1970 Olds 442 Pace Car - COPO?

[442w30]

Rusty, I forgot about that pace car. I don't know if memory is feeble because it appeared in the pits or I had another obligation in 2003 and missed the event.

[StealthBird]

I didn't realize some of the 1970 Pace Cars were just Cutlasses. Typically, Indy Pace Cars were high perf models (or at least built off the high-perf model), so it seems strange that Oldsmobile would build some off a regular Cutlass.

Did some of these "Cutlass" Pace Cars have typical Oldsmobile appointments, like column shift, 350, bench seat, and a standard soft suspension?

Did the Pace Cars at least get the 442 suspension?

[442w30]

I don't know much about the Cutlass cars other than I suspect they're basic Cutlass Supremes with pace car trim. Was there some mandatory equipment for the 4-4-2s? If so, I'd suspect it would be similar for the Cutlass. I'm not sure if I have any info on them at home.

However, if you want to know about a dealer-prepped pace car for Dover Downs, I can answer all the questions you have! :-)

[StealthBird]

[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/haha.gif[/img] [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/haha.gif[/img]

Well, doesn't seem to be much info on the web about the 1970 Olds Pace Cars. Just surprising that Olds would build some in the base Cutlass trim, with 350's. At least the 442's had different suspension, rear sway bar, dual exhausts, etc. I would have thought all the Pace Cars would at least have bucket seats and a console.

But why offer the 70 Pace Car on a regular Cutlass? Couldn't have been for insurance reasons....I mean, you tell your insurance agent you bought a 1970 Cutlass, not a 442, but it's a convertible (which raises the rate), and it's a special option code that makes it an Indy Pace Car, something I would imagine would be targeted by thieves.

[442w30]

It's not a &quot;Regular&quot; Cutlass - it's a high-zoot Cutlass Supreme.

[442w30]

(I forgot to add a smiley.) [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

[TimG]

I never understood the 1970 Cutlass Pace Car either. Could be a budget way to get a Pace Car looking Cutlass. I always loved the 1970 Pace Car, certainly one of my favorites.

[442w30]

I don't really see the confusion?

The '69 Camaro's base engine was a 350, just like the Cutlass Supreme's.

The '68's Torino GT's base engine was a 302.

The '67 Camaro's was like the '69's.

The '66 Cyclone was 390-only.

The '65 Sport Fury probably was a 383 for most of the versions sold by dealers, although information on the replicas is somewhat murky.

I think the Cutlass Supreme is just par for the course.

[PeteLeathersac]

Any '70 SX Pace Cars built?.

[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]
~ Pete

[StealthBird]

I think the &quot;confusion&quot; is that the other Pace Cars you listed were built on performance models. The Cutlass was not a performance model.

The 1967 and 1969 Camaro Pace Cars were all RS/SS. They were performance cars.

The 1968 Pace Cars were all Torino GT's, the performance option.

The 1966 Pace Cars were all Cyclone GT's, the performance option.

The 1971 Pace Cars were all Challenger 383's, no 318's built.

Pace Car replicas were typically offered to the public using the performance package. There were of course Pace cars that were not performance cars at all (1973 Eldorado), so there's nothing wrong with that.

But seriously, in 1970, you had the &quot;wicked&quot; W-30, the Rallye 350, the W-31, and the whole Dr. Olds campaign in full swing, they were chosen as the Indy Pace Car, and they make a Pace Car in both 442 <span style="font-style: italic">and</span> Cutlass forms? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/hmmm.gif[/img]