Human beings like to collect stuff. Our prehistoric ancestors probably collected pretty stones or saber tooth tiger teeth, and evolution hardwired our brains to collect whatever catches our eye—coins, baseball cards, ceramic roosters, and yes, cars.

Take Ivan Toledo of Ruskin, Florida. He and his father have a thing for Oldsmobile Cutlasses, having owned ten of them over the years.

Why? They just liked them.

Take Ivan’s newest acquisition, this 1974 Cutlass S. Available only as a coupe, the S was sportier than the base Cutlass but not as fancy as the upscale Cutlass Supreme. Like all 1974 Cutlasses, the S came standard with power steering, power front disc brakes, and a genuine Olds Rocket 350ci V8 attached to a Turbo 350 automatic transmission. If you wanted more oats under the hood, Olds offered the 455ci Rocket rated at 230 horsepower and 370 lbs.-ft. of torque compared to the 350’s 180 horsepower and 270 lbs.-ft. of torque  The 455 option came with a Turbo 400 automatic.

Ivan found his Cutlass in Virginia.

“I bought the car from the family of the original owners. It had been stored in a garage for 30 years,” he explained. “It had been for sale a year or two, but I didn’t see the listing until the spring of 2025. I got in touch with the family and drove to Virginia from Florida to see the car. The 1974 Cutlasses are my favorite and I’ve never had an S, so I bought it.”

What Ivan got for his money was very clean, low-mile survivor with the standard 350 engine. The car has the optional sport sideview mirrors but surprisingly for a Cutlass, no vinyl roof. It does have an Oxblood (cranberry) interior and a Colonial Cream exterior, a rare color combination according to Ivan.

Ivan Toledo's 1974 Olds Cutlass S as-found
Having owned or helped maintain 10 Oldsmobile Cutlasses, Ivan Toledo knows his Olds A-bodies. When he saw a listing for this 1974 Cutlass S, he knew it would be coming home with him. Stored in a garage for 30 years, the car is a super-clean, low-mile survivor that just needed basic maintenance (brakes, fluids, etc.) to be drivable. Ivan will shine up the Colonial Cream paint but leave the battles scars alone to preserve the car’s originality. (Image/Ivan Toledo)

Ivan has had the Cutlass for just a few months so most of his time has been spent, in his words, “24/7 cleaning, washing, detailing, swapping parts, replacing parts, and fixing parts.” Being a gearhead, Ivan does have some upgrades in mind, but nothing that would detract from the car’s originality.

Looking to Upgrade or Restore a ’74 Cutlass? Summit Racing has the Parts You Need!

350 CID engine in Ivan Toledo's 1974 Olds Cutlass S
Under the hood is a 350ci Olds Rocket with a four-barrel carburetor. Net ratings for the engine are 180 horsepower and 275 lbs.-ft. of torque. Hooked to a Turbo 350 transmission and a 2.73-geared rear axle, acceleration is more leisurely than snappy. Ivan plans to do a complete engine detailing and some mild performance upgrades for the 350, add a shift kit to the Turbo 350, and swap to 3.23 gears in the 10-bolt rear axle. (Image/Ivan Toledo).

Engine

So far, Ivan has cleaned up the engine compartment, upgraded the ignition system with NGK spark plugs and Taylor ignition wires, and recharged the AC system with R12 (it’s hot in Florida, you know). He does plan on adding a few performance parts down the road but won’t be going full hot rod.

Drivetrain

The 10-bolt rear axle came from the factory with 2.73 highway gears. Ivan will replace them with 3.23 gears and install a shift kit in the Turbo 350 transmission to wake the Cutlass up and make it more fun to drive. 

Rear sway bar on Ivan Toledo's 1974 Olds Cutlass S
The base Cutlass S came with a 1 1/8-inch front sway bar but no rear sway bar. If you checked the order box for the heavy-duty suspension option, you got a larger front bar, a 7/8-inch rear bar, heavy duty shocks, and higher-rate springs. Ivan upgraded to a front sway bar from a 1976 Trans Am WS6 and a rear sway bar from a 1973 GTO. (Image/Ivan Toledo)

Chassis and Suspension

Ivan upgraded factory front sway bar to 1 ¼-inch bar from a 1976 Trans Am WS6. He also added a one-inch diameter rear sway bar from a 1973 GTO. Future upgrades include Aldan American suspension components and front spindles from a 1977-90 GM B-body. The spindles have bigger wheel bearings and allow the use of 12-inch brake rotors from a third-gen 1LE Camaro.

Ivan also plans to add a ‘high-effort’ steering box from a Pontiac Trans Am WS6. The constant-ratio box provides better road feel and more precise steering control.

Body and Paint

Since the Cutlass was a Virginia car all of it’s life and spent a lot of that time in a nice garage, rust is not an issue. Ivan plans on leaving the body and paint just as they are—dents, dings, and all—to preserve the car’s originality.

Ivan Toledo's 1974 Olds Cutlass S with ralllye wheels and BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires
The Olds Rallye wheels and BFGoodrich Radial TA tires give Ivan’s Cutlass the perfect ‘70s vibe. The original owner opted for the color-keyed sport-style sideview mirrors but passed on the vinyl top. 1974 was the first year for 5 MPH bumpers front and rear, but Olds did a pretty good job of integrating them into the body. (Image/Ivan Toledo)

Wheels and Tires

Ivan has replaced the 15-inch steel wheels and whitewall tires with Olds Rallye wheels and 225/70-15 BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires. The Rallyes were a factory option in 1974 so it’s a period-correct upgrade.

Ivan Toledo's 1974 Olds Cutlass S Oxblood interior
Remember when interiors came in actual colors and not just black, gray, and beige? Behold the splendor of the Oxblood Red cockpit in Ivan’s Cutlass S. The car was ordered with the optional vinyl bucket seats, a center console, and air conditioning. Ivan replaced the steering column with a factory tilt column and topped it with the factory-optional four-spoke Rallye wheel. (Image/Ivan Toledo)

Interior

The interior is where Ivan has done the most work. He replaced the steering column with a tilt column topped with the factory optional four-spoke Rallye steering wheel; added a power trunk release; replaced light bulbs with LED bulbs; and added new aftermarket dash speakers. Ivan will redye some of the interior panels to the factory Oxblood color and install a better radio.

Thanks for sharing your Cutlass with us, Ivan. We dig it!

***

WANT TO SHARE YOUR RIDE WITH US? CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED.

***

You may enjoy this article too: A Short History on the Oldsmobile Cutlass

Keywords
Built with Summit , Oldsmobile Cutlass
Share this Article
Author: Alan Rebescher

Editor, author, PR man—Alan Rebescher has done it all in a 37 year career in the high performance industry. He has written and photographed many feature stories and tech articles for Summit Racing and various magazines including Hot Rod, Car Craft, and Popular Hot Rodding, and edited Summit Racing’s Street & Strip magazine in the 1990s. His garage is currently occupied by a a 1996 Mustang GT ragtop.