Rides from the Readers: 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass

Hagerty readers and Hagerty Drivers Club members share their cherished collector and enthusiast vehicles with us via our contact email, tips@hagerty.com. We’re showcasing some of our favorite stories among these submissions. To have your car featured, send complete photography and your story of ownership to the above email address.

Today’s featured vehicle is a 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible—and, before you say it, we know … it’s a work in progress. The process itself, however, is worth capturing. Steve Puleo and his daughter are in the midst of restoring this ’60s droptop. They purchased it in April 2019, just after she turned 15 years old.

Steve estimates that the restoration will take them another two years or so: completing the metalwork, restoring the undercarriage, and rebuilding the car’s 350-cubic-inch, two-barrel V-8. As you can tell from the photos below, the duo has made some admirable progress considering the sorry state in which they first found the Olds.

While the Cutlass awaits its return to the streets, it’s kept company in the Puleo garage by Steve’s very first car—also an Oldsmobile from 1969, and purchased shortly after his 15th birthday. The gold F-85 boasts the W-31 forced-air induction system and is one of only a few hundred F-85s so equipped in 1969.

We love seeing these these two ’69 brutes side by side—but not as much as we love the story of father and daughter working together.