Pro Street is a love it or hate it genre. Sure, big blown motors, narrowed axles and Mickey Thompson ET Streets have a certain charm to them, but there was another side to Pro Street, one of wild paint jobs, overdone interiors, and very little in the way of performance. Whatever side of the fence you sit on regarding Pro Street cars, they have managed to endure for decades and we still see new ones being built. But whatever happened to the older builds?
Well, this particular 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass is sitting on eBay right now with a $16,500 price tag and it’s a throwback to the Street Machine Nationals coverage I would read in Hot Rod and Car Craft way back when. The usual list of parts is involved: a 455ci V8 that looks more dressed than built (though the listing’s thin information doesn’t help matters), a TH400 automatic with a manual valve body and a 3500rpm stall converter, a narrowed Ford 9-inch with 4.88 gears and a spool on a four-link system, paintwork that had to cost an arm and a leg, and an interior rework that involves a lot of tan leather. Nothing too shocking there, right?
Here’s where I’m torn. On one hand, this is a well-preserved example of the types of builds that you saw over twenty years ago. The paint looks good, the interior has held up very well, and if the 455 is as mild as I believe it is, this would make a cool cruiser. Then again, the paint and interior rub me the wrong way…I’d have the interior and under hood visually restored, and the paint would go to a factory color that was a little subdued, like Sherwood Green. What do you think?
Ebay Link: 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass Pro Street
This one I’d have to leave alone. Talk about a high school flashback!
I’d have to leave this one as is, as it looks to well preserved.
Repaint and freshen the interior, swap to less dated wheels, build the 455 up and go with nitrous. I think this would look killer in the OEM blue with white white stripes and some of the Weld RT-S wheels. But that’s just me.
As a time capsule its cool but if it were to be in my hands it would get a OE color respray and have the interior restored to factory original….I’d keep the “dated” wheels because I like them….and that engine bay is a clusterf-k of epic proportions…its a visual abortion…it needs cleaned up in a bad way….
I’m in the minority here, but I was thinking it needs a 6-71 poking through a hole in the hood, dual quads and one of those 3 butterfly scoops. Also an airbrushed Dr. Olds somewhere. Yeah that would be cool. Hey at least I wouldn’t paint it monochromatic peach or teal.
The graphics aren’t terrible and I guarantee somewhere at some track there’s a car running the same graphics right now.
Add a blower then it would be perfect.
I personally would lose that paint and just go with flat black and a more subdued interior.