Have any of you been the younger one among older kids? In my neighborhood, all the kids were older, so while I may have been dismissively regarded as a tag-along at times, the things these kids were into—like music—trickled down to me. This was also true with cars.
My family used to rent a house in Dewey Beach, Delaware, with two other families. Among the eight kids, only two were younger than me. Of the older bunch, Dan Martinez was the one who was into cars. He also was a fledgling heavy metal guitarist whose future band, Solitude, established a fine East Coast following and even managed to score a record deal.
Dan’s mom had a 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Holiday Coupe she bought new, and it was her main mode of transportation through the 1980s. I grew up hearing that distinctive Oldsmobile sound. Of course, with his driver’s license a year away, Dan was already well-versed in Oldsmobiles, no doubt assisted by periodic purchases of Hot Rod and Car Craft. At the tender age of 15, Dan set out to find a 4-4-2.
What ended up in his garage was a well-worn Willow Gold 1968 4-4-2 originally owned by a lady. Options included an automatic transmission with a center console, air conditioning, a vinyl top, and wheel covers.
Over the subsequent year, Dan’s sister Denise drove him to school until he obtained his license. A mild fender bender grounded the Olds, which meant he had to scour local junkyards for parts, but he did manage to score 1968 Hurst/Olds “Force Air” scoops. As the new parts needed to be painted, Dan opted for an entire repaint, going with a bright orange similar to a Hugger Orange that leaned towards the red side. Local GTO hot shoe Jim Hostler also helped with the top-end rebuild and a rear-end update. The vinyl top was left off, but the trim on the C-pillars remained.
During this time, I was still a kid, but I was able to enjoy the connection because seeing an interesting old car on the street was always enlightening, whether I was visiting the Martinez family or our annual beach rental. The influence was such that when I was looking for my own car, I almost knew enough about Oldsmobiles to ask the right questions and ended up with one myself, even though I lusted after a GTO.
Then, my family moved to New Jersey. I remember visiting Wilmington and happened to see Dan and his shiny car on Greenhill Avenue. Alas, I was behind him and he would not have recognized me driving Mom’s car as we made turns in different directions.
Through all these years, Dan kept the 4-4-2. He didn’t get to enjoy it for as long as he had hoped, parking it at bandmate Rod Cope’s house. Before he knew it, 18 years had passed, with the band, education, professional life, and family all demanding his attention. Being forced to move the Olds from Rod’s yard was the impetus Dan needed to sit in the driver’s seat once again. It spent a year at Bill Cannon’s Awesome Engines in Selbyville, where the engine, transmission, fuel system, cooling system, brakes, and suspension were fixed. However, the body needed attention due to fumes seeping into the cabin, so another year was spent at Carmen’s Auto Body in Aston, Pennsylvania—Carmen surprised Dan with a new vinyl top, no less. Dan himself handled the dashboard, interior, and electrical and sound systems.
Forty years later, the 4-4-2 looks as you see it here. An addition that I, personally, am on board with is the W36 stripe, which was an option only for 1968. Considering the high school parking lot was dominated by Chevys, Dan deserves kudos for bucking the trend and representing Lansing’s finest for four decades.
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