Rare Muscle Car Project: 1970 Oldsmobile Rallye 350
Built as either a Cutlass S or F-85, the 1970 Olds Rallye 350 was a one-year wonder. It was a “junior” level muscle car in that it didn’t require a big block to get the job done. But sales didn’t take off for one reason or another and Oldsmobile dropped the idea after a single year. This edition of the rare performance car is in rough shape and will require you to start from scratch if you want to restore it. It’s in Edwardsville, Illinois and bidding hasn’t been brisk so far at $1,725 here on eBay, which might be the cheapest part of reviving it.
We suspect that Oldsmobile’s rationale for launching the Rallye 350 was to give buyers some relief when it came to purchasing insurance. That industry already knew what the 442 (or 4-4-2) was with its 400 cubic-inch and larger V8s, so the 350 in the Rallye 350 may have looked attractive. You could get one in any color you wanted as long as it was Sebring Yellow, which also applied to the bumpers. You could get a hardtop as a Cutlass S or pillared coupe as the F-85, but neither added up to year-end sales of much more than 3,500 copies. So, there was no Rallye 350 in 1971.
We’re told that the seller’s car is loaded with options, including factory air conditioning, but it doesn’t look as though this car has been on the road recently. The body and paint are rough and most of the yellow paint has been replaced by primer red. And it may not be complete, although all sorts of parts seem to be in the general vicinity of the car.
You’ll get two engines in the deal. The original 350 is out of the auto and needs a rebuild, while a running 350 from 1971 is in place under the hood right now. The car will drive onto a trailer and stop, but that may be about it. With Ram Air Induction, a Rallye 350 would have been rated at 310, not too shabby. The mileage is 86,000 (odometer) or 37,000 (eBay listing), so we’re not sure which is true and accurate, although the seller leans toward the larger figure. If you’d like to see what one of these cars looks like in top shape, here’s one we covered just recently here on Barn Finds.
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Comments
Call Dr Oldsmobile! We need to operate! The patient looks terminal.
That’s going to need more work than it’s worth but if someone wants a seldom seen Cutlass bad enough glwts!
Had a buddy in high-school who had a 70 F85, W-31, 4spd, it was pretty quick. Good to somebody with this one.
The Rallye unfortunately isn’t a W31. It used the same RPO L74 350 4bbl motor that came as standard equipment in Grandma’s Cutlass Supreme that year.
Correct. The W31 was a special performance package that included a special 350 with the 308 duration cam with 474-inch lift, pretty wild for a production car, even back then. So much so that you couldn’t even get power brakes with it! Much less A/C.
The engine was specially balanced and had a unique set of cylinder heads with bigger (2.005/1.630-inch) valves, heavy-duty valve springs, and an aluminum intake with a 750 cfm carburetor. Automatic cars also had a beefed up THM-350 with a 2,600-2,900 RPM stall converter and special valve body and clutch plates. There were other goodies too, such as lightweight insulation. It was a pretty extensive hot rod package.
The Rallye 350 had the L74 350 V-8 engine as you point out. But that wasn’t the standard motor on the Cutlass Supreme that year. That would have been the L65 low compression 250 horsepower 2-barrel 350. And the L74 was no slouch at 310 horsepower. Those L74 Cutlasses ran low 15s in the quarter, and about 7 seconds 0-60. Not bad, but it’s no W31 motor, that’s for certain!
It had 310 horses and was not the motor that came I wouldn’t wrench it out of the mud but someone might.
B.B. you are incorrect. This link is to the page in the 1970 Powerteams booklet that shows the L74 as standard in the Supreme and the L65 as optional. Specifically, the L65 was a $33.70 credit option off the base price.
http://oldcarbrochures.org/United%20States/Oldsmobile/1970%20Oldsmobile/1970-Oldsmobile-Power-Teams/1970_Oldsmobile_Power_Teams-07.jpg
You are correct. I looked at automobile_catalog.com and assumed the lowest HP engine was standard. My bad. Regardless, I stick by my position that the L74 was pretty dang good for a standard small block motor. Despite muscle car rose colored glasses, fueled by the magazine road test “ringers” of the time, a 15 second quarter mile was very close to your standard GTO and SS396.
BB – With what rear end are you claiming 15 second 1/4 mile times and 7 second 0-60 times out of an L74 350? All mine have been pedestrian Supremes with 2.56:1 rear ends. I agree it’s a great engine.
See below. Granted, that time is for a 4-speed (and estimated) but the Catalog has the automatic at 7.5/15.5.
https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/oldsmobile/cutlass_3gen/cutlass_3_supreme_holiday_coupe/1970.html#gsc.tab=0
I was using the automobile-catalog.com estimate, which seems to be accurate in many cases. I do not know what axle ratio they used. That was for a 4-speed car, granted, but even the automatic did 0-60 in 7.5 seconds and the quarter in 15.5 seconds, per their estimate.
https://www.automobile-catalog.com/auta_perf1.php#gsc.tab=0
The Rallye 350 was one of the rare marketing Miscalculations that Olds ever made. The basic idea of a scaled down performance model using the 350 was right on. A performance car that wasn’t a burden to own and operate for younger buyers was a good way to expand sales into a younger demographic. The mistake they made was the choice to make it in any color as long as it’s yellow with black graphics. Yellow is a tough color and somewhat polarizing. People either like it or hate it. This is a particularly harsh yellow and the appeal is limited. The one color choice assured that sales would be limited. If they had offered this Jr, supercar with the same color choices as the rest of the Olds lineup they would have sold a ton more in my opinion Looking at it from upper management;s POV they may have been concerned that a more appealing Rallye would have stolen sales from the more expensive higher zoot Oldsmobile performance models, in essence competing against themselves
I will never understand the mindset that it is better to profit from a few expensive models or by the volume of many more affordable ones. If I ran a car company, that is the way I would do it. I know which idea would bring you brand loyalty and many happy customers.
What you don’t understand is the concept of a halo model to draw people into the showroom. The folks who walked in to look at the new Hurst/Olds or W-30 drove out in a Cutlass.
The yellow urethane bumpers put many people off, dealers often replaced them to get them to sell. They also should have left the Super Stock ll wheels the standard argent color. The Rallye 350 were ugly new and only slightly less ugly 53 years later.
*Good luck, I meant
That driver’s door doesn’t even look like it came from the same kind of car.
Yes, that door is off a Cutlass Supreme
I had a set of those double stripe bias ply tires back in the 70s. Man, those tires are old!
Those dual stripe bias ply tires are what originally came on many 1970 Olds A bodies. IF those are original to the car, it’s hard to believe what a disaster the rest of the car is.
Rare Muscle Car Project: 1970 Oldsmobile Rallye 350
“Project” should read “Reject”.
It may not require a big block to get the job done but it will require way more than it is worth to move on a road again
I pulled the Car Guys dictionary off the shelf to see the definition of “clapped out” and guess what I saw?
Hard to believe 39 people have bid this up to $3,660.00, with 9 hours left.
Not at all hard to believe. The hood is the prize.
Yeah, that’s a prize alright lol