There are few automobiles that are really worth a hoot and half that were made after 1973, we can spend all day talking about why that is, but this uber rare 1979 Oldsmobile is one of them. It's one of only 2,499 "Hurst/Olds" Cutlass' made that year and despite it's charmingly well worn condition it's certainly worth a close up. I found it for sale up here in the Cleveland Akron area with tempting asking price of just $2,500. Here's the Craigslist listing: https://akroncanton.craigslist.org/cto/6199832218.html.
After the homerun that GM hit with their downsized 1977 full size cars, I've always thought they went too far in downsizing their mid size cars for 1978. To me, some of them looked like a person who lost too much weight and took in their old clothes so they wouldn't look so baggy. The 1978-80 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix were the worst of the bunch. The Buicks, not those gawd awful slant backs, were just ok but the Chevrolet Malibu and Olds Cutlass, again, not the slant backs, were actually quite handsome. The coupes in particular. Throw on a two tone paint job, mag rims, buckets, console and white letter tires and you got something else. For 1979 the Hurst/Olds Cutlass was something else and then some.
Oldsmobile partnered with Hurst on a number of Cutlass based muscle cars over the years. Our "little" 1979 Hurst/Olds is widely viewed as the least desirable therefore most affordable of them all. In fact, even 1983-84 Hurst/Olds Cutlass', which share much with our car here, are valued as much as twice as much. Despite the fact that our car here has an L34 Olds 350 cubic inch V-8 while the '83 and '84 cars had an Olds 307.
It's best though that you buy one of these already restored rather than go through the headaches of doing it yourself. Baubles and bits for these cars are hard to come by and when you find them you're going to pay through the nose for them. I shudder to think what a NOS (new old stock) emblem like this would set you back. The biggest problem I have with this car is its Oldsmobile 350 engine. If it even still has it. Back then, the Olds 350 was a completely different "350" than you'd find in a Chevrolet, Pontiac or Buick. Cadillac didn't make a 350. Most after market applications are for the Chevrolet 350 and little if anything from a Chevy engine fits on an Oldsmobile. The rest of the powertrain is GM general issue.
Oldsmobile stopped production at 2,499 units because if they made 2,500 or more of them they'd have to "certify" them. Certify as in lump them into their "CAFE" numbers or corporate average fuel economy. Why the government allows automobile manufacturers to circumvent legislation like that is beyond me but it probably goes to show how powerful certain lobbying interests can be.
I like this car for what it is and I wouldn't restore it but I'd make sure everything mechanically was up to snuff. A rough looking, rust free automobile like this that's in tip top runing shape is very appealing. I would reskin these icky buckets and put fresh carpeting down. Love that steering wheel.
Let me know if you call on this car and get any info about. It's got allegedly only 65,000 miles on it and it appears to be rust free. The low price is disconcerning though. What's wrong with this car that the owner is not disclosing in the ad?
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