I received the following from Karl Sup today. He is having problems
posting. Here you go....................
Hey List,
Well, it started back on April 1. I got an email from an old high school
friend that I'd lost touch with. I hadn't seen her since she purchased
some
desert land way north of Phoenix back in 1992. I gave her a call and had a
nice chat. During the call I asked about her father, who was the original
owner of a 1966 442, in fact, it was the first 442 I ever saw. And that
was
back in 1979. Back then, the car just sat in his garage, the victim of a
carb fire that only cooked the air cleaner and carb. This was the man
responsible for my Oldsmobile obsession. Not only did he give me columes
of
old Popular Hot Rodding, Hot Rod and Motor Trend magazines, but also a
1966
330 engine (10.25:1) that I used to strip down and educate myself all
about
Oldsmobile engines.
I was happy to learn that her father had retired and was enjoying life,
but
had moved from Tempe, AZ to Austin, TX. Of course, I had to ask about the
1966. She said when he retired in 1994, he took the 442 out of the garage
and parked it up on her desert property. I asked what he planned to do
with
it, and she said 'I have no idea, but I'll ask him'.
Fast forward to yesterday. I get a call from her dad telling me he's in
town, and would I like to meet him up at the property for lunch. I
cancelled
my business plans and headed up north. The area now was really built up,
with a housing development encroaching on that 'desert hideaway' as I had
once heard it described as, but the last 200 feet was still dirt road. He
met me as I got out of the Aurora and vigorously shook my hand and gave me
a
hug.We caught up on events for a bit, then he says he heard I was
interested
in the 1966. I told him I'm in the middle of working (still) on my 1969
Hurst/Olds, but told him I always had a found memory of that 1966. We
walked
up the hill to look at it. It had baked a while in the sun, but the metal
was fairly straight, no rust in thelowers at all. I had forgotten it was a
post car, but I did remember that it was a 3-speed. The interior was
cooked,
but the steering wheel was mint. The car only had 72,000 on it since it
never run since it was parked back in 1977.
He asks me again, 'So what do you think? Are you interested?' I told him I
was, but didn't know if I could afford it or could take on another
project.
He says, 'If you want it, it's yours!' I asked him how much he wanted or
needed for it... he says 'No, no, you misunderstand me, if you want it,
it's
yours... FREE'
I could not believe my ears, but I heard my mouth say the words 'I'll take
it' before my brain could engage. I still cannot believe this. I asked if
his son wouldn't want the car, but he tells me that his son could care
less
about old cars. He tells me that he was fretting the sale of the car, as
his
daughter is looking to sell the property and he had no place for it. And
went on to tell me that he could not think of a better person to take over
ownership of the first new car he ever bought.
He ordered the car from University Oldsmobile in Lansing after getting
numerous bids from Story Olds and others (he saved all the letters of
quotations), and took delivery of it right from the Assembly Plant in
Lansing. He never drove it in the winter back in Michigan/Indiana, and
moved
down to Arizona in 1973. The car comes with the order paperwork, sales
receipt, salesman business card, paint chip portfolio, sales brochures for
the 1966 models, credit union paperwork, key knockouts, protect-o-plate,
recall notices, key tags, interior tags, window sticker, and a decal
indicating that the car was picked up at the plant. The build sheet has
never been looked for in the car. The car still has 3 of 4 original T3's,
and correct hose clamps from the factory. And of course, numbers matching
abounds.
The car is an F85 Club Coupe (Post) with only 3 options on the window
sticker: L78 4-4-2 Performance Package, M14 Heavy Duty Floor-Shift 3-speed
and U63 Deluxe Radio. Oddly enough, P26 whitewall tires is listed, but at
no
additional charge. Total cost was $2700.17 per the window sticker, however
he had talked the salesman down to a $2400 'out the door' price. So, the
car
is a bare-bones Ocean Mist F85 with no power steering or brakes, and
dog-dish poverty caps. According to the FAQ, it's one of 643 F85 442's in
1966, and only 1 of 103 with 3 speeds.
Included with the car are the remains of a 1966 Cutlass parts car that he
cut up back in 1979, including 1/4 panels, dash and all miscellaneous
parts.
I am looking for a University Oldsmobile license plate frame, if anyone
has
one sitting around.
So there you have it. How often do you get rust-free Arizona 442's for
FREE???
Best Regards from Sunny Arizona,
Karl Sup
1969 Hurst/Olds #89
1969 W31 S Post 4spd
1966 442 F85 3spd
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