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Photos Courtesy: Jeff Koch.
It started innocently enough--with a boy and his bicycle. "In 1970, my bike was a Raleigh Chopper. It was orange and black--the same color as this Oldsmobile. I've kept it all these years, but as a kid I started noticing Oldsmobile 4-4-2s and Cutlasses painted the same color--orange with black stripes. And it all started with that bike." The boy was 10 at the time; popping down to the dealership nearest his Rochester, New York, home and ordering his own Rally Red 4-4-2 was a little out of his reach.
Now, the bike was hardly to blame for Fred Mandrick's Oldsmobile fetish--he got started down that path quite separately--but it's absolutely fair to link that bike to his current fleet's color choices. (Would the passion have run as deeply if the bike had been equivalent to Aegean Aqua, Sebring Yellow, or Nugget Gold--the other three hues that made up Oldsmobile's special-order palette for the season? Who can say?)
Fast forward four decades, and among the dozen-plus 1968-'72 Olds A-bodies the Scottsdale, Arizona, resident has in his collection, four of them are Rally Red. Two of them, long-term readers may remember seeing grace the cover of our September 2010 issue: a pair of W-30s, one coupe, one convertible. A third is a driveable four-speed W-31 machine that's in need of a restoration--the rust on its flanks suggests that it's not native to the desert.
And then there's the one we gather here today to celebrate: a plain ol' 4-4-2, lightly optioned, and unrestored. Not brought back to new, like the pair seen four years ago, not rotten like the one in the far corner of the garage, but clean, original and largely unfussed with.
The story begins in April of 1970, when this Rally Red machine rolled off the Lansing assembly line and was delivered to Reynolds Oldsmobile in Metuchen, New Jersey. The subsequent tale suggests that it was a dealer-ordered car, rather than a customer-ordered unit, as ownership didn't take place untill late June. The buyer, Air Force Captain Steven Bowman, was stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico (home of the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing, and at the time its fleet of F4 Phantom aircraft)--while the address on the Protect-O-Plate is recorded as West Oelwein, Iowa. The 4-4-2 went out the door on June 24, and the warranty paperwork is all dated June 24, but the Protect-O-Plate is dated June 29. Unproven, but suspected, is that Captain Bowman wanted a Rally Red 4-4-2 and couldn't find one at Sacramento Motors in Alamogordo; the closest one they found was in New Jersey, and the dealers traded cars. Did it go by truck? Or was it driven? New Jersey-to-Alamogordo isn't a hugely popular route; the 4,149 mileage reading on a dealership receipt from September 8, 1970--high mileage, for less than two-and-a-half months of ownership--suggests that this 4-4-2 could well have been driven out, and another driven back. Five days is about the right time to make it from New Jersey to New Mexico, sticking to major roads and posted speed limits.
Clean, original and untouched after nearly four-and-a-half decades; the vinyl still feels soft and pliable. Unusual for a desert dweller.
History tells us that Captain Bowman died on base April 27, 1972. Receipts show that Sacramento Motors worked on the 4-4-2 shortly after his passing, in May of 1972. (Included in those receipts: some new pieces for a fender-bender at 13,000 miles, including a front bumper, headlamp bezel and some other parts.) By early June 1972, the receipts change, and widow Joyce moved to Chicago; Leslie Oldsmobile in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, took over servicing. (Though the dealership is gone, its offshoot, the Leslie Car Wash, is still in operation there.) Leslie offers a pair of receipts--mostly for wear items like belts and hoses. By late October of that year, Joyce is on the move again and the receipts are taken over by Holiday Oldsmobile of Scottsdale, Arizona; they massage a dent out of the right-rear fender and install a new turn signal on the corner, for the princely sum of $25.
From then on, Joyce (thought to be a schoolteacher in Scottsdale) used her 4-4-2 as a daily driver until 1982, racking up 102,000 miles. We can only assume that it was parked indoors at home; while we can't vouch for whether the school parking lots were covered or not, the exceptional condition of the unretouched paint all these decades later points to excellent original care. Indeed, her receipts indicate that she took her 4-4-2 in for an oil change on a quarterly basis, no matter how meager the mileage.
When it went up for sale, all of the local Olds fans' ears perked up. "I saw it in the paper for $2,500 in 1982," Fred recalls. But Fred, who had moved to Arizona in 1977, well before the area was the sprawling metropolis it is today, had just blown $3,500 on--you guessed it--a Rally Red '70 4-4-2 that was for sale on his dad's car lot, one that was originally delivered to GM's proving grounds in what was then rural Mesa, Arizona. Much as he dug Joyce's old commuter car, he was in no position to get his hands on this one too. And so he let it pass. "It's just as well," Fred says. "I burned through cars when I was younger, and I would have sold it,"--just like he ended up selling his Rally Red ex-proving-ground special, another vintage 4-4-2 that he has kept up with over the years.
He kept tabs on this one too, some two decades before his own name would be on the title. "Charlie Baker ended up buying it. Charlie owned a '68 and a '69 Hurst/Olds, but he never drove them--he didn't have the money to insure 'em. A lot of people tried to buy those cars, but he didn't want to sell them, even though he couldn't afford to drive them. So they sat in his garage for a few years. Then, some time in the '90s, Richard Franco caught Charlie in a weak moment; Richard and his dad had a few cars, but were always playing around with Oldsmobiles. Then he sold it to Larry Wolfe, a car collector who I believe knew Richard through church.
The 365-hp 455 doesn't quite show its age, thanks to a recent detailing, but it's never been apart or overhauled beyond belt and gaskets.
"I had Larry's phone number in my credenza, and every time I opened the drawer, I saw the number there on top of the pile of papers, and thought to myself, I need to call Larry. And every few months, I called and asked whether he was ready to sell the car yet. I worked on him for about a year-and-a-half, and I finally wore him down in February 2002."
Today, Fred's collection is more than a dozen cars thick; you can barely move in his garage/shop without tripping over a Hurst/Olds or an Indy Pace Car replica, and 4-4-2s seem positively commonplace inside those four walls. Of the machines that reside in his collection, probably half are unrestored cars, with two of them receiving only a single repaint prior to Fred's ownership. And this machine's original nature--though it had 102,000 miles in 1982, the odometer reads only 107,000 now, a thousand of which Fred confesses to piling on in his dozen years of ownership--is only part of what turns him on about this particular piece of his collection.
"It survived all these years with minimal amounts of damage, and all of the original patina from that period of time. It led a pretty good life. A previous owner did the bushings and installed KYB gas shocks since the original pieces were sagged out and tired, and I've done an underhood detail and normal maintenance.
"You can tell a restored car from an original one as soon as you sit in the seat... well, I can. It's the thickness of the seat foam, the angle, the way it sits. Also, on the instrument panel, there's a plastic trimline that runs around the dash that separates the upper and lower dash, where the controls are, below the gauges. On an original car, you can see that line; on a restored car, it disappears.
"I'll do the maintenance on it, and nothing more. I won't replace anything, and there's no reason to paint it. It still looks pretty good. This one is gonna stay like it is; I don't want to deviate from its originality." He did, however, allow a writer to take it for a spin around town, gambling that its originality would not be shattered.
It is in remarkable shape. The paint still shines as if it were new, it's easy to see your way past the occasional scratch and blemish that decorate the exterior, and the interior plastics and vinyls haven't been baked to a crisp--unusual for a car of this age that's spent the majority of its life in the desert.
We see what Fred means about sitting in the seat. In pictures, those buckets look flat and featureless, a slice of bench seat eager to dump you off either side at the first sign of a curve. But settle in, and note that the fabric and foam offer some give, and the seat frame offers a modicum of support. Our test drive was in the dark, but even then we could see that the four-spoke sport steering wheel was blocking the tachometer, in the nacelle on the right. At least the wheel made up for it by feeling satisfyingly chunky in your hand, quite apart from many period steering wheels that are thinner around than store-brand pretzel rods. Look out the windshield, and the twin stripped scoops look even more blocky and menacing from your marginally lower driving position than they do from higher up.
The big 455 fires right up, chugging and blub-blubbing at a cold 700 RPM before warming into a 900 RPM idle that takes some of the chug away from the twice-pipes. Get rolling, and a couple of mice start squeaking from somewhere in the cabin. Otherwise, there is an overwhelming feeling of solidity here. Even the mildest brake-torque maneuvers prove that the modern rubber is little match for big-block Oldsmobile torque, and the chug of the exhaust escalates to a full-cabin roar that nicely matches the increasing blur of the scenery out your windows. It's not quite as instant if you attack from a slow roll; then, it takes a second for the transmission to react, but the deep "bowww..." from under the hood can only mean that the 455 is ready to explode with the same plaintive "waaaaaaaah" that fills the cabin when you stand on it. The Turbo Hydra-Matic is controlled via the His/Hers Hurst shifter with an easy action, and when you plunk it into D, the shifts are in keeping with your driving habits--it holds for revs under hard acceleration, but it's not afraid to go a gear up for economy if you're just bopping around town.
For such a fat steering wheel, the actual effort seems way overboosted. You can move the car with a single finger, or you can spin the wheel with such force that Pat Sajak may appear to ask if you want to buy a vowel. The numb steering does make a curious contrast with the ride, which is downright rough on all but the smoothest, freshly paved surfaces. We hadn't been informed of the gas shocks and polyurethane suspension bushings before we took our drive--perhaps those bushings were the source of the squeak that invaded the cabin--but half a mile down the road confirmed that they were in there. Together with the modern white-letter BFGoodrich rubber, they made for deft cornering, but the steering was so light that you were never exactly sure where you were going to go when approaching a curve at any velocity. Luckily, the power brakes (disc in front) stopped things sure and true, and required only the gentlest pressure to bring things back under control.
"It's a car that everyone wanted. It's a car that I'd known about since 1982; I followed it around, knew who had it and where it was all those years. Now I've got it, and it's in a collection that helps represent it." Today, it resides in the garage next to the machine that inspired it all--Fred's original Raleigh Chopper bicycle.
"And if things turn around and go badly for me, I'll live out of that car."
Owner's View
It's just a nice car--just like when it was made. It feels like it should have felt when it was a lot younger; it's had a good life. I always judge a car by how the doors open and close, and you can tell that this one was never abused. It's one you can drive, and I don't get too wound up about anything happening to it... it's not ultra-valuable, but it doesn't get much better than that as a nice original car.--Fred Mandrick
Club Scene
Oldsmobile Club of America
P.O. Box 80318
Lansing, Michigan 48908-0318
www.oldsclub.org
Dues: $30/year • Membership: 7,000
PROS
+ As-built condition
+ Known history from new
+ Feels like a 7,000-mile car, not 107,000
CONS
- Those aftermarket shocks really roughen the ride
- We've never thrown a steering wheel before
- Isn't driven enough
1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2
Specifications
Price
Base price: $3,567
Options on car profiled: Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission, $227.04; air conditioning, $375.99; Soft Ray tinted windshield and windows, $38.97; power steering, $105.32; power disc brakes, $64.25; performance hood, $157.98; sports console, $61.09; Super Stock I wheels, $90.58; Rocket Rally Pac, $84.26; custom sports steering wheel, $15.80; Sports Console-Hurst Dual-Gate shifter, $76.88; Special Paint, $83.20; Sports-styled outside rearview mirrors, $22.12; auxiliary front floor mats, $7.37; auxiliary rear floor mats, $7.16
Engine
Type: Oldsmobile tall-deck OHV V-8, cast-iron block and cylinder heads
Displacement: 455 cubic inches
Bore x stroke: 4.125 x 4.25 inches
Compression ratio: 10.25:1
Horsepower @ RPM: 365 @ 5,200
Torque @ RPM: 500-lb.ft. @ 3,600
Valvetrain: Hydraulic valve lifters
Main bearings: 5
Fuel system: Single four-barrel Rochester 4MV carburetor, mechanical pump
Lubrication system: Pressure, gear-type pump
Electrical system: 12-volt
Exhaust system: Dual exhaust
Transmission
Type: GM Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 three-speed automatic
Ratios:
1st: 2.48:1
2nd: 1.48:1
3rd: 1.00:1
Reverse: 2.08:1
Differential
Type: Oldsmobile ("O"-type) 12-bolt with limited slip
Ratio: 3.23:1
Steering
Type: Saginaw recirculating ball, power assist
Turns, lock-to-lock: 3.15
Turning circle: 40 feet
Brakes
Type: Front disc/rear drum, hydraulic activation, vacuum power-assist
Front: 10.9-inch rotor
Rear: 9.5-inch drum
Chassis & Body
Construction: Body-on-perimeter-frame
Body style: Two-door sedan
Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive
Suspension
Front: Independent, unequal-length A-arms; coil springs; telescoping shock absorbers
Rear: Upper and lower control arms; coil springs; telescoping shock absorbers
Wheels & Tires
Wheels: Super Stock I, stamped steel, trim ring
Front: 14 x 7 inches
Rear: 14 x 7 inches
Tires: White-letter Goodyear Polyglas (currently BFGoodrich Radial T/A)
Front: G70-14 (currently 225/70R14)
Rear: G70-14 (currently 225/70R14)
Weights & Measures
Wheelbase: 112 inches
Overall length: 203.2 inches
Overall width: 76.2 inches
Overall height: 52.8 inches
Front track: 59 inches
Rear track: 59 inches
Curb weight: 3,753 pounds
Capacities
Crankcase: 5 quarts
Cooling system: 18.5 quarts
Fuel tank: 20 gallons
Transmission: 12 quarts
Rear axle: 3.75 pints
Calculated Data
Bhp per cu.in.: 0.80
Weight per bhp: 10.28 pounds
Weight per cu.in.: 8.25 pounds
Production
Oldsmobile built a total of 14,709 4-4-2 hardtops for the 1970 model year.
Performance*
Acceleration:
0-60 MPH: 5.7 seconds
1/4-mile ET: 14.36 seconds @ 100 MPH
Top speed: 116 MPH
*Source: Car Life magazine road test
This article originally appeared in the April, 2014 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines.
Recent
Photo: Terry McGean
The revived and revised Hemmings Cruise-Ins entered their third year in downtown Bennington, Vermont, on Thursday, May 17, 2024. Moderate temperatures and mostly sunny skies gave cruisers and spectators a wonderful evening of strolling among the 119 special-interest vehicles in attendance.
Hemmings Cruise Nights are always a fascinating mix of classics, muscle cars, hot rods, trucks, vans, and the downright unusual. Three of last night’s participants also took home a trophy: One for Favorite Car, one for Favorite Truck, and our Harlan Kip Memorial Best in Show award, for the vehicle of any type that makes the best impression overall on our judges. See those winners in the list below.
The season’s next cruise night is scheduled for Thursday, June 20, 2024. Main Street parking for cruisers begins at 5:00 p.m. and the street re-opens to traffic at 8:00p.m. For directions and other information, visit https://www.hemmings.com/event/cruise-ins.
Photo: Terry McGean
When we first spotted the '70 Cutlass SX owned by Alan and Isabelle Hadley, we didn't realize how unusual it was. The SX was an upgrade package intended to add luxury to the Cutlass, and came with a 455 engine, but usually with a two-barrel carb. However, this one—according to the build sheet Alan showed us—was optioned further with the W32 performance version of the 455 along with FE2 Rally Suspension, 3.08 Positraction rear axle, console with Hurst Dual-Gate shifter, extra-cost Rally Red paint, and Super Stock II wheels. The result was essentially a thinly veiled 4-4-2. -Terry McGean
Photo: Dave Conwill
<p>This 1974 Volkswagen Type 2 van belongs to Ken Galo of North Clarendon, Vermont. Ken had a repair shop for years and he is recently retired. He purchased this van from a former customer, and he had done considerable maintenance on it over the ten years before he bought it. That customer was the third owner and had purchased it from Oklahoma. Ken was drawn to it because of its rust-free condition. He says he regularly takes it out for ice cream and local shows. He puts a thousand miles a year on it, and he drove it down from near Rutland. -<em>Dave Conwill </em></p>
Photo: Mark J. McCourt
<p>It was really fun to see the beautifully preserved 1991 Subaru XT6 belonging to West Rutland, Vermont's John Ellis. This wedgy sports coupe, with its colorful upholstery and two-spoke steering wheel, dates from the era before Subaru was a mainstream brand, but it carries two things any modern Subaru owner would recognize: all-wheel drive and a horizontally opposed engine. -<em>Mark J. McCourt </em></p>
Photo: Terry McGean
Victor St. Peter of Shaftsbury, Vermont (right) talks bikes with Hemmings' Junior Nevison while the two look over the 1974 Honda 750 Four Victor recently acquired from its original owner. The Honda has 9,400 original miles and runs great according to Victor, who says he'll be rolling the odometer up a bit further this summer. -Terry McGean
Photo: Dave Conwill
<p>A 1955 Buick Special is an unusual site these days, but particularly interesting. Was this one brought down from Schaghticoke, New York, by owner Tom Plasse. He's owned the Buick for 9 or 10 years now. The paint was already done when he purchased it but he's done all of the other work including custom pinstriping and seat covers in the interior, plus some tweaks to the 264-cu.in. Nailhead V-8 to get it run more to his satisfaction. -<em>Dave Conwill</em></p>
Photo: Dave Conwill
<p>Up from Williamstown Massachusetts was long-time friend of Hemmings Don Rancatti. Don often brings a Nash Ambassador to our shows, but this evening had a 1949 Cadillac fastback which he's owned since the late 1990s. originally sold new in New York City, the car seems to have spent many years in Texas before moving to Illinois and finally to Massachusetts. Don says the Cadillac was not rusted at all but needed paint. He said the bodywork was done extremely well by some unknown previous craftsman. The headliner; 160-hp, 331-cu.in. V-8 engine; and Hydra-Matic transmission all remain original. Don says the car drives nice even though it does not have power steering. -<em>Dave Conwill </em></p>
Photo: Mark J. McCourt
<p>We had a couple of turbocharged Swedish visitors in Bennington, built 30 years apart. The 1978 Saab 99 with the 2.0-liter four and four-speed manual, and the wild wrap covering its Cardinal Red paint, belongs to Boston resident Syd Cummings; the 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero convertible wearing a 2012 Griffin grille, behind which sits a 2.8-liter V-6 and 6-speed automatic, came all the way from Michigan with Case Van Kempen at the wheel. -<em>Mark J. McCourt </em></p>
Photo: Terry McGean
This '55 Chrysler 300 looked great, but concealed a surprise in that it was mounted over a 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat--not just the drivetrain, but then entire chassis. It belongs to Paul White, who also owns the '49 Chevy behind it. Paul (far right) builds hot rods at his shop, Back Bay Customs in Portland, Maine, with help from friends Stanley Stevens (center) and Bill Richards. The Chrysler made the trip to Vermont under its own power—all 707 hp— for our kick-off Cruise Night, and later received Hemmings' Harlan Kip Best in Show award for the night. -Terry McGean
Photo: Dave Conwill
<p>We've yet to meet everyone with a Ford luxury car of the so-called Malaise Era who hasn't absolutely loved it. Jerry Wawrzyniak of Corinth, New York, was no exception. He has had this 1978 Lincoln Continental with Town Car trim for 7 years now. It still sports its original paint, interior and drivetrain but Jerry had the vinyl top and padding restored by a shop in Albany after five other shops had declined to do the work. He says the car 19-foot, 4-inch car rides "unbelievably" since it has a wheelbase "like a Greyhound bus." He says it's easy to maintain because the entire drivetrain is all-Ford. It's a regular at dinner date nights, airport pickups, train station drop offs, proms weddings and other celebrations. Jerry says he drives it every other day in nice weather. -<em>Dave Conwill </em></p>
Photo: Terry McGean
Mark and Lisa Shea of Bennington are regular Cruise Night attendees, each often bringing a vehicle to display. On this night, Mark brought out his '65 GTO, looking sharp with its Tri-Power air cleaners gleaming in the setting sunlight, along with period upgrades like Hurst mags and white-letter Wide Oval tires. -Terry McGean
Photo: Dave Conwill
<p>Does anyone know Gene Charney of Wilmington, Vermont? We missed him, but he's apparently owned this 1974 Ford F-250 Custom Cab Styleside since new. It's got the 375-hp, 460-cu.in. 4-V "regular fuel" V-8 and has racked up a mere 133,000 miles over its lifetime. It's clear Gene takes pride in his truck and we'd love to know more about it. – <em>Dave Conwill </em></p>
Photo: Mark J. McCourt
<p>It was great to see our friend Jerry Mattison's incredibly restored, crowd-pleasing 1956 Dodge C3 Power Wagon, which starred in a <a href="https://www.hemmings.com/stories/restoration-1956-dodge-power-wagon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2022 Hemmings Motor News feature</a>. Jerry drove the Dodge (slowly!) to Bennington from his home in nearby Glastenbury. While this truck has gone further afield to win prestigious concours awards since its four-year, ground-up restoration was completed, it has always been local to southwestern Vermont. -<em>Mark J. McCourt</em></p>
Photo: Terry McGean
<p><strong></strong>A few years ago, David Townsend bought a '64 Jaguar XKE online and had it shipped from California to his home in Scotia, New York, with the assurance that it was an very solid car that just had a Chevy drivetrain transplant. However, as soon as it came off the transport truck, it was evident that the Jag had many issues. "All the Jag stuff was gone, so I figured the only way to make it right was to do it over my way," David told us. So, he completely rebuilt the car, building a frame for it and mounting a Toyota 2JZ-GTE inline six. The twin-turbo engine is well known among fans of Japanese performance cars for its power potential, but still makes the right sounds for a vintage E-Type. <em>-Terry McGean</em></p>
Photo: Dave Conwill
<p>The Ford F-series began with the single-digit F's of 1948-'52. This 1950 Ford F1 is a beautiful example of the half-ton model. It's powered by Ford's legendary 239-cu.in. flathead V-8. It belongs to Randall Kavett of Orwell, Vermont. Unfortunately, Randall wasn't around to tell us more about the story of this patinaed beauty, but it appeared to be a great mix of restored surfaces and preserved original. -<em>Dave Conwill </em></p>
Photo: Terry McGean
Ken Townsend has been working on his '49 Ford F1 pickup for the past four years, rebuilding it into an updated cruiser ready to go wherever. To that end, he mounted a Mustang II front suspension, a Ford 9-inch rear axle, and used a GM 4.8-liter Gen III V-8 engine along with its 4L60E four-speed automatic. "I was able to buy the engine for $400—it runs like a top!" Ken said when asked what made him choose the littlest LS. That color is Light Tundra Metallic, from an '03 Lincoln. Ken told us he and his friends finished the Ford project just hours before leaving for our Cruise Night, and on its first outing, the Ford garnered our Editor's Choice: Favorite Truck award for the evening. -Terry McGean
Photo: Mark J. McCourt
<p>Our "Editor's Choice: Favorite Car" award winner of the May 16 Cruise-In is this incredible 1986 Lincoln Mark VII belonging to Elijah Kaznoski, who along with his father, Derek, drove the Mark all the way to Vermont this morning from their home in Martinsburg, West Virginia -a seven-hour trip- to attend this event. The head-turning American luxury coupe has a mere 60,000 miles on the odometer and it's been a father-son refurbishment project since they purchased it in 2020. "It was in good condition, but a bit tired," Elijah says. "We've been working on it, tuning up the 5.0-liter V-8 and troubleshooting any issues that arise. We refinished the alloy wheels, and my dad restored the steering wheel." The Kaznoskis tell us this trip was the first time they've driven the car more than two hours from home, something they've long wanted to do, and it was an entirely pleasurable experience. "It's not an LSC, so it doesn't have a firm suspension... you'll never find anything today that rides so nicely," Elijah says with a smile. -<em>Mark J. McCourt </em></p>
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Photography by Thomas A. DeMauro
Imagine discovering a one-of-a-kind PPG Indy Car World Series Pace Car while shopping dealers of pre-owned vehicles for a daily driver. In early 2020, that’s exactly what Mike Blaze did. Then he bought it!
The production engineer from southwestern Pennsylvania, recalls, “I was looking for an SUV at Marion Motors in Connellsville, when talk turned to cars. The owner had an AC Cobra (kit car) in his garage and asked if I would like to see it. While walking through the six bays, I saw something under a cover and asked about it.” It was this 1981, GM X-body-based, front-wheel-drive, Oldsmobile Omega PPG Pace Car showing just-under-14,000-miles. “I’d never seen anything like it,” Mike admits, “so I looked it over inside and out.”
Once back home, “I did some research, but found very little beyond a brief writeup on ppgpacecars.com,” he remembers. Only one photo was available then, and this car was believed to have been crushed. Mike went back to convince the owner to sell, and he quickly agreed. It was later learned that “he was retiring,” Mike recalls, “so I happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
For the 1981 race season, PPG developed, financed, and participated in a pace car program where the four major American automakers - GM, Ford, Chrysler, and AMC - were challenged to apply advanced aerodynamic exterior design principles and forward-thinking powertrain and chassis engineering to a production model. Consequently, PPG Pace Cars from Chevrolet, Mercury, Dodge, and AMC were built for the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART)-sanctioned PPG Indy Car World Series.
It appears that this Omega may have replaced the Chevrolet later in the 1981 season, and it was used for 1982. The Cavalier Type-10 was included in a two-part article in Hot Rod magazine (August and September 1981) that introduced each of the different automakers’ PPG Pace Car offerings, but the Oldsmobile wasn’t in it.
GM Design Archive and Special Collections provided a rendering of the Omega dated 6/15/81 by Glen Durmisevich, a senior creative designer at Oldsmobile Exterior Design Studio 2, which was headed by Chief Designer John Perkins. Glen explains, “We had a really good working relationship with Jack Schwartz, who ran the PPG Pace Car program. This car was sort of a quick job. My rear design was chosen, and I was part of a team along with Assistant Chief Designer Ed Welburn, and Senior Creative Designer Dave Rand, that developed the overall design.”
He concludes, “The car was built by an outside firm, but I don’t recall which one it was.” No documentation has yet surfaced from other sources on that subject either. The Omega was photographed with the aforementioned pace cars for the back cover of the 1982 PPG Indy Car World Series News Media Guide, but the Cavalier Type-10 wasn’t in that photo.
To draw attention to the race series, PPG, and Oldsmobile, the Omega was fitted with a custom fiberglass front-end with integrated air-dam and revised grilles; tinted headlamp covers; wheel flairs; lower body kit; and a rear spoiler; and the car was repainted in gold- and brown-metallic hues from PPG’s Automotive Finishes Group. “Ωmega PPG Pace Car” and “1981 Indy Car World Series” graphics were applied on each side, as were “PPG Pace Car Team” decals (soon to be replicated) on the quarter-panels. An “Oldsmobile” callout was added to the top of the windshield, and the exterior rearview mirrors were swapped for a sleeker design.
According to the Hot Rod article, maintaining 120-125-mph on the track with a lightbar mounted on the roof was a pace car requirement. To that end, the Omega’s transverse-mounted, Chevrolet 2.8-liter, two-barrel, V-6 was modified, but Mike has been unable to confirm who did the upgrades or determine the extent of them.
From his under-hood investigations, he learned that a turbocharger from Ishikawajima-Harima, Heavy Industries Co. Japan was installed. Driven by exhaust gases, it blows compressed air into the engine through bright tubing, a fabricated aluminum hat, and a 500-cfm Holley two-barrel carburetor. An electric fuel pump and regulator augment the fuel system, and the GM HEI lights the spark. Aluminum full-roller rockers were discovered when he peered through the oil-fill hole in one of the chrome GM rocker covers.
Revised manifolds, a 2.5-inch down-pipe, a single head-pipe, and a single-inlet/dual-outlet muffler comprise the exhaust system. Mike mentions, “I had the oil pan off and confirmed that it was modified with a larger capacity sump and baffle and plumbed to supply oil to the turbocharger. Grinding marks on the rod caps, for the purpose of balancing, were also visible.” The three-speed automatic transaxle remains.
A larger 1.25-inch diameter solid front anti-roll bar was installed, and Mike believes that the spring rates were increased in the MacPherson strut front-end and beam-axle-with-trailing-link rear suspension, as well, but the power rack-and-pinion steering and power front disc and rear drum brakes appear to have been left stock.
Inside was fortified with articulating Recaro bucket seats; black and tan custom cloth upholstery; and audio jacks and wiring for on-track communications. A brace of stock-appearing instruments, as well as an aftermarket oil pressure gauge were added. Mike had the sagging headliner replaced, but believes that the dash pad, carpet, and AM/FM/cassette stereo are original.
This pace car headed the pack at various PPG Indy Car World Series races, and there’s even online video of it in action during ESPN coverage back in the day. Following their track use, many of the PPG Pace Cars were thought to have been destroyed, but this one was instead returned to Bendik Oldsmobile in Pittsburgh, and later sold to a private party.
Before the previous owner purchased it in 1994, the car was repainted in the PPG hues, and Mike notes the newer gold appears to be lighter than the older, which remains in the engine bay. (Code-11 on the body data plate reveals that this car was originally white.)
Soon after Mike took ownership, he replaced the Oldsmobile banner on the windshield with one that matches the banner shown in historical photos. He also purchased a period-correct lightbar through a Facebook group dedicated to that subject. Gold BBS aluminum wheels were shown in some vintage photos, but he learned from the company that they were likely one-offs. Thus, Mike turned to JNC Wheels for an upsized set of 16x8-inch machined-lip aluminum wheels shod with P225/50R16 tires.
In the summer of 2020, the pace car began accumulating accolades, including “Best Car 1980 to 1989” at a Memorial Day cruise; “Best of Show” at the inaugural Northside Coffee and Cars at Commonplace Coffee in Pittsburgh with an accompanying writeup by obscure-cars-daily on Instagram; and an article on www.hotcars.com. Recently, Mike was interviewed about the car for Radridespodcast.com, and the Omega was featured in the NPD "Malaise Era" display tent at the 2023 GM Nationals in Carlisle.
Photo by Thomas A. DeMauro
Regarding the pace car’s road manners, Mike notes, “It was built more for top-end, of course, considering its duties, yet it’s acceleration isn’t overwhelming.” To be fair, it could be that his benchmark for “quick” is being influenced by the capabilities of his 1966 Pontiac Bonneville’s 389 four-barrel engine or his street/strip 1972 Le Mans’s modified 455.
He adds, “It drives as expected for early 1980s technology, but the steering is tight, it goes exactly where you want to, and it handles very well with little body roll thanks to its suspension and wheel/tire mods. It brakes like vehicles of the day since no upgrades were made there.”
Currently, the Omega has about 14,800 miles on it, and Mike exercises it for about 200 miles each year, driving it to shows that are within 30-minutes of home. He trailers it to distant venues. The only mishap thus far is “its lightbar flew off on the highway,” he laments. “I mount the bar magnetically when at shows, and I thought it would be fine for a short trip, but it wasn’t. It has since been repaired.”
He concludes, “I enjoy pulling into a show and seeing the looks as folks try to figure out what this car is. Doing the detective work and bringing to light some of its forgotten past has been satisfying. I do feel privileged to be the current steward of a car that shared track time with some of the greatest names in racing, like A.J. Foyt, Bobby Unser, and Mario Andretti—just to name a few.” Mike went out looking for a used SUV and came home with “a piece of automotive history.”
Photo by Thomas A. DeMauro
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