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Time Capsule Cutlass: 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass

So often we see cars that the owner refers to as a “time capsule”. Sometimes these claims bare scrutiny and sometimes they don’t. The seller of this ’67 Cutlass refers to it as such, so let’s have a look at it and you can make your own decision. This Oldsmobile is listed for sale here on Craigslist. Located in the Akron Canton area of Green, Ohio, the Cutlass is offered for sale with a clean title and an asking price of $26,500.

I do like the appearance of this Cutlass. The body style has always appealed to me, and I think that the color sets off quite nicely. The wheels fitted to the Cutlass aren’t original, but the owner has the original wheels and stainless steel hub caps that will go with the car. The panels look to be arrow straight and the panel gaps look to be even and consistent. The external trim and chrome all looks close to perfect. The seller claims that this Oldsmobile has spent its life kept in heated storage and has a genuine 21,000 miles on the clock. My hope here is that the seller has some way of verifying that mileage.

The engine bay appears to present immaculately. This is the 330ci JetFire engine backed by a 2-speed Jetaway automatic transmission and 12-bolt rear end. The car comes with its Protect-O-Plate. There are two items that I question on this particular Cutlass and they may both be meaningless. The first is that there appears to be an extraneous wire leading up from the engine towards the firewall on the driver’s side of the engine. If it is an addition I’d like to know what it’s for. The other thing that I notice is an inconsistency with the paint on the top of the power steering pump just near the pump collar. There’s something odd in the finish there that looks a bit like the dreaded rattle-can work, but once again it may be nothing.

The seller provides four shots of the interior and this is probably the best one to give us an overview of the state of the interior. As best as we can determine the interior appears to once again be in great condition, but I can see one potential issue here that just doesn’t gel for me. While it all looks to be in the sort of state that you would expect of a car having traveled the claimed mileage, there appears to be wear on the rim of the steering wheel that is not consistent with that. This further supports my earlier hope that the seller has documentary evidence to back the mileage claim.

There is no denying that this is an attractive car, and it would probably be an absolute pleasure to own and drive. There are a couple of areas that would require further investigation to determine whether they are issues or not. So now it’s over to the readers: Is it a time capsule, or not?

Comments

  1. Avatar photo BRAKTRCR

    I agree, i doubt the mileage claim. Beautiful car though. No AC is kind of a bummer. Price seems logical to me even if the odometer rolled over

    Like 7
  2. Avatar photo Scott

    Even though you save all that money that you would have spent on restoration, it doesn’t seem as that desirable an Olds for premium money.

    Like 5
  3. Avatar photo DaveMc

    It’s a ’67!
    My favorite year olds.
    Mean looking from the front and back.

    Like 12
    • Avatar photo Michael

      My very first car. Bought it off my sister in 1978 for $250. Loved it. I would buy it if I had the room.

      Like 1
    • Avatar photo Rusty

      Always wanted one but rather buy a junkie 67

      Like 0
  4. Avatar photo Jimmy

    Car is nice but asking price is not.

    Like 7
  5. Avatar photo ANTHONY in RI

    Anybody know is that’s a factory color for a 67 442?

    Like 3
  6. Avatar photo P.B.

    This is a good looking car but it is not a loaded up 442.He is asking double what the car is worth.

    Like 7
  7. Avatar photo Lonnie

    My first car. Canary yellow with yellow bucket seats. I used to crank it up to 80 mph in first gear with that two speed. Out ran a superbee on the top end once. Had straight pipes under the axle with thrush mufflers. What a sound. Lol Those were the days. 😢

    Like 5
  8. Avatar photo Robert Sabatini

    This and the ’67 GTO were GM’s finest for that year!!

    Like 0
  9. Avatar photo Miguel

    I had a ’67 Vista Cruiser once.

    I really liked that car.

    I hope somebody doesn’t turn this into a 442 clone.

    Like 2
  10. Avatar photo Jon

    Had a 67 442 great runner lots of power had it in high school fastest thing in the parking lot no body could touch it miss that car so much one thing was always for sure when I stomped in that thing u knew I was coming

    Like 1
  11. Avatar photo Sran

    I preferred the 65 f85,with the 330 rocket,and the 2 speed p
    owerglide

    Like 0
  12. Avatar photo Reggie Watkins

    I also had a 1967 midnight blue 4-speed Hurst 442 during my college years which was bought used in 1971. I often tell folks some 47 years later that this car was by far one of the best vehicles I have owned. Fast, sporty, and a head turner at every stop light.

    Like 3
  13. Avatar photo Maestro1

    I think the original color may have been Silver. This color not of that year. The issue with the Steering wheel may be a ring the owner has on a finger which is abrasive to the finish on the wheel. Or his/her body chemistry. Or, it’s an indication that the odometer has been once around. Or more. I bought a 67 new and had it for a few years. Not startling in any way but an excellent daily driver.

    Like 2
  14. Avatar photo Snotty

    I prefer the 66 grille,and in 67 you lost the fender vents. Here is another though it’s not a Cutlass,it is a bucket seat console car. https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/d/1970-olds-delta-88-royale-all/6639928760.html

    Like 0
  15. Avatar photo Rustytech Member

    442 pricing for a Cutlass with no A/C for over $26k? Not me thanks.

    Like 1
  16. Avatar photo Skippy

    Beautiful car with, perhaps, some of the best lines of that year but I agree there are a few red flags. Absolutely a rattle can paint job on the engine (nuts and bolts all painted.) An image of the underside or a close-up of a fender well would be nice. I live not-too-far from Akron and EVERY old car in that area is a rust bucket. This one looks original, but I would hit it with a paint gauge just to be sure.

    Like 0
  17. Avatar photo Tom Nemec Member

    Unless I missed it, there is no comment that the paint is original or that it has been repainted?

    Either way, 26K is a high price BUT if it is truly documented this low of mileage and all original, you could not restore one for twice the money. Nice car.

    One car I should have never sold was my 67 442. Sold it in strong #2 condition in 1992 for $7,000 and thought I was making a killing. UGH !! :(

    Like 0
  18. Avatar photo James Turner

    Anyone can see this car is in excellent condition. Why all the quibbling/ Rhetoric about a little area rattle can touch up paint around the engine. What were they supposed to do. Pull the engine and have an auto body shop touch it up for xxxxx of dollars ??? Also, Why all the moaning about it not being air conditioned ??? If it gets that hot to drive a mainly weekend classic car around, Leave it home those days or [put an aftermarket unit in. The scratch on the steering wheel may be from rubbing against it getting in/ Out of the car.

    Like 6
  19. Avatar photo Ron Schweitzer Member

    If you look at the inside of the driver’s door jamb, it has been repainted. The crispness of the dashboard and the exterior lenses tells me that the mileage may be correct.

    Like 0
  20. Avatar photo Marty Parker

    These cars had a variable pitch torque converter in the Jetaway transmission that was controlled by a switch on the carburetor linkage. That is the wire you see on the firewall.

    Like 1
  21. Avatar photo Michael Mark

    Allow me a more accurate analysis. I purchased an almost identical car at Barrett Jackson (Scottsdale) a few years ago with 43,300 miles – exactly the same color. I paid $31,000 (plus costs). I wish I found this instead. Unable to sleep at night, I sent my brother-in-law (an auto aficionado) from Pittsburgh who stopped by to see this…and it is real…everything authentic, and the blemishes you detail are more the result of the photographs. My bro-in-law said if mine was an 8, this was a 9, or 9.5. Sadly, I was already committed to mine. This guy is a fool…at Barrett Jackson he would get $33,000+ from any serious Olds geek (like myself).

    Like 6
  22. Avatar photo reggie

    is the mysterious wire yellow with a black tracer ( fine wire) if so Ive seen it it runs from the starter purple wire..Its there to gain voltage apon start up for the ignition coil out of the circuit once you let go of the key it has nothing! I find the whole thing a little strange but you can lose voltage apon start up and the coil wont fire

    Like 0

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