Sometime during 1998 my wife, Cay, remarked something like, “If we ever got another car, I think it should be a convertible.” I took that statement as license to go looking. Earlier in life, I had a ’68 Pontiac GTO coupe that I dearly loved. It had the white bucket seat interior with black dash and carpets. So, to me the thing to do was to replace it with a similar vintage Oldsmobile. I had some problems getting the correct parts (mostly engine and exhaust) for the GTO. To avoid that situation again, I wanted a Cutlass instead of a 442, because we planned on using it for our vacation car after I retired.
Cay and I attended the 1999 OCA National Meet in Irving (Dallas), Texas. During the Saturday of the meet while she was exploring the area quilting stores, I saw this Cutlass for sale in the swap meet area. It was for sale by Chip Woyner of Springfield, Missouri. Chip rebuilds steering gear boxes and is a regular advertiser in Journey With Olds. By the time Cay had returned from her day’s adventure, Chip had packed up and left the meet. I took a couple pictures of the Cutlass on its trailer so I would have something to show Cay. Chip and I talked on the phone several times during the next few weeks. The Cutlass had about 800 miles on a complete frame-off restoration. I eventually took a bus ride to Missouri and drove the Cutlass home to Denver.
The history of the Cutlass from its assembly in Lansing, Michigan, to approximately 1997 is not currently known. During the Cutlass’ restoration in 1997 and 1998, it was upgraded from the standard 350ci, 250hp, 2bbl carburetor, Rocket V-8 engine to the 310 hp, 4bbl version (Code QP). The transmission was also upgraded from a two-speed Jetaway automatic three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic 350. The body color was changed from Aztec Gold (Code 75) to Burgundy Mist (Code 67), and the interior trim from Gold (934) to Parchment (937). A White (Code 1) top was installed as well as many comfort accessories. It has factory air conditioning (a requirement for you-know-who to accompany me during the summer).
Cay’s Cutlass is presently garaged in Salida, a picturesque, historic town in Colorado’s central mountains. It will be experiencing a little more visibility “on the road” this summer as we are taking it to the OCA National Meet in Tacoma, Washington. Afterwards, we are going to take our first trip down the Coastal Highway, with the top down of course, and spend some time with family in Oregon and central California.
See you on the road!!!