11/23/2023 0 Comments Cut the rope 2 85I came across one at a car show in Florida a few years ago, original owner and still had the window sticker showing the 215 V8 on the option list. Ther were a few Tempests sold with the 215 V8. ![]() On the other hand the Tempest’s 15 inchers were a tad too big.ĭistinctive styling, good build quality, and that unmistakable “it” factor – an unbeatable formula for success. This one looks goofy with the lifted suspension, but even back in the day the 13″ wheels looked a tad small. But then I’m a curmudgeon who prefers cars to trucks. This size of wagon is far preferable to a small SUV. There was a 1962 F-85 wagon at Mecum Indy this year that was totally tricked out and modified to emulate the Jetfire turbo cars. The early ’60s Tempests, Skylarks, and F-85s all had V8s available, whereas later on GM went with 4 cylinders. The Cimarron in particular was a disappointment. Later on the General completely blew it with the J-cars trying to emulate the Germans. These first-generation compacts from the General were junior editions of some of the greatest cars ever made – the Electras, the 98s, and the Bonnevilles. The 4-barrel carb was a thing of beauty as well. The 215 was a pretty engine and pretty smooth. I wish I could afford to track one down again. My first car was a 1962 Cutlass convertible, dark maroon with a white top. It’d be interesting to know what you guys have in your lists. I’ll do my (low budget) list to the best of my recollection some day when I’m not so busy. I’ve owned lots of cars, pickups, vans and hundreds of cycles. We’re all in our 60’s so the lists ought to be long. Last year, I asked them to compile a list of every running/driving car/vehicle they’ve ever owned. 3 never respond but 3 do with their picks. ![]() Anyway, I pick out the top 4 or 5 vehicles I’d love to own and forward the email to six friends. But today, I looked at the ’70 Cutlass SX convertible, for some odd reason because I don’t care for drop tops. Sometimes I click on the ones that are interesting. I love pre-1970 wagons and Cragar’s, which I couldn’t afford as a teenager on my ’65 Olds Cutlass F85 2 door hardtop w/330 & 2 speed automatic. A nice set of Cragar’s and lowered to specs and voila, a great old cruiser. I LOVE IT! Without the roof rack, of course. This would be a cool wagon to have in the hands of any Olds fan and they are seldom seen these days. The seller has too many projects and too little space, so the F-85 has to go. The unfinished business includes giving the old girl a tune-up, replacing some bulbs, and fixing the horn and radio (all of this sounds like easy stuff). The luggage rack is period correct but not original to the Oldsmobile. The car also comes with new wheels and tires and a spare set can be had for an additional charge. Most of the interior was redone and oddly the seat bottom on the front doesn’t match that of the back. The car was given a new coat of paint and turned into a two-tone vehicle (not originally). The work that was done includes – but is not limited to – rebuilding the generator, carburetor, fuel tank, transmission, drive shaft, and more. He/she set out to take care of those needs and lots of new parts were acquired. When the seller bought this wagon a couple of years ago, it had not been running since 1992 and needed both mechanical and cosmetic work. I don’t know if that has anything to do with how high the seller’s wagon seems to sit off the ground (almost like it has 4-wheel drive). These cars also had a double-wishbone front suspension plus a 4-link live axle in the back, making it a different set-up than the company’s full-size cars. It does come with the 3-speed “Roto Hydramatic” transmission that was also new in ‘61. The seller refers to this interesting wagon as a Jetfire, but I believe that moniker was reserved for the 1962-63 coupe version of the car that came with a turbocharged version of the “Rockette” V8 (the seller’s wagon appears to have no such apparatus). The starting bid is $7,650 (no takers yet) but you can pass-go and take it home for $9,995. Located in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, this interesting artifact from the “Atomic Age” is available here on eBay. ![]() This ’61 wagon has been largely restored and looks like a cool cruiser that only needs a bit of further tinkering. It differed from its cousins in that it had a 215 cubic inch aluminum block V8 as standard equipment throughout its three-year run. The F-85 was Oldsmobile’s first compact car, launched in 1961 on the new “Y” unibody platform it shared with the Pontiac Tempest and Buick Special.
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