Cutlass

1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass

The GM A-Bodies have had a long running popularity with many people of all ages. It is always hard to find a super clean factory looking example that stands out amongst them all, but I believe that's just what we have listed here. I'm betting if we told you that it is possible every now and then to find and take home a framed-off, fully restored, fully sorted out car for fewer than fifty thousand dollars, you'd say, “SHOW ME!” Ahhhh, now I have your attention. Well here it is in front of you, and if you're an Olds lover from days gone bye, this could be a rare opportunity to grab a great car for a fantastic price.

Restored with amazing attention to detail, the car features a long list of parts that range from the engine, transmission, and rear end, all the way down to the bolts that hold them all together.

First a little History on the '71 Olds cutlass: The 1971 Models shared much of the same exterior sheet metal as the 1970, but with a new hood design, new grille and headlight assemblies, as well as new look on the bumpers and tail lights. For 1971 they also added four new colors: Viking Blue, Lime Green, Bittersweet, and Saturn Gold. The famous "Rocket" V8 continued in several different sizes and power options, with both the large 455 and 'small-block' 350 available with either 2- or 4-barrel carburetors were available for ordering.

This particular vehicle is a beautiful, three-owner 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass that has been done about as nice as you can possibly build one without breaking the bank (over $45,000 with all receipts of restoration.) This car comes to Custom Classics on consignment, so that means not only are you getting an unbelievable deal, but you're also not paying dealer taxes as well. This car was completed in 2008 and has been only driven on sunny days, meaning it is believed to have less than about 3000 miles on it since the build. Also as seen in our “extra” pictures, we have many receipts for this restoration, as well as the original Build Sheet from the factory.

For what was meant be a somewhat stripped-down Cutlass, the Cutlass interior offers plenty of visual subtleties that give it a much more upscale feel. First and foremost, I will mention that this car has an all-original interior in excellent condition, except for the new carpeting and rear package tray. When you open the doors, you'll find clean inside panels that are accented with bright stainless and rich wood appliqué. Step past the Fisher Body sill plates and you'll find the new clean green carpet that's plush and vibrant. A nicely finished combination of bench seats mixes a stylish pattern with plenty of support. Above the seats, an ornate clean factory dash hangs two, trustworthy aftermarket gauges, so you can keep a closer look at what's going on under the hood without having to trust the original factory gauges. You'll also find on that stock dash a beautifully chromed standard AM/FM radio. The driver stays connected to the road through a correct factory steering wheel. All in all, other than a little wear on the left door armrest, stepping into this interior is essentially like stepping into a time machine set for 1971. Taking a quick look inside the trunk, you'll find a clean and solid floor (see pics), with factory style floor mat, and a fresh painted rally wheel, that's been mounted on a spare tire.

The engine started as a 455 Olds that was built by Joe Mondello himself. (Now built to a 468ci.) It has all the Mondello tricks, and puts out an impressively fun 346 whp and 414 ft. lbs. of torque at 3000rpm. The transmission is a built Turbo 400 that was built for street/strip with a Pro-Torque 2500 stall speed converter. The power is coming down to the street thanks to a Built 3:42 rear-end with an Eaton Posi with 30 spline axles. The car keeps itself cool on hot summer days with a 4-core Be-Cool aluminum radiator. The owner tells us everything on the car is either new or rebuilt, and nothing has been overlooked.

The underside of this awesome Cutlass is completely solid, and thanks to a fully restored and painted chassis, shows no signs of undue wear or question-inducing battle scars. That driveline hangs in a correct FE2 suspension, which includes better shocks, thicker coil springs, boxed rear control trailing arms and a rear sway bar. Power-assisted discs and drums provide braking, while turns come courtesy of factory power steering. At the center of the car, aluminized pipes funnel spent gases through Super Turbo mufflers. And at the corners of the car, color-keyed Styled Steel IIs spin BF Goodrich Radial TA's around bright stainless trim rings and rocket-branded center caps.

This car will not last long at this price, which is by far less than what we could even smooth and paint one for. It's the perfect time of year to run a muscle car around town and out for dinner at night. Run those windows down, listen to that big 468ci V8 and feel the cool air outside hit you in the face when your foot is to the floor. If you have been putting off buying a muscle car, or just sold yours and you're looking for your next show toy, this one's for you! Contact us today and put your name down as (only) the fourth owner of this beautiful Olds' title.