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Unwanted Project: 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

As can sometimes happen with classic cars, the owner of this 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme purchased the car and commenced the restoration process. Then fate intervened in the form of a project car that he liked more, so the work on this one has stalled. The owner has decided to move the car on from its current location in New Iberia, Louisiana. He has listed the Cutlass for sale here on eBay, and with bidding at $1,025, the reserve has now been met.

The owner of the Sovereign Gold Cutlass states that the car is 75% rust-free. That sort of figure always causes me to giggle slightly because I wonder if that means that the car contains 25% rust. Anyway, the rust issues on this one don’t sound as though they are as bad as they could be, because the floors and trunk pan are said to be solid. The car has obviously had a vinyl top in the past, and this has done the pretty common thing of trapping moisture, which has caused rust to form around the corners of the rear window. There’s also rust in the lower edges of the deck lid, while the car has plenty of surface corrosion to address. There are some dings and dents, but none of these are really that bad. The owner also has a decent collection of parts that he purchased for the restoration that he is going to get rid of, but the wording of the listing is open to interpretation. It isn’t really clear whether these will be included with the car, or whether they will be for sale separately.

At first glance, the interior of the Oldsmobile looks a bit foreboding, but when you look past that first impression, things really aren’t that bad. Some new padding and a cover on the front seat, and a restored or replacement wheel, and the interior actually wouldn’t look that bad. There are some aftermarket gauges hanging (just) under the dash, and there is also an aftermarket radio/cassette player fitted into the dash, but otherwise, it’s all pretty standard. What the interior really needs is someone to get stuck in and tidy up a few details, and it’ll look okay. Apart from the radio/cassette player, the Cutlass also features air conditioning, and a tilt wheel.

What lies beneath the hood isn’t original, but it still sounds like it’s mighty good. Originally home to a 350ci V8, what the engine bay now houses is a 383 “stroker” engine. The owner isn’t terribly informative about the specs of the engine, but he does claim that it pumps out around 425hp. If this is true, then the Cutlass would certainly grab your attention if you buried the right boot. Sending the power rearward is an automatic transmission, while the Cutlass also features power steering and power brakes. The owner does state that the engine runs and that he is happy to send a video of this to any interested potential buyers. Apart from that, there is little that we know about the mechanical condition of the car.

There is no doubting the fact that the next owner of this Cutlass Supreme is going to have plenty of work to keep them busy, but the end results have the potential to be pretty impressive. Bidding has been steady, but the price has still stayed very low, so there is a real possibility here that someone might land themselves a great project at a bargain price.

Comments

  1. Avatar Rex Kahrs Member

    My personal cutoff for American cars is 1971. After that the bumpers got bigger, the colors got boring, and the cars just seemed to get kinda bloated. There are some exceptions, like the ’74 Javelin, but mostly, after ’71, American car swagger became more of a jiggle. Of course this is just my well-reasoned and insightful opinion.

    Like 4
    • Avatar JOHN Member

      I think the high water mark for US made muscle cars was 1970. Compression ratio’s began a downward spiral, and while the 70-72 cars from the big 3 looked similar, the difference in performance was more than noticeable. IMO, the one exception was the 1973 Pontiac Trans Am SD455, that motor was clearly the exception to the rule.

      Like 0
    • Avatar Jason jones

      I see it has a 1 belt system on the engine I didn’t know you can convert the olds block 350 to a 1 belt drive I wonder what kind of car he got the belt drive system out of that was compatible

      Like 0
      • Avatar JOHN Member

        It’s a Chevy motor, not an Oldsmobile. There were plenty of front drive setups from the factory, this appears to be a stock setup.

        Like 0
  2. Avatar dyno dan

    i’ll bid 50 percent more rust and a box of patina.
    plus i’ll throw in two free movie passes to the
    “twilight zone”.

    Like 1
  3. Avatar David F

    425 Hp and a 25% weight reduction (rust) should make this a pretty quick car (to fall apart?)

    Like 0
  4. Avatar Chris

    I guess that 25% he’s referring too is that roof panel. Yikes that roof looks like it has more holes in it than Swiss cheese.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar bigdoc

    Could be restored with some elbow grease and a bit of body work and interior work. A decent project car for a very reasonable price.

    Like 2
    • Avatar Poppy

      Personally, I’d wait for a better specimen. There are lots of these out there in better shape for not a lot of money. Nothing special about this at all (and I’m an Olds guy).

      Like 1
    • Avatar JOHN Member

      That car needs a platoon’s worth of elbow’s with plenty of grease. The 383 motor may have some value, but the overall value of the car without an Oldsmobile engine and transmission will never be that great. The good news is a 350 Olds and a TH 350 are not ridiculously priced. The Supreme’s formal roofline is also much less desirable than the Cutlass S models. It sold for a pretty decent price, well sold they say, hopefully well bought for the buyer

      Like 0
  6. Avatar Little_Cars

    Ended. Someone got a pretty good deal for $2275. A running Cutlass and presumably a tetanus shot.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar karl

    I’ll bet the reason it sold at all was because someone wants the motor for another project ; they will part the rest of the car out and then scrap it. This car is rough, missing the original drivetrain and, as has said before, its not one of the desirable models.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar JOHN R Member

    it’s back again on ebay…

    Like 0

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