The “In God We Trust” plate probably means this Olds is from Southern Indiana which probably would explain why it has lasted so long. Anyone else think this car is on its last owner?
Coming from Ohio, I’ve found that the In God We Trust plates don’t really tell me much about a car’s driver. I think the BMV just gives them to some people without asking or some people just think they’re more colorful.
Perry, did you shoot this? It looks like the big sticker at the top was photoshopped on. There’s no crease in it, where it goes over than crease in the trunk lid. Odd.
Judging by similar cars that I have seen, we are probably looking at grandmother’s last car, hardly driven for 30 years and now being rapidly driven into the ground.
I found and photographed an almost identical Cutlass in Washington, DC, sticker-less and probably with its original owner, but it was too boring for me to think of anything to write about it.
In 1981, Harlan Gustafson of Minnetonka, MN, bought this car for his growing family. A successful accountant, Harley wanted an Oldsmobile for years, after growing up with his father’s Dynamic 88s and Cutlasses in the ’60s. It replaced a 1977 Malibu Classic, and led to his becoming an Oldsmobile man for ever after, despite the ’81’s fixed rear windows.
In 1989 he replaced the Cutlass with a top-of-the-line Regency Brougham with leather and all the gadgets. That was the same year he became a partner in the firm, and Fitzsimmons and Gardiner became Fitzsimmons, Gardiner and Gustafson. His oldest son, Wade had recently graduated high school, and Harley had high hopes of grooming his son in the finer points of dollars and cents and dared to hope one day he would become a partner as well. As an incentive, the 1981 Supreme Brougham became Wade’s–seven years old but meticulously maintained and as new.
Sadly, it was not to be. Wade’s major at the University of Minnesota was Milwaukee’s Best, with a minor in Rebel Yell whiskey. He dropped out in 1991 and got a job as a bagger at the Fareway in town. Today, he is still bagging groceries and still driving his dad’s Oldsmobile, though now questionably “upgraded” with racing stickers and twenty-five years of deferred maintenance.
Harley retired from the firm in 2011 and is still driving his Final Edition 2004 Aurora–meticulously maintained of course. The one saving grace was his youngest daughter, Ashley, earned her C.P.A. in 1998 and is maintaining the family name over at the firm. Of course, old Wade is seldom mentioned and seldom seen, save for Thanksgiving and Christmas…
More common here are Nismo and the like stickers plastered over the trailing edge of the front guards on ricers they dont seem to aid cornering and outright speed much.
1981 and 1982 were two sad years for many cars and the Cutlass was no exception. The largest gas engine offering for coupe and sedan buyers was the Olds built 260 2BBl V8 that made a pathetic 100 HP and 190 torque. The base 231 V6 actually beat that with 110 HP and the same torque rating. Buyers that wanted the 307 4BBL V8 were told to go pound salt or buy a station wagon or a full size B/C body car. Perhaps this car lost it’s original wheezer smog motors in favor of a small block 350 Chevy resplendent with lot of chrome and go fast parts some time in it’s life or the owner just likes to think fast.
The A/G bodies aren’t known as particularly enthusiastic rusters around here; perhaps it was different in salt country.
What year was it that the 307 returned as an option and the 260 put out of its misery? I know these were available with the 307 for the latter part of their long run. Used to be incredibly common until about 5 years ago, now I only see them periodically. Only 100 HP though? Wow. And I thought the 125 HP rating on my 267-equipped Malibu was low!
What an idiot. Everybody knows red paint is the best way to make anything faster.
I had understood it was yellow. No wonder a car in McDonalds livery is so bleeding fast,
It’s a fact that red brake drums improve performance. I see it all the time, cars with red drums always drive faster than the rest.
That’s one of those Oldsmobuick Montecutlass’ that the rear door windows don’t roll down. Clunky feature.
Those stickers are brilliant. Takes your eye away from the rest of the car.
so he’s a race fan….would you pick on him for not being an athlete if he had NFL team stickers on it? 🙂
Yes.
+1
Uh, yeah!
The “In God We Trust” plate probably means this Olds is from Southern Indiana which probably would explain why it has lasted so long. Anyone else think this car is on its last owner?
Coming from Ohio, I’ve found that the In God We Trust plates don’t really tell me much about a car’s driver. I think the BMV just gives them to some people without asking or some people just think they’re more colorful.
Perry, did you shoot this? It looks like the big sticker at the top was photoshopped on. There’s no crease in it, where it goes over than crease in the trunk lid. Odd.
Yessir, at the same time I found the red ’90 Q45 and ’86 H-body LeSabre.
I think its there but not very obvious. It may not be stuck down tight either.
Judging by similar cars that I have seen, we are probably looking at grandmother’s last car, hardly driven for 30 years and now being rapidly driven into the ground.
I found and photographed an almost identical Cutlass in Washington, DC, sticker-less and probably with its original owner, but it was too boring for me to think of anything to write about it.
In 1981, Harlan Gustafson of Minnetonka, MN, bought this car for his growing family. A successful accountant, Harley wanted an Oldsmobile for years, after growing up with his father’s Dynamic 88s and Cutlasses in the ’60s. It replaced a 1977 Malibu Classic, and led to his becoming an Oldsmobile man for ever after, despite the ’81’s fixed rear windows.
In 1989 he replaced the Cutlass with a top-of-the-line Regency Brougham with leather and all the gadgets. That was the same year he became a partner in the firm, and Fitzsimmons and Gardiner became Fitzsimmons, Gardiner and Gustafson. His oldest son, Wade had recently graduated high school, and Harley had high hopes of grooming his son in the finer points of dollars and cents and dared to hope one day he would become a partner as well. As an incentive, the 1981 Supreme Brougham became Wade’s–seven years old but meticulously maintained and as new.
Sadly, it was not to be. Wade’s major at the University of Minnesota was Milwaukee’s Best, with a minor in Rebel Yell whiskey. He dropped out in 1991 and got a job as a bagger at the Fareway in town. Today, he is still bagging groceries and still driving his dad’s Oldsmobile, though now questionably “upgraded” with racing stickers and twenty-five years of deferred maintenance.
Harley retired from the firm in 2011 and is still driving his Final Edition 2004 Aurora–meticulously maintained of course. The one saving grace was his youngest daughter, Ashley, earned her C.P.A. in 1998 and is maintaining the family name over at the firm. Of course, old Wade is seldom mentioned and seldom seen, save for Thanksgiving and Christmas…
The Olds and the family in happier times:
I do believe that’s the first and last time Fareway has ever been or will ever be mentioned in a blog 🙂
Coming soon to a U Pull near you.
More common here are Nismo and the like stickers plastered over the trailing edge of the front guards on ricers they dont seem to aid cornering and outright speed much.
Subarus are a favourite for go faster stickers where I live.They go fast away from lights but hardly ever round corners.
Not as fast as the Mustang I saw yesterday with big chrome numbers on the fender proclaiming it as a 4.0. I laughed.
1981 and 1982 were two sad years for many cars and the Cutlass was no exception. The largest gas engine offering for coupe and sedan buyers was the Olds built 260 2BBl V8 that made a pathetic 100 HP and 190 torque. The base 231 V6 actually beat that with 110 HP and the same torque rating. Buyers that wanted the 307 4BBL V8 were told to go pound salt or buy a station wagon or a full size B/C body car. Perhaps this car lost it’s original wheezer smog motors in favor of a small block 350 Chevy resplendent with lot of chrome and go fast parts some time in it’s life or the owner just likes to think fast.
Can’t believe the bumper and back third of the frame hasn’t dropped off.
Maybe there’s more stickers underneath holding it together…
There’s a COAL rant coming about that someday.
The A/G bodies aren’t known as particularly enthusiastic rusters around here; perhaps it was different in salt country.
What year was it that the 307 returned as an option and the 260 put out of its misery? I know these were available with the 307 for the latter part of their long run. Used to be incredibly common until about 5 years ago, now I only see them periodically. Only 100 HP though? Wow. And I thought the 125 HP rating on my 267-equipped Malibu was low!