Brought to us by T&D Motorsports this extremely rare 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass SX 455 convertible is something I would have expected to find at our local Scottsdale Barrett-Jackson auction.
Originally ordered by Rice Oldsmobile in Fort Wayne, IN this piece of classic Detroit design was purchased by Tim Leffler for $4,283.00 and he has owned it ever since. It still features the original drivetrain and has only 32,000 miles on the odometer.
The SX is a small footnote in Oldsmobile history. Essentially you could order a Cutlass that contained some of what made the 442 great with the impressive torque of the 455 cubic inch Olds mill. What kept it from being a true 442? No four-speed transmission, instead optioning with the automatic and a lesser ring and pinion set in the rear. You also sadly gave up the four-barrel carburetor, instead opting for a two-barrel unit. Dual exhaust however remained intact. I guess 232 didn’t have the same marketing oomph that the performance moniker had, and as a result we ended up with “SX”
To someone accustomed to seeing the top performance models showcased at a car show, perhaps an automatic, 2-bbl, convertible Cutlass isn’t ideal performance… But it sure beats the 307 V8 that was found in every RWD Olds product 20 years later.
Did you miss the Scottsdale 2023 Barrett-Jackson collector car auction? Or maybe you attended but were not able to view the entire offering of cars? Well don’t worry because we’ve got you covered. Check out this full walkthrough video of the entire event. You will see everything from classic cars to muscle cars of the 60s and 70s, resto-mods, hot rods, and even modern-day sports and exotic cars. Check out the video below:
Between Bryan’s lifted Crown Vic and our 77 Monte Carlo “Survival Vehicle” build, I’d like to think that we here at GENHO were pretty active during the early days of the modern off road passenger car craze that seems to have taken over social media in the last few years. Living at the very edge of town in the Arizona desert, we grew up thrashing whatever vehicles we were able to afford on as many dirt roads as possible so it only makes sense to want to take that feeling to the next level, regardless of what the vehicles’ designers original intentions were for the car. Plus there’s just something oddly satisfying about using the “wrong” tool for the job sometimes. I think that mentality has really stuck with us over the years.
My first car was a 1988 Corolla SR5 that I purchased from a friend’s parents for $300 in late 2000. It was obviously neither an off road vehicle nor particularly desirable. The wrong tool for almost any job, you might say. To this day, any time I mention having owned an 80s Corolla 5 Speed coupe, I’m met with an excited “oh, an AE86?” which i’m forced to deflate via admission that it was in fact, just an utterly enervated front-wheel drive AE92 with a pretty mean trailer hitch-shaped dent on the hood and a bunch of Steve Vai tapes sliding around under the seats (they came with the car). Although it wasn’t particularly fast safe, or even that much fun to drive on the road at all, it did move under its own dog-tired power (sort of), which meant it was still a blast to throw around out in the desert where it spent much of its short life under my ownership. Feel free to put your imagination to use on how that went down.
I think it’s human nature to view the past with rose-colored glasses, and sometimes, when I recall the fun we used to have tearing up every expanse of dirt we could find our way into, the old Corolla doesn’t seem like such a POS in my head. It may as well had been a Raptor or a TRX as far as 17 year old me was concerned. It was more than enough to get me into (and out of) some pretty rough medium speed situations.
Fast forward over 20 years (has it really been that long?) and I’m at SEMA 2022 stumbling across a fully realized manifestation of what my memories of my first car meant to me, in all of its hazy, definitely colored-by-nostalgia, rosy-tinted glory. I didn’t see a whole lot of people paying much attention to it for any other reason than sheer novelty, which is fair. There is also the fact that this Corolla seems to be inspired by a similar concept for an AE86. But I just want you to know, owner of this legit off road-converted AE92 (yes, I looked under it and saw the solid rear axle, this thing is actually for real), I get it. It’s hard to catch my attention in a sea of high-power American classics which is what really gets me going these days, but this Corolla is just so far up my (dirt) alley (sorry) that I just had to give it some recognition.
Clearly, I’m just here to wax nostalgic on this one. If you’re looking for more information about this Corolla, head on over to the KC HiLites site where there is a full write up on the car which is owned by Randy Wimenta, who works for KC.
Even 15 years ago you would have a difficult time trying to generate a crowd for anything from 1974. Today it is refreshing to see anything designed prior to the proliferation of computers. At the Original Parts Group booth I was stopped dead in my tracks by this 1974 El Camino, created by ROYL Garage.
The first thing you may notice is the striking gold paint job accented by a black reverse stinger pointing along it’s side. However I was attracted to the velocity stacks poking out of the hood, hinting at 496 cubic inches of splayed-valve Chevrolet rat. Behind it is the nearly-indestructible 4L80E.
Side pipes must be coming back, because much like last month’s 1978 Pinto, this El Camino also features them. This car also features Dakota Digital gauges, QA1 Drag race 2.0 suspension, Wilwood brakes, Kicker Audio stereo components and the booth namesake OPGI parts throughout.
The Arizona Concours d’Elegance is back, returning as the highlight of Arizona Car Week in January 2023. The much-admired show and competition of fine automobiles will be held on the grass at the newly renovated Scottsdale Civic Center, bordered by Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA).
The Arizona Concours, scheduled for January 22, 2023, will again invite about 100 select rare and exotic automobiles to be considered for judging and exhibition, with the best among them awarded class prizes and the coveted Best-of-Show.
The theme for the 2023 Concours is “The Art of Aerodynamics.” Such famed classic brands as Bugatti, Duesenberg and Pierce-Arrow will be joined by vehicles ranging from early 20th Century horseless-carriages to the latest in exotic supercars.
Some of the cars participating in the show include include:
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Light Metal Body
Just 24 aluminum-bodied Gullwing coupes were produced for 1955, and they are the ultimate production versions of the iconic sports cars, and by far the most valuable.
1935 Jaguar SS-90 Prototype
The SS-90 set the stage for all Jaguar sports cars to come, as well as launching the marque’s legendary reign in motorsports – the prototype served as the factory’s first competition car.
A curated and judged exhibition of the world’s finest collector cars, the Arizona Concours d’Elegance is a celebration of automotive design held each January during Arizona Car Week. A point of pride for the region’s car community, the non-profit event supports the arts and local artists.
About Scottsdale Arts
Through its partnership with the city of Scottsdale, the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts creates diverse, inspired arts experiences and educational opportunities that foster active, lifelong community engagement with the arts. Since its founding in 1987, Scottsdale Arts has grown into a nationally recognized, multi-disciplinary arts organization offering an exceptional variety of programs through four acclaimed branches — Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), Scottsdale Public Art and Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation — serving more than 600,000 participants annually.
If you still subscribe to the idea that “young people today don’t care about cars,” then you need to get yourself over to the Future Collector Car Show so you can see for yourself what is really going on.
Founded in 2016, the Future Collector Car Show (FCCS) was established as a way to showcase the next generation of collector cars, covering model years from approximately 1975 to 2005. Though traditional car collectors do not bat an eye at anything from the Malaise Era and newer, cars produced since 1975 are starting to gain recognition from a wider audience.
Vehicles such as the GM F-body and G-body platforms, Squarebody and OBS trucks, and Ford’s Fox body platform have had have a dedicated and loyal fan base for many years, but were largely overlooked by the collector car community. Now, they are starting to take notice.
To give one example, at the 2018 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction, there was an incredible collection of Mustangs from every year of production between 1982 and 1993. This drew a lot of interest from Fox body enthusiasts who were keen to snap up low mileage examples of these cars which had not been modified.
Within the collector car community is a growing group of enthusiasts of Japanese cars. This is a change from previous generations that focused exclusively on American cars. But, it is a welcome change for those who grew up in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s and drove these cars.
The Datsun/Nissan Z cars, the 210, and the 200 and 240SX, the Toyota Supra and Celica, the Honda NSX, and models from Subaru and other manufacturers are now regulars at enthusiast car meets like Future Collector Car Show.
Another example is the rise in popularity of Radwood, which held its first event in 2017 and has since expanded to multiple events throughout the U.S. Radwood focuses on cars of the “Rad” era of the 1980s and 1990s.
Finally, the rise of enthusiast auction sites like BringATrailer and Cars & Bids is a sign that demand for late model collector cars has staying power, and is not just a flash in the pan.
This year, the FCCS show has a new home at Westworld of Scottsdale, alongside the Barrett-Jackson collector car auction.
Come out on Sunday, January 23, 2023 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm to check out a variety of vehicles from the 1980s, 90s, and today that represent the future interests of the collector car hobby.
There will be 10 categories for vehicles, which include:
Best of Show
Best Preserved
Best Restored
Best Period-Correct Modifications
Best Purpose-Built Performance
Visionary
Elegance of Heritage
Best Electro-Mod
Rookie of the Year
People’s Choice
The show will be held on the Polo Field at Westworld.
Brought to us by T&D Motorsports this extremely rare 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass SX 455 convertible is something I would have expected to find at our local Scottsdale Barrett-Jackson auction.
To someone accustomed to seeing the top performance models showcased at a car show, perhaps an automatic, 2-bbl, convertible Cutlass isn’t ideal performance… But it sure beats the 307 V8 that was found in every RWD Olds product 20 years later.
