1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442

Description

Mid-80s Oldsmobile Cutlass coupes have always been popular, and perhaps the most appealing of all is this 1986 Cutlass 442. Wrapping the elegant and surprisingly sporty Olds shape in classic black, silver, and gold certainly helps, and with a burbling V8, T-tops, and a gorgeous all-original interior, this 39,180-mile survivor is the one to add to your collection.

This 442 is one of those cars that you knew the minute it hit showroom floors in 1986 was going to be a future collectable. First, there's the 442 mystique, which over the years has come to mean different things but always stood for performance. It was instrumental in turning the brand from "your father's Oldsmobile" into a legitimate muscle car brand. All of it comes together quite nicely with this 442, which combines traditional Oldsmobile styling, angular yet perfectly proportioned, with a few muscle car styling cues like the tape stripes, racy two-tone paint, and minimal chrome. It works as well here as it did in 1964. Thanks to decades of careful ownership, this one still looks almost new and you can tell that every one of those 39,000 miles was gentle and with future collectability in mind. The black shines up nicely, the doors fit well, and it's highly unlikely that this car has ever seen a snowstorm or a major collision. If you like showroom fresh cars, this car meets the standard.

The interior manages to perfectly capture the 442's personality. It's luxurious the way you'd expect from your Oldsmobile, but bucket seats, a console, and a comprehensive instrument panel with round gauges suggest something else entirely. Just about everything was standard equipment, including A/C, a tilt steering column, cruise control, and an AM/FM/cassette stereo, and this car gets special 442 badging on the door panels, too. As you can see in the photos, the interior is extremely well preserved and that's no illusion; the seats look almost new, the carpets are excellent, and the door panels haven't been cooked by the sun so they look fantastic. The T-top seals are still supple so it seals up well and the open-air experience of this car makes for an incredible drive. The only notable alteration from stock is a steering column guard, designed to prevent theft (remember there was a time when the Olds Cutlass was the #1 car among thieves). There's also a sizeable trunk with what appears to be the original space-saver spare.

Oldsmobile's bulletproof 307 cubic inch small block V8 provides power and its calling card is smooth torque at any speed. Nicely maintained but never modified or raced, the engine is just barely broken in at this mileage and runs quite well. There are more than a few upgrades for these engines, but the wise owner has decided to leave it as the factory intended, so reliability and easy service is assured. A 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission makes it a superlative highway cruiser, and the dual exhaust system gives it a rumble that's entirely appropriate. And as always, the Oldsmobile Rally II wheels look fantastic in Hurst Gold, and are protected by a set of Goodyear Eagle radials.

If this is the missing piece in your Oldsmobile collection, it's an awesome example. Or if you're just looking for an interested old car that's very roadworthy and affordable, this 442 will always draw appreciative glances. Call today!