter to be employed – another matter worthy of inquiry. Other notables include the dash-mounted inclusion of aftermarket gauges.

Well, my enthusiasm has been tempered a bit; still, I think this 442 has a lot going for it, but that not-driveable business will need further explanation. What’s your thought? Is there something here worth pursuing?