Oldsmobile Cutlass 1969 Gold Tapestries

The perfect gift for Oldsmobile Cutlass owner and enthusiast

The perfect gift for Oldsmobile Cutlass owner and enthusiast

The perfect gift for Oldsmobile Cutlass owner and enthusiast

The perfect gift for Oldsmobile Cutlass owner and enthusiast

Perfect gift for petrolheads and auto enthusiasts

The perfect gift for Oldsmobile Cutlass owner and enthusiast

The perfect gift for Oldsmobile Cutlass owner and enthusiast

The perfect gift for Oldsmobile Cutlass owner and enthusiast

The perfect gift for Oldsmobile Cutlass owner and enthusiast

The perfect gift for Oldsmobile Cutlass owner and enthusiast

The perfect gift for Oldsmobile Cutlass owner and enthusiast

The perfect gift for Oldsmobile Cutlass owner and enthusiast

The perfect gift for Oldsmobile Cutlass owner and enthusiast

The perfect gift for Oldsmobile Cutlass owner and enthusiast

The Dr. Oldsmobile theme was one of Oldsmobile's most successful marketing campaigns in the early '70s, it involved fictional characters created to promote the wildly popular 442 muscle car. 'Dr. Oldsmobile' was a tall lean professor type who wore a white lab coat. His assistants included 'Elephant Engine Ernie' who represented the big block 455 Rocket engine. 'Shifty Sidney' was a character who could be seen swiftly shifting his hand using a Hurst shifter. 'Wind Tunnel Waldo' had slicked back hair that appeared to be constantly wind blown. He represented Oldsmobile's wind tunnel testing, that produced some of the sleekest designs of the day. Another character included 'Hy Spy' who had his ear to the ground as he spied on the competition.

An image of the rear corner of a yellow 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible with a title text overlay.

An image of the front of a yellow 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible with a title text overlay.

The 1969 Hurst/Olds again used the 455-cid V-8 with W-30 heads, cam, distributor, and Force-Air induction. This engine, called the W-46, was slightly detuned from '68, losing 10 bhp. A H/O modified Turbo Hydra-matic transmission with console-shifted Hurst Dual-Gate was mandatory. As high performance raced into the wacky late '60s, the idea of a mad scientist conjuring up ever-more-potent 4-4-2s seemed almost reasonable, and Olds advertising was rife with the image of Dr. Oldsmobile in his baggy lab coat and silent-movie mustache. In a sense, there really was such a fellow: Jack "Doc" Watson, head of research for Hurst Performance Products.

At the height of the muscle car era, Oldsmobile made a deal with Hurst that worked out really well for both companies. In order to create a “halo” car, the two companies collaborated to produce special, limited edition, high-performance Cutlasses. The program started in 1968 with a run of 515 cars, and continued off and on for a number of years, with the final run in 1984, but for many fans, the 1968, 1969, and 1972 versions were the best out of the nine years these cars were offered. The inspiration for the production cars was the Hurst Hairy Olds of 1966-67, drag cars that made a huge impact – twin-engine, four-wheel-drive monsters that were really fun to watch.

Oldsmobile's Hottest Number! Surly Dr. Olds would approve.

An image of the front corner of a yellow 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible with a title text overlay.