Vehicle Description
Followers of Oldsmobile already know about the 4-4-2, but few are
aware of the Cutlass SX - the 442's incognito brother. With
premiums shooting through the roof during the muscle car era,
performance-thirsty buyers needed a way to satisfy those
'heavy-foot' urges without spending a fortune on insurance.
American automakers would occasionally lend a helping hand to the
consumer back then, and one of those altruistic endeavors led to an
exciting subculture of specialty cars that were a bit more
cloak-and-dagger than most muscle cars. Cars like the Heavy Chevy,
various Mopars, and this 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass SX were high on
performance and good-looks, but they had VINs that decoded to more
'pedestrian' cars on paper. Thusly, it was difficult for insurance
companies to attach high premiums to them, meaning you could
essentially have your cake and eat it, too. Today, this Cutty SX
represents a rare piece of history that's typically difficult to
trace (just like the unassuming VINs tricked insurance companies
back then, they can trick collectors today into not spotting
real-deal SX cars), but because this beauty comes packed with it's
believed-original 455 V8, sporting 70,893 believed-actual miles,
and corroborated with plenty of great provenance, it's one of the
only bonafide SXs that we can openly brag about with
confidence.
The Cutlass Supreme SX was only offered for two years, and
thankfully they happen to also be the arguably best-looking Cutlass
years ever: 1970 and 1971. In addition to the awesome 2-door
hardtop 'Holiday' fastback look of the 1970 Cutlass Supreme, a very
permissive ordering process allowed for a customer to walk into a
dealership and order up everything available in a 442, and
Oldsmobile would call it by another name (the SX) to save their
customer serious insurance bucks. This Code 75 Matador Red beauty
comes loaded with some of the 442's best exterior traits - a
twin-nostril ram-air hood with chrome hood locks and white stripes,
a white vinyl top with stainless drip rails, lower-body molding,
and dual exhaust trumpets in the rear bumper. That red finish was
repainted by professionals and to a top-level, maybe not
show-quality, but top driver-quality nonetheless, with a thick,
rich color buried underneath gallons of clearcoat that make it
smooth as silk to the touch. The stripes were painted on too, and
the matching white vinyl top is clean as can be, and it's pretty
obvious that has been a rock-solid car its entire life with only a
reported 70K miles on the clock. We love the 4-pack headlight and
taillight look at the endcaps, and all the lenses and casings are
in great shape, while the split grille, brightwork, stainless, and
side-molding throughout the car shines up with a perfect amount of
bling against the red finish. If you think this Cutty SX looks
great in our pics, wait until you see it in person.
An equally large amount of time and money was spent on making the
interior of this Olds just right and it gives the fresh Pearl
buckets a slick look that matches the equally fresh and comfortable
rear bench. It's quite correct and a nice complement to the
sinister bodywork, and there's no question you're sitting inside a
performance car when you get behind the wheel and grasp the 8-ball
dual-gate automatic shifter in your hand. With bucket seats and
center console the 442 options continue, along with the optional
Rally Pack gauges set inside the woodgrained applique of the
factory bezel. That same woodgrain trim accents the lower portion
of the dash, the door panels, and the center console, and with a
new white vinyl headliner above and fresh black carpets and floor
mats below, the cabin is sealed-up tight and feels finished to
near-perfection. An OEM Deluxe sport leather-rimmed steering wheel
feels great in the hands of the driver, and it's mounted atop a
tilt column for added room in the cockpit, while entertainment
comes via a retro-style AM/FM/CD head unit mounted in the center of
the dash. Factory A/C came with this SX as well, and it's still
blowing nice cold thanks to signs of maintenance, the cabin's
equipped with seatbelts front and rear, while out back the trunk is
bone-stock and beautiful, sporting what is likely its original
spatter paint, vinyl mat, and spare tire and jack set.
The reason you want a 442 is the horsepower, and thanks to the SX's
subterfuge, you got it in droves in this car even without the
pencil pushers ever getting wise. The L31 455 cubic inch Oldsmobile
V8 under the functional ram-air is believed to be the car's
original powerplant, and it packs a tremendous punch with a factory
rating of 365HP and other-worldly 510 lb-ft of torque. The big
block starts instantly, idles smoothly and runs incredibly well,
all thanks to the Quadrajet 4-barrel carburetor, a stock
performance intake, and true-dual exhaust underneath just in case
you were feeling light on torque. The presentation is bone-stock
under the hood, from the oversized open-element air cleaner to the
Oldsmobile Blue enamel on the block and valve covers, and with a
survivor presentation augmented with signs of maintenance
throughout the 70,893 certainly seems to be corroborated. A big
radiator keeps the big block cool and the dual exhaust with twin
Flowmaster mufflers ends in stainless trumpets under the rear
bumper, not unlike the badged-up 442s from the same year. A TH400
3speed automatic is all you could get in an SX in 1970, and spins a
12-bolt rear end with 2.56 gears inside. Front and rear sway bars,
power front disc brakes, and power steering mean that this Olds is
built for fun, while the slick set of Super Stock II wheels wrapped
in 225/70/14 Firehawk Indy 500 white-letter radials finish the look
perfectly.
If you want rarity and originality all wrapped up in a muscle car,
this Cutty SX is certainly your Huckleberry. Call today!