All Oldsmobile Spring Dust-Off

Today the Eastern Massachusetts GMO Chapter of the Oldsmobile Club of America held its annual Spring Dust-Off show at the old Haskins Oldsmobile dealership in Wellesley. Being the proud owner of a '77 Cutlass Supreme sedan, I piled a few friends into it and roped my buddy Paul into bringing his '73 Ninety-Eight two-door hardtop down for the day to help celebrate the gone but certainly not forgotten marque. The weather was great, the cars were incredible, and the people were some of the nicest you'd ever meet. My 1977 Cutlass Supreme is faded to death, ugly as sin, and mean looking. It's the car mothers pull their kids back from the edge of the sidewalk for as they wait for the school bus together; the kind of car that a guy that works at a steel mill and hits his wife would drive. A car that goes hand in hand with acid-washed denim jackets and lukewarm Old Milwaukee, flannel shirts and restraining orders, and would look right at home in DEA file photographs of a recently raided backwoods meth lab in West Virginia. But you know what? Every person at the show treated me like it was an authentic numbers matching 100-point concours restoration '72 Hurst Cutlass convertible Indianapolis 500 Pace Car. It wasn't looked down upon for a second; it was an example of a marque we all shared a common interest in preserving and that's all. Every single one of them was genuinely interested in where and how I was able to find such an unusual car in such original condition and commended me for doing so; true enthusiasts in every sense of the word. What the show lacked in size was certainly made up for in the overall quality of the vehicles that entered; my only complaint was the lack of Toronados that showed, with one immaculate low-miles 1984 model being the only offering. Now it's time for a few photos of what came out.

Hoods and trunks are open for judging. Using my '77 Cutlass Supreme in the lower right-hand corner as a reference and going left, that's a 1965 Dynamic 88 hardtop next to me, followed by a 1984 Toronado and a 1971 Ninety-Eight hardtop. Mostly mid 60's to 1972 Cutlasses and 442's and 80's Cutlass Supremes are in the middle with a few early 70's Delta 88 Royale convertibles mixed in, and the row on the right had cars ranging from the most impeccably restored 1947 Model 66 convertible I have ever seen, through the Super 88's and Dynamic 88's of the fifties, all the way up to a 1970 Ninety-Eight convertible.

Starfires! Never in my life have I seen so many beautiful Starfires at one event, which held down the better part of the row closest to the road, and also out in front of the dealership as well. Oldsmobile's first personal luxury car, which borrowed its name from a Lockheed fighter plane, was produced from 1961 until it was replaced by the Toronado in 1966. Beautiful and distinctive, sleek, powerful, and lavishly appointed, the Oldsmobile Starfire is, in my opinion, one of the best nameplates of the 1960's. The paint on the burgundy '64 on the right was a mile deep; absolutely stunning.

This handsome 1942 model showed up late and had to sit in between a row of the dealership's inventory, with a 1983 Hurst Cutlass Supreme against the fence behind it. It would later be joined by an all original 1970 Cutlass Rallye 350 and an all original 1975 Hurst Cutlass Indianapolis 500 Pace Car.

This is the nose of a 45,000-mile original 1936 sedan that came with all original documentation including the original bill of sale. It sat front and center in a place of honor, and rightfully so; it drove off the lot of the very same dealership 70 years ago!

What do you get when you cross a 2001 Alero coupe with an L98 Tuned Port 350 from an 80's Camaro and an S10 pickup truck frame? The ultimate sleeper, and the car General Motors should have built. Talk about not being your father's Oldsmobile!

Last, but certainly not least, sitting next to my '77 Cutlass Supreme is my friend Paul's 1973 Ninety-Eight two-door hardtop, sporting its original and very rare landau roof. Bought out of a neighbor's backyard in a sorry state and limped home in first gear when he was just fifteen, this became his project car until he was old enough to drive, and then a daily driver for two years. Another proud old road warrior spared from the heap.