(first posted 7/30/2018) CC reader Chris M. sent me the link to this extremely rare 1981 Sport Omega for sale in Buffalo, NY. The ad says “Less than 700 made”. I’m inclined to believe it, as Google essentially strikes out on this car, except for a couple of older pictures. I’m a bit perplexed, as there was also an Omega SX available, at least in 1980. But the lack of brochures online for the 1981 Omega means I can’t be sure whether the SportOmega replaced the SX, or was an additional model.
Here’s the SX, from the 1980 brochure. It was apparently an appearance package, as the iron Duke four was the standard engine. Nothing sporty about that.
And this Sport Omega also has the four, but at least it has the four-speed manual transmission. Still not exactly sporty.
The ad says it 77k miles, and “runs and drives excellent” But then it also has the ominous “Needs TLC” disclaimer.
The asking price is $2500. If you ever had a hankering for an unusual X Body, this is your car. The graphics alone are worth that.
Post is already deleted. Damn, it sold fast.
Don’t fret. I saw more photos of this car on a certain social network. The photos show a lot of rust in the door bottoms and elsewhere.
Mad, these early X-bodies weren’t worth what GM thought they were. As a previous owner of 3 of them (`81, `82, & `83 Skylark coupes) I can attest these had more problems never addressed than most know. I could find better places to spend my $2500. than one of these.
SportOmega? It makes me think of Sportomatic as in the Porsche transmission.
I had some cousins whose last name was Essex and who routinely marked their clothes and other things with SX when they were kids. I was always surprised that they never bought one of these. But then maybe they had better taste. 🙂
I think the Olds is the best looking of the X bodies, though I do prefer the 80 nose where the grille wraps over the edge of the header, I really like the kickup on the rear window on the coupes.
The stripe package is interesting, the very early 80s seemed to be the very last hurrah for loud “performance stripes” on cars, they all got toned down to the point of no stripes and monotone as the decade progressed. Weirdly these seem more 70s in style than the 80 SX if the sport replaced it, the colors remind me of the Volare Roadrunner.
I was surprised at the time, how low key the original X11 graphics were in 1980. Including the use of a ‘serif’ font, the forgettable location at the leading edge of the quarter panels, and so tightly placed to the door opening.
Same colorway on that one as the Hot Wheels version of the X-11. White with red interior and graphics (the HW Citation – and Omni 024 iirc – had their taillights molded as part of the interior piece, dictating a red interior).
It looks more 70’s to me too.
I can’t decide if it’s awful or awesome. My first instinct was awful, but it is kind of fun, so I guess I kinda like it.
“… these seem more 70s in style…”
They “seem 70’s” since these FWD X cars were designed in the late 70’s. Spring 1979 was their introduction.
Just like most decades, fashions/fads carried over from the end of the previous one. The early 60’s were practically part of the late 50’s “Grease” era. And 1970 was still “psychedelic”.
The ’81 had the same wrap-over grille as the ’80, just with a few horizontal lines in the pattern instead of all vertical. My dad had one.
This SportOmega nose was a different cap and I think I remember it looking like that in the brochure. I believe in 1982 or so they switched the whole line to that Sport cap, with various grille inserts, depending on model.
The new owner should consider locating a matching late 70s vintage ArmorAll jacket at eBay.
…or one of those eye-popping Houston Astros uniforms from the 70s & 80s. Festive!
The Encyclopedia of American Cars shows the Omega SX as being an option package…but I tend to believe that could be a mistake.
Interestingly enough, the SX was a separate model in the smaller Starfire and became a separate model in the Firenza when the Starfire went out of production.
I wonder if this Omega Sport was another one of those cars that attempted to emulate a more expensive and sportier model. IOW, just a tape and wheels package.
I prefer the 82 model with it’s sloped grille. And is my memory faulty or wasn’t there a model of the Omega that had an Endura front end?
Next time someone sends you a crappy link like this one…send it back!
The Old Car Brochures website has brochures for the 1981 Omega.
http://www.oldcarbrochures.org/index.php/NA/Oldsmobile/1981-Oldsmobile/1981-Oldsmobile-Mid-Size
The SX was still available for 1981 and it kept the 1980’s blacked-out wrapover grille design. The Sport Omega had for itself a new sloped front end that would find its way onto all Omega models for 1982.
I remember in the fall of 1979, I had just got a new job and was looking for a car, I was interested in the X-cars-I wandered into the local Olds dealer; picked up an Omega brochure and it had some pictures of the SX; sport stripes and all. I never saw that many Omegas to begin with and this picture is the first one I’ve seen, so I’m inclined to go with the 700 production figure. Definitely a unicorn.
I’ve been trying to peel myself away from Facebook (like a lot of people my age actually) but I got added to this group, Malaise Motors, that’s grabbed my attention. And there’s one poster who was hunting for his X-Body Holy Grail, a SportOmega. I believe he found one in much worse condition than this, owned by some hoarder, and they refused to budge on price even though the thing was in very, very bad shape.
I was about to share this article on there but then I saw the car sold. Don’t want to get his hopes up! How many of these could be left?
I have to say though, as much as I love the cheesy graphics on these, I prefer the ’80 SX. I love it when a really starchy 70s or 80s (but usually 70s) American car gets a lurid paint colour or graphics, e.g. any of the sporty Volares/Aspens, Charger Daytona, etc.
Well, no, but the graphics and callouts would give one’s trafficmates something to read while waiting patiently (0 to 55 mayyyyybe sometime toward the end of next week).
At least, you can option for equally lame V6 motor, aptly named ES 2800.
If this particular appearance package had export taillights, that would complete the sporty image…or perhaps not.
Even the position of amber turn signal indicators would continue the orange band uninterrupted.
Oliver, you surely do manage to come up with pics of the most obscure “They did? Really?” export models!
Hehehe. Thanks! It has been my obsession for a long time. Forty years to be exact…
My first memory of seeing the export taillamps for the first time was in December 1978 when we drove from Waldshut-Tiengen (Swiss-German border town) to Zürich. Next to a narrow, windy road, a light blue Oldsmobile 98 Regency with Swiss numberplates stood out. My brother yelled at my father to stop the car at once so he could take in the unusual sight: export taillamps.
That sight started the obession of mine and my brother’s. Every time we holidayed in Europe, my brother and I would look out for any American cars with export taillamps. We took photos of those export taillamps until my father chided us for useless pursuit and refused to buy us film rolls.
Funny about “useless pursuit”: when I was in Budapest last year I spotted an ’01-’07 Dodge Stratus sedan parked in the street. Different taillights than the US model: amber turn signal inset into the otherwise red sea of plastic, obviously a factory-built lamp and not a hack. Sidemarker reflectors (or dummies) built into the (US…?) headlamps. No repeaters. But I was cracking the whip over myself very insistently: no pictures of freakin’ car lights; I’m in Hungary with lots to see; pay attention to other things! So I didn’t photograph it.
The factory parts cattledog has line items for left and right export tails for the JR-platform D/41 (Dodge Stratus 4-door), but no part numbers are listed; that field is blank, see attached. Googlefishing for part numbers adjacent to the domestic lamps comes up empty. So does googlefishing for any combination of Dodge Stratus (or Chrysler Stratus) with Hungary, Europe, Export, etc. The few such cars I see on mobile.de are invariably American or Canadian models. Guess I should’ve taken pics when I could…
Could it be possible that you saw GAZ Volga Siber? It was built in Russia under licence for two years (2008-2010). Siber is pretty much identical to Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Sebring except for minor cosmetic difference.
No, it was definitely a Stratus, factory-badged as such, and the taillamps did not have that round element to them. They were the same size, shape, and configuration as the US lamp, only one of the ordinarily-red compartments was amber. Also no repeaters on the fender or on the wing mirror, and the headlamps were also not the GAZ items.
At first, I thought it could be Chrysler Sebring taillamps with amber turn signal indicators, but it wouldn’t fit Dodge due to different shapes and height.
When you mentioned lack of side turn signal repeaters, I am mostly convinced that this Dodge Stratus is a grey import done by the specialist or owner. The taillamp is probably the aftermarket similar in concept to the photo below.
Or done by cut-and-fill method commonly used by Australian and British RHD conversion specialists.
No, they weren’t anything like those aftermarket things, and they didn’t appear to have had surgery. They looked very much like factory items with an amber-lens section for the turn signal; I’m assuming they’re the ones Chrysler mentioned but forgot to state the part number for in the cattledog. Of course, now I’m kicking myself for having not taken pics!
Mystery deepens! That itchiness I get now to visit Budapest and search each and every street, each and every garage, each and every junkyard, ad infinitum for that elusive specimen!
Well, relax, Daniel. I am sure we will come across them someday and somewhere.
I’m surprised that wasn’t part of the Omega ES package that replaced these and was a “Euro sport sedan” to the point of only being offered as a four-door.
The car has been repainted, probably recently. The logo on the C pillar is much higher than in the promo pics.
Dave,
The promo pics are for a different model.
I remember Omegas. The spot shown in the catalogs was correct for the entire run. When I was young, it wasn’t unusual to have a car painted. We had it done to several different ones. I could spot a repainted car in traffic pretty easily by misplaced badging. If there weren’t holes in the body for it, it’s not going back in the right place.
I think I remember an article in Collectible Autos about these.
They had fiberglass front fenders if I remember correctly.
This is a seriously ugly car (sorry, fans).
Love the colour scheme.
Looks almost like Olds struck up a deal with Omega the watch manufacturer.
You weren’t kidding!
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean:
…or maybe this rendition:
probably just as rare as this one
The Dodge Omni 024 with the colour keyed steel wheels, ‘024’ rear fender graphics, and plaid interior were fairly common at the time (1979). Not nearly as rare as this Olds.
The later DeTomaso version of the 024 was the rare version.
DeTomaso and Dodge….both start with a D…thats where the similiarities end.
I saw this car on another site last night and was SO psyched !…Until I read 2-3 posts down that it was already gone. Bummer !
I stumbled across the vintage ads for this model online a year or so ago and was struck by how wonderfully awful this car looked. I remember these X Bodies pretty well and even seeing an Omega or 2 when they were new, but never this particular package. Sadly, excepting the occasional Citation, they all seem to be long now, at least in coupe form.
I would have bought this in a second, just for it’s kitch/tackiness factor, driven it proudly and cared for it lovingly.
Oh well…
In Buffalo? “Western New York” is an old Indian term for “everything is rusty”.
As a life long Buffalonian I have not seen an X-car in years….Even the A cars are becoming scarce. Buffalo salt takes its toll
Thought this pic might be helpful, from the 1981 brochure
they forgot to mention the sunroof ! 😉
From the late 1980 papers:
hmmm
I didn’t know this car had made its rounds here.
Well I was the one from social media communities that was ready to buy this car, and I had a friend in the area go out and look the car over for me, most of the pics seen in social media were either from him or myself.
So it’s clear and everyone can laugh themselves to death and call me a joke and a farce, the 1981 Oldsmobile sportΩmega is MY dream car… yeah laugh and get it out your system…
I have an affinity and passion for the FWD X-body cars, especially the Omega, and the sportΩmega is the pinnacle of the Omega. So this car popped up for sale, and I immediately started made arrangements to get the car home – I live in Detroit, which is about 5-6 hours from the Buffalo region (not going through Canada -my license hadn’t been updated to use to cross International borders). A friend reaches out to me after I expressed my interest in the car and says he can look it over and report back to me, and I can go from there. So it’s Friday evening, and he’s with the seller and talking to me on the phone. He’s going over some issues with the car – worn tires, one won’t hold air, a few body blemishes, some rust, mainly on the floorboard where it’s gone completely through, though not uncommon for an X-body in salt regions.. also the brake lines are in poor shape, brakes are very poor, NOT suitable to drive back to Detroit.. and as he’s been there, the car had been running and the temperature was approaching an unfavorable range, he turned the car off shortly after as not to run any risks of overheating.
so I’m not totally deterred, but I will need to trailer the car home now… so that isn’t happening over the weekend (I was ready to go there and drive the car home), my friend with the trailer isn’t available for interstate travel until later in the week..
So it’s Saturday morning and the seller calls me and asks if I can buy the car that day, I inquire I’d like to but I cannot get the car home until about Wednesday, I’d be happy to have my friend put money down to hold the car until then, but he’s at work and won’t be able to drop off cash until after 3 pm. She seems ok with that at the time, then she calls again about an hour later, she says another person from the east coast is wanting to buy the car and can be in the way, and they will pay more than the advertised $2500, but since I was the first (serious) inquiry, she will hold for me so long as I pay $2500 that day, and she will give me the title and I can get the car on Wednesday.. so now I’m getting discouraged and suspicious… I didn’t really want to pay the $2500 as it’s not even drivable as it sits, and I could get a Citation for less and drive home.. and for me to make several 10+ hour drives isn’t really economical either, considering fuel cost and tolls for Ohio and Pennsylvania turnpikes..
she gives me a deadline to arrive there with cash, and I can’t just drop everything to go pay for a car in New York, I’d need time to call my girlfriend home to watch the kids, go to the bank to get the cash, and then make the drive… and I wasn’t feeling the $2500 for the amount of work to put in the car, just to even drive it safely (I’m already dumping money in a worthless 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais International Series)…
so I was basically like let the other guy pay more and lots of luck to the bastard…. I don’t know to this day who took this car from under me…. but I’ve been patient waiting decades for the right Omega… and I will someday acquire the finest example for my driving enjoyment and to show for others to see…
I have knowledge of such a car, but I just have to wait when ever it’s ready to be sold.
I had one. I actually loved it. It was quite fast, and handled incredibly well in snow.
I’m not sure if it’s the same car, probably not since this one has different wheels… but who knows.
This Sport Omega popped up in FB Malaise Motors group a few weeks ago: https://www.facebook.com/brad.zeidler/posts/pfbid02NJM66pxb29HAumjeL141zbgt9hwCjEghuF9NzSSHgd9oJsK8t5F5L8UkegJz1Lddl
Like the similarly loud 1978 Dodge Omni graphics package, it appears too commercial. To the point of being, obviously tacky. More, a late 1970’s, look as well.
1978 Omni.
The car is in front of a ‘graphic”.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/reviving-junkyard-olds-omega/
There was one of these that was restored with an EcoTec 2.0 Turbo out of a Saab 9-3X.