Was watching the Mecum auction from Florida the other day and they ran an 87 Cutlass through that they said was a 442 because it had the 442 decals and stripes. The only problem was it wasn't the Salon interior that looked to be an off white color. Not sure any of the G body 442's had bench seat in that color. Sold for around $10k.

 

From what I have read on the forums, it is not unusual for the auction houses to portray a vehicle incorrectly, and hide behind disclaimers that they are relying on information from the sellers and are not responsible for verifying the accuracy of the information.

 

One thing to keep in mind Ed is that for 1987 442s were an option on Supreme only. Not Salons like previous years.

 

Keep in mind, the auction company is not selling the cars. The owners are. They are merely the vehicle (pun intended) for those owners to offer the cars and accommodate the sale. The auctioneers don't say much more than what they have been told by the owner. Don't get caught up in the "TV" production. That has entertainment value to the TV audience only. The bidders don't see / hear any of it.

 

That particular car has been the object of some discussion on the Olds groups on FB. The bottom line is that the VIN will absolutely tell you if it's a real 442 or not - only 442s got the VIN 9 motor in 1987 - so it isn't worth speculating. There were a lot of non-stock items on that car (including the gold engine). Of course, Mecum didn't publish the VIN. If the buyer didn't check the VIN before plunking down $10K, I have no sympathy.

 

Yeah I saw that too. There was another 87 that crossed the block for I believe 29K. The one that sold for 9K didn't sound quite right. I know it wasn't painted correctly for sure. Obviously the Vin # would have given it away if it wasn't a true 442.