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.
