The owner of his 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass holds all of the relevant paperwork which confirms the authenticity of this W-31, and to look at the car, it is a stunning looking vehicle. Personally, I would find it extremely hard to part with this car, but the owner has decided to do just that. It is located in Trumbull, Connecticut, and is listed for sale here at Hemmings. I have to thank Barn Finder Rocco B for referring this beauty through to us.
This is one of those cars that comes along every now and again that it is hard to fault. The car underwent a repaint in 2007 in its original Nugget Gold. Everywhere that you look, there is an incredible depth to the paint, while the panels appear to be straight and true. The exterior trim and chrome also look to be in really good condition, indicating that this is a car that has been well cared for.
Under the hood is the numbers-matching 350ci V8 engine. These were a pretty special engine, as they were essentially a factory blue-printed engine, with a different camshaft, different conrods, and the compression ratio raised from10.25:1 up to 10.5:1. The aluminum intake, the #6 cylinder heads, Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, and twin air intakes via the fiberglass hood resulted in a claimed output of 325hp. Many people believe that this figure was “fudged” somewhat and that the actual engine power was significantly higher. The rear axle on this particular Cutlass is also numbers-matching, but the Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission isn’t. Still, it all looks nice and tidy in the engine bay.
As with the rest of the car, the predominantly white interior of the Cutlass is close to perfect. The floor console houses the Hurst Dual-Gate “His and Her-Shifter,” while the Rally gauges include the Tick-Tock-Tach. The owner holds a lot of documentation for the car, including the Protect-O-Plate, and two build sheets that verify the authenticity of the car.
This Oldsmobile is a stunning looking car, and it appears to be the product of careful ownership. The presentation is first-rate, and it is a car that would attract more than its fair share of attention wherever it went. The owner has set a price of $54,900 for the car, but this is negotiable. How far would you be willing to negotiate on this one?
Hold on a minute!! I thought these were
all painted yellow with no chrome trim.
Seems strange seeing one with all that
brightwork on it. Olds did indeed under-
state the HP ratings on these to placate
the insurance companies. These things were real rocketships and if they told the
public what the REAL horsepower rating
was, you probably wouldn’t be able to
get one insured if your life depended on
it. Good to see one again.
The car model you’re thinking of was called the Rallye 350. All were Sebring Yellow including the bumpers.
The yellow ones were the Rally 350 cars.
To add to Kevin, no Rallye 350s has this engine.
The Rallye 350 models had a 310hp Olds 350, not the same engine as the W-31 325hp 350.
Does this car actually have the aluminum center section rear? Pretty rare if it does.
Looks like a cast housing with an aluminum cover.
If we have any experts, not guessperts, what is the quick on what the W30, W31 and W32 option mean? I have heard a number of things over the years….just wondering if we have knowledgeable eyes reading this that can explain it. Thanks!
W30-455 engine, W31-350 engine, W32-455 detuned engine, HP above stock but below a W30
W30: Hi-po 400 with air induction 1966-69, but didn’t really catch on till 1968. In 1970, it was upgraded to a 455 and made a bit easier to live with if you ordered a TH400.
W31: 350/325 from 1968-70. Little brother to the W30.
W32: A 400/350 in 1969 that came with air induction, slotted between the base 400 and the W30.
In 1970, it became the optional performance engine for the Cutlass SX, which was the same engine as the standard 442 engine.
Good gawd… that is a beautiful car… I hope the next owner takes good care of it.
Two w31’s sold last week at Barrett Jackson. One for 22k (numbers matching) and one for 55k (numbers matching with a bunch of receipts)… I’m guessing you are just seeing the Barrett Jackson effect …
I used to borrow my friends 350 cutlass s with a 4 speed, these were nice, but i see this awesome car with a wing …. and then i say to myself … what no 455????!!!! Sorry its a kneejerk reaction
Awesome car, though it’s had more than just a re-spray. Judging from the sterile undercarriage, it appears to be a sympathetic restoration of a clean, solid car.
…never saw a W-31 with the “two door post” instead of the “two door coupe (no door post)….can it just be the lowly Cutlass optioned out ?
A coupe is a 2door whether it as a pillar or not. Olds called it a Sports Coupe rather than a Holiday Hardtop.
the W-31 was an appearance package like the w-30 ram hood and exhaust cutouts plus stripes and could be added to the 350 car post or coupe as well as ordered on the 455 base car. That made a lot of 455 look like a W-30 but not have the added performance 455 engine parts. The W-31 package did not include the red plastic inner fenders.
Why can’t anyone use the words SEDAN and HARDTOP anymore???
Gorgeous car…
Because a sedan is not a coupe.
To michael ripley’s point above, the w31 was not an appearance package. The core was the engine, so it was a performance package.
its sad to get old and remember a lot but the details. I was wrong the w25 was the appearance package w31 was the 350 hopup. Oh and many manufactures today refer to their product as a hardtop sedan which in my opinion it is not
Nothing wrong getting old, but the W25 is the ram air hood, which was an option on regular Cutlasses.
In 1970 my best friends w-30 took pure stock eliminator at Rockingham AHRA. It was classifies as 325 hp And ran small block Camaros etc. It was later over time reclassified to 390HP and later 415. All of which I think may have been low. It also got beat once on the street by a rally 350 which was underrated and lighter plus had a better rear gear.
Thankfully, no vinyl roof!
Sweet cars! Bought some firewood for a client late last year & noticed an Olds coupe in the seller’s spotless garage . It’s a W31 & for sale, can’t recall details but it seemed reasonable. He’s an old school-ish guy & wasn’t open to having it posted here at the time.
I have his number in phone I think but can always drop by. If I had room I’d consider it for sure.
My first car in 75 was a ’70 Cutlass coupe. Rocket 350 with a 2 barrel and a peg leg but I still buried the needle (I would guess I was doin 128) and ran strong against my buddy in a 72 Grand Prix with a 455. I would get him out of the hole because of the 2 barrel, but by the time 3rd gear kicked in I was looking at that beautiful boat tail on the Poncho. Great cars. Dr. Olds really knew how to build em.