We are as guilty as anyone of romanticizing the cars and trucks of the 1960s, and in some ways probably more than they deserve, but this story here might actually make a 1969 Olds W-31 convertible an even cooler car than you thought possible. And the fact that it is the only known survivor of a 5 car team that had ties to TV and film stars The Smothers Brothers, just makes it damn near impossible not to love. We could expound you with facts and tidbits of the story, but the truth is that our friend Tommy Lee Byrd, aka the Hot Rod Hoarder on YouTube, kills it at telling these wonderful stories.
He’s a student of hot rodding and racing history, has a way of telling a story like none other, and he’s as passionate as they come. Check out the video below, and let us know what you think in the comments.
Video Description:
Oldsmobile only built 1 W-31 4 speed convertible factory drag car, as part of a special partnership with the five-car Smothers Brothers Racing Team. The 5 cars, plus 2 exhibition cars represent Oldsmobile’s most potent combinations for the 1969 model year, and the car we’re focusing on is the only surviving member of the Smothers Brothers Racing Team. It’s the King Olds sponsored 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass S convertible, powered by a W-31 Ram Rod 350ci engine and 4 speed transmission. The car ran in G/Stock in 1969 and H/Stock in 1970 NHRA competition.
Oldsmobile pulled five cars off the assembly line (all with different body styles, engine and transmission combinations) and built them with just enough aftermarket parts to be legal for NHRA Stock Eliminator. Headers, engine blueprinting, traction bars, aftermarket wheels and a few other items were allowed. All five cars were painted similarly and featured similar graphics. The only survivor is a car that was driven by Jim Waibel out of Florida. He raced this car for a little over one year, and turned it back in at King Olds after he raced at the inaugural 1970 NHRA Gatornationals at his home track in Gainesville, Florida. Also, the car was part of the ribbing-cutting ceremony in 1969 at the now famous Gainesville drag strip.
The car sat dormant for decades, until the right guy came along to buy the car and do it justice. Jeff Kane bought the car a few years ago and has spent many hours researching to accurately rebuild this car to its as-raced condition. It’s a beautiful representation of the sole survivor, and it’s truly a piece of drag racing history, as one of the few Oldsmobile factory drag cars.
