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840 HP 4WD '82 Oldsmobile Cutlass Smokes, Drags, and Drives Crowds Wild With Burnouts

One 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass became a gearhead’s project of lifetime proportions, epic looks, and brawns mods. The four-decade-old car is fairly mundane looking, apart from a few exterior visual details that raise an eyebrow and a myriad of questions. The Brembo logo on the brake calipers catches the eye first, hiding in plain sight inside the Welds wheels.
AWD 1982 LSX-Swapped Oldsmobile Cutlass 31 photos
Photo: awdcutlass.com
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Looking closer, the increasingly intrigued onlooker notices the brake discs. Yes, they may seem worn and patina-marked, but they hide a secret (weapon) – they’re not just all show and no go. If I think better, that’s precisely what they are – a full-time no-go power charged with putting the tame on the wheels.

Why? Because those wheels put 840 hp on the ground, equally divided between them. That’s right, this gentle-in-appearance of an Oldsmobile body is a one-off self-made project that started nearly 30 years ago.

The current owner – and sole one since 1994 – bought the black $400 blown-engine Oldsmobile as his first daily driver and used it for several years (with various engines). One day, the car and he ran into trouble – a minor incident with no human casualties. From that day on, things would never be the same again for the old Olds.

Things would turn so much better as the passionate piston-head driver took on a project that ultimately led to “The Next Generation of Tire Shredding.” In loose translation, that’s the definition of this all-wheel-drive, LSX-swapped, 3,600 lb (1,633 kg), carbon fiber-clad Cutlass.

AWD 1982 LSX\-Swapped Oldsmobile Cutlass
Photo: awdcutlass.com
With the 840-horsepower mentioned above at the tires, the ProCharger-powered 427 CI (seven liters) LSX from Texas Speed and Performance can pull some jaw-dropping stunts. Drag racing, donuts, tire mayhem, you name it. The Cutlass is badass, no doubt about it.

And it shows off with every occasion it gets. One of its latest (legal) mischiefs is documented on video by the popular YouTube channel 1320 Videos (the first one at the bottom shows the Olds hit 151 mph - 243 kph - on the spot). The Cutlass and his long-time owner go for some hit-and-run at the strip (a good run, for that!), cremate rubber, blow smoke, and make the crowds cheer and ask for more.

The LSX in the engine bay is one monster of a V8 and needs serious backup to stick to the ground. Gradually put together over the years, the current configuration includes (but is definitely not limited to, says the owner) the 1300cc (124 lb/h) injectors, a high-flow fuel pump (for obvious reasons), and a fuel pressure regulator. The LS3 intake manifold, the 90mm throttle body (courtesy of a Trailblazer), and the self-made custom cold-air intake – carbon fiber – feed air into the power plant.

Side note: the driver is a keen carbon fiber DIY enthusiast and has posted numerous videos of his work with the lightweight material. Everything carbon fiber on his car came out of his hands (except for the brake discs).

AWD 1982 LSX\-Swapped Oldsmobile Cutlass
Photo: awdcutlass.com
Back to the smoking hot Cutlass goodies list: Pacesetter headers, three-inch exhaust, ProCharger F1-X kit (23 PSI!), Treadstone TRV259 intercooler, blow-off valve (competition-grade), and three-inch hot and cold piping.

However, the above fire-breathing array does not make the “All” part in the All-Wheel-Drive Cutlass. This is where GM’s Chevy division lays a hand. A Trailblazer SS donated the drivetrain and the E67 control module so that the 4L70-E transmission can transfer the torque to the Moser axles and the 4.11 rear diff.

A good combo if the 1,300 hp-capable engine is to spare the car from complete devastation. Yes, I mentioned 840 hp at the tires, but the crank measurement reads a lot more – those 460 extra horsepowers get lost in the all-wheel-drive system.

On the inside of the cutthroat Cutlass, carbon extravaganza fails in veering attention from the very befitting Hurst Lightning Rods Shifters. Please let us know if you can think of something more appropriate for gear control in this car. The Kirkey racing seats and fully digital, blue-lit instruments match the bespoke handmade center console, trim panels, steering wheel, sill plates, and dashboard (all these are carbon fiber). And while the vehicle is very comfortable to drive on a day-to-day basis (according to its driver), it’s not meant to serve that purpose anymore, so it gets a classy trailer ride to-and-fro when the time comes to put the pedal down.

AWD 1982 LSX\-Swapped Oldsmobile Cutlass
Photo: awdcutlass.com
So, all in all, the carbon fiber All-Tire-Burning Cutlass is one masterpiece of a car with a great life and is looking forward to more surprises. After all, the crowd never gets enough of this spectacular smokin’ hot weather-shifting automobile. Why the weather reference? Play the second video to see an exciting epoxy-wheel project (also the work of the Cutlass owner) and its results.

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About the author: Razvan Calin
Razvan Calin profile photo

After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads.
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