radioburningchrome

Not mine. Surprised no one found this!

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/3382746513.html

Octania

Bearing in mind that CL ads are notoriously short-lived, below is the text from the ad for the 1948 "push-me-pull-you"

"48 Oldsmobile Double Front ,,,as Custom Built ,,For Delaware Oldsmobile Co that used to be in business in northern Del,,rite off of 495 ,,,I did business with them and showed pictures of this car to some of the sales people there ,while they where still selling cars,,,And was told this was a courtesy car that Del Olds Co would use to take customers home/pickup and also deliver parts to their accounts with,,,I was also told that this car was built and assembled by a Delaware Body shop ,,called ,,Johns Auto Body and that they where known to have built other cars like this too,,,I first saw this car up on Rt 130 At Delran Nj car lot near The Bridge,,,Now a big Lowes sits rite across from where this car used to sit for many years ,,until now down on Rt 130 in Westville Nj , Where it is today ,,,You can Own a part of American Auto Folk Roadway /Art ,,,that is a well known south jersey icon ,,,,The car truly did run and has one completed set of controls to operate and drive this car,,the other side is just a dummy set ,but totally complete just as the other front ,,,Has 2 complete fronts and dash and drivers seats for ? Front and Front ,,,or East n West,,,where the trunk should be is just under one of the hoods,,This car has the original 8cyl motor with standard shift , and all other equipment hooked up to drive wheels,,,Appears to have a longer wheelbase than the stock Olds it or they where built From,,,Has not run in many Years,,But would Make a wonderful Project for Some one to tackle over the Winter,,All for 2450,,,Please Call 856 371 1110 for More info and when You want to View a part of Auto History,,thanks Frank"

tru-blue 442

Pretty crazy.
Would have loved to see it in it's hayday.

66400

I recall seeing that car in Dover, Del on Rte 13 at a used car lot sometime in the early/mid '60's. Think it was Lee Slaughter's used cars. Used to go past it twice a day going to school.

Henry

Allan R

I've seen other cars like that. Looks way nicer in an older body like that though. All you'd need is 2 48's that had front end damage and you've got 2 projects!

Neat looking car - love the patina. Would make a cool rat rod.

oldspackrat

Make it like the 442MUCH & put a toro drive line in both ends.

Allan R

Am I missing something here Scott? 442MUCH is a member here (Ken Pilidis) and also the pres of the NLCO club in Western Canada. Here's his car, which I can assure you from sitting in it in person; it has a single 455/400 AT.

J-(Chicago)

Allan, I believe he was referring to the funny car, but somehow confused it with the Hurst Hairy Olds car.
http://www.oldsmobility.com/old/lutz&lundberg.htm

oldspackrat

Yeah, i was thinking of the hurst hairy olds, doesn't it say 442 much on the side? Sorry for the confusion.

joe_padavano

Yeah, I remember seeing a Toro like this decades ago. The difference is that the Toro COULD be driven from either end, since it had two complete FWD drivetrains.

D. Yaros

On the subject of twin-engined Toro's (which happens to be an upcoming Car Collector Chronicles article) is this (WARNING - LONG):

1966 Two Engine Toronado - The Ultimate Sleeper Car 850HP

The very unique two engine 1966 Toronado built by the Grant Piston Ring Company was sold in 2007. A gentleman from Olympia, WA also owns a similar two engine 1966 Toronado.

The car was built by the late John Gorman, a true craftsman and known for his building of the Indy car driven by Jerry Grant. The VIN # on this car is 396876M502405 and mileage is 6886 (believed to have been zeroed out when the second engine was installed).

The folklore of this particular car is that the builder John Gorman was part of the engineering team that designed and built the Grant Piston Ring car. He decided to build another one for himself while improving, modifying and creatively adding some amazing engineering wizardry to this car.

The current owner purchased this car in 1978 and has only driven it approx. 300 miles in the last 32 years. Unlike the Grant Piston Ring Toronado which needed a complete restoration, this car is in very nice condition and can be enjoyed and driven today. The car was re-painted prior to 1978 and the paint is holding up quite well considering the amount of time that has passed. It is certainly not show condition but it is quite good according to the owner.

This unique car has:
4-Wheel Drive
850 Cubic Inches
approx. 850 Horsepower
MSD igntion system
high performance Oldsmobile camshafts
Holley 850 CFM double pumper carbs

Unique Features of this Car:
Street legal engines may be operated together or independently. Only two of these cars are in existence today of which the original car was built by Grant Piston Ring Company at a cost of $40,000 in 1966.

Car Specifications

Drivetrain:
Engines (2)
No. of cylinders and type V-8 OHV x 2
Bore x Stroke, mm 105 x 101
Inch 4.11 x 3.98
Displacement (cubic inches) 850
Compression Ratio 10.5:1
BHP @rpm (both engines) 850 @4800
Ignition 2 Independent systems/MSD
Fuel Type Premium Unleaded

Chassis & Suspension:
Frame Type Boxed perimeter supplemented by Grant sub frame in rear
Brake System Drum front and rear
Swept Area 367 sq. in.
Tire Size 8.85-15
Steering Type Power Rack & Pinion
Turns, lock to lock 3.4
Turning Circle 43.3
Front Suspension Unequal, A-arms, torsion bars, tube shocks, anti roll bars
Rear Suspension Same as front, except mounted on subframe with locked tie rods

General:
Curb Weight, lb 5661
Test Weight, lb 6041
Weight Distribution (with driver)
Front/Rear % 48/52
Wheelbase, in 120.0
Track, front/rear, in 63.5/63.5
Overall length, in 211.0
Width 78.5
Height 52.8
Frontal Area, sq.ft 23.0
Ground Clearance, in 4.7
Overhang, front/rear 48.0/42.0
Departure Angle, degree 13.4
Usable Truck Space, cubic ft 12

Drivetrain: (2)
Transmissions Automatic, torque converter, 3-Speed Turbo Hydromatic TH400
Gear Ratios: 3rd (1.00) 3.21:1
2nd (1.48) 4.76:1
1st (2.48) 7.96:1
Differential Type Planetary
Ratio 3.21

joe_padavano

Not exactly what I was talking about. I was referring to a car with two Toro front ends, able to be driven from either end. The Grant car is well documented but not really the same thing here.

65B01Delta

That is one Sweet 442 you have there Alan R. Also I would have to say, I never seen a 2 headed car before til now.. I thought I've seen them all, but I guess not. Interesting.....

Diego

Funny you mention this, as I drove down 13 from Wilmington to Lewes on Xmas Day. I didn't see any cool cars on the side of the road like I used to. Even the Blue Hen Mall is abandoned.

Allan R

Thanks for the clarification Joe.

Umm, re read that post and you'll see I said it belonged to Ken Pilidis who's a friend of mine. I got a little confused with the thread topic because I'm so familiar with "the beast's license plate.

65B01Delta

My Bad

Allan R

No worries. I wish that car really was mine. It's an uber rare car with it's production run and option list. Ken looks after it really well. I think he would sleep in the garage sometimes just to be near it. Well, he has the couch, TV and coke fridge there anyway. Just needs a quick run to the house for biffy breaks.

tru-blue 442

So Allan, did Ken customize an old
OAI hood or fabricate his own?
That is a sweet looking 76? I LIKE that color blue.
And what the heck is a biffy?

Allan R

The hood is from VFN. He still has the OEM hood and both are color matched to the car. The VFN hood is attached with OEM hinges IIRC and looks just awesome. I think the spoiler came off an 80's Buick. Anyway, it's also a transplant but definitely enhances the aggressive look to the car.

Color is factory. He recently had it completely repainted - took almost 10 months in the shop. Was a frame on resto though, mostly on insurance claim against the previous workmanship when the car started to develop some rust issues because of faulty workmanship on a previous repaint. You should take a look at his pics hosted on Car Domain http://www.cardomain.com/ride/205780...ldsmobile-442/



A biffy? Think outhouse....