Practically Perfect: Greg and Trisha Cline's 1960 Oldsmobile 88 Fiesta

Congratulations! You’ve settled down, had a couple kids, and moved out to the suburbs. The next step is to sell your Camaro and score a sweet deal on one of those obnoxiously practical “crossover vehicles” you heard about at the last PTA meeting.

Championing cupholders over cubic inches and versatility over velocity, these not-quite-a-van, not-quite-an-SUV, not-quite-a-wagon family haulers have become the official transport of the lacrosse carpool, and boast about as much street cred as a non-fat pumpkin spice latte with extra foam. So how does a self-respecting car enthusiast transition gracefully into parenthood without surrendering his hot rodder card? Just ask Greg Cline. 

His 1960 Olds 88 Fiesta Wagon is rolling proof that starting a family doesn’t necessarily confine all future cruise-ins to the drop-off/pick-up line of the elementary school parking lot. Boasting all the hallmarks of a show-winning pro tourer while comfortably seating seven, Greg’s long-roof street rod is a true car guy’s take on the modern people mover.

“I was looking for something different that the whole family could ride in,” explains Greg. “Originally, I wanted to go for the rat rod look. That way, dents and scrapes wouldn’t be a big deal. But the more work I put into it, the more it started to snowball out of control!”

That’s a familiar story for anyone who knows Greg. Inheriting the family body shop from his father—along with his lifelong love of cars—Greg has an incredible rap sheet of completed projects, including a blown Chevy C-10, a 1933 Ford Vicky street rod, a 1966 Buick Skylark, and many more—all built for hauling, but never of the family variety.

Greg turned to the modern home of the barn find—eBay—to start his latest build, with the winning bid earning him the keys to a rare 9-passenger Olds Fiesta wagon, complete with a 371 Rocket V8 under the hood, factory A/C, a few spots of rust, and acres of hail-damaged sheetmetal—the perfect starting point for his ratty aspirations. But when that 50-year-old A/C started blowing hot air, the rough-and-ready family truckster took off in an entirely new direction.

“We had the front clip off to fix the A/C, and my dad suggested that we might as well pull the motor for a quick look while we were in there,” remembers Greg. “It turned out to have a couple bad rings, so we sent the block out to be machined.” And with the engine out, the Olds found its way onto the shop’s rotisserie so Greg could smooth out those banged-up body panels. 

“It’s so long, the Olds just about maxed out the rotisserie,” recalls Greg. But with the Fiesta up in the air, he was able to weld and smooth the frame, repair the wagon’s rotten spare tire carrier, and persuade the sheetmetal back to its original shape…mostly.

“No matter how many times we smoothed the hood, it would always have a dip in it by morning,” explains Greg. He had discovered that over time, the hood couldn’t support the weight of the filler across that huge, flat expanse of steel. “So we flipped it over and knocked a ridge down the middle with a chisel to give it the right amount of structure.” That character line gave the hood the added strength it needed, plus a subtle custom touch to the look of the Olds.  

With the sheetmetal sorted, Greg finished the exterior in a tasty two-tone combination of Honda Galapagos Green and Lexus Bamboo Pearl Metallic, playing off the wagon’s original green-tinted glass. Underneath, the frame received equal attention, sporting a coat of Magnetic Gray Metallic paint taken from the Toyota chip chart. “We wanted to keep it pretty classic, so that 20 years from now we wouldn’t have to paint it again,” says Greg. “That’s a lot of hard work…and a lot of paint!”

When it came time to drop that rebuilt Rocket V8 between the wagon’s freshly painted fenders, Greg encountered a slight issue—he didn’t have an engine. The machine shop in charge of the rebuild had dropped off the grid, closing its doors permanently and losing the motor in the process. Oops.

While an AWOL engine might pose a bit of a problem for the average enthusiast, it was just another day at the shop for Greg. Unlike the spare distributor cap or grimy old differential you might have squirreled away in your garage, he was able to pull a complete LS1 out of storage to keep his project on track. And no stranger to engine swaps, he quickly fabbed up a set of custom motor mounts and bolted in the LS, complete with a GM 4L60E transmission and a steering rack from a late-model Pontiac GTO.

Topped with a one-of-a-kind cover, that makeshift LS looks right at home inside the Fiesta’s cavernous engine compartment. “The engine shroud is actually made from scraps I collected from other cars,” Greg points out. “Anytime I saw something with a cool bend, I’d set it aside, then I bonded all the parts together and painted it. The worst part was that I had to buy a brand-new cover from an Escalade and cut it up just so the alternator and A/C compressor covers matched.”

With 5.7 liters of fuel-injected street cred under the hood, Greg finally turned his attention to the Fiesta’s passenger accommodations—the true measure any of family hauler. But unlike a modern crossover, you won’t find any tacked-on nav screens or armrest refrigerators inside. Instead, Greg opted for a fresh take on old school, swapping the original front-row bench for a pair of late-model Chrysler buckets, bolting in a custom rear-facing jump seat, and wrapping all three rows in Light Olive leather complete with ’60s-chic tweed inserts.

Other discreetly modern interior touches include Electric Life power windows and a JVC audio system, plus a one-of-a-kind center console outfitted with an iPod hookup and—of course—a pair of cupholders. And remember the busted air conditioning that started this whole build? That’s been replaced with a complete system from Vintage Air, hiding much of it in what Greg describes as “the world’s smallest glovebox.”  

Hauling around a growing family has—and always will be—something of a car enthusiast’s conundrum, pitting practicality against driving perfection. But Greg met the challenge with a little hot rod ingenuity, combining the cathedral-like space and comfort of a purpose-built people mover, with the heart and soul of a classic musclecar. The result is a no-compromise, one-of-a-kind wagon that’s practically perfect. 

Story: Dan Michaud
Design: Lance Nemes
Photography: Todd Biss Photography

FAST SPECS

1960 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Fiesta
Greg & Trisha Cline
Winfield, West Virginia

Chassis
Frame: Welded and smoothed, painted PPG Magnetic Gray Metallic
Suspension: RideTech ShockWave air suspension (front)/sleeved bags (rear), custom rear leaf springs with Bilstein shocks
Wheels and Tires: Billet Specialties Bonneville wheels (18" x 7" front, 20" x 10" rear), Nitto NT555 Extreme tires (225/45R18 front, 275/35R20 rear)
Brakes: Disc brake conversion (GM 13" front, 12" rear)
Other Items: Pontiac GTO rack-and-pinion steering with custom mounts

Engine and Transmission
Engine Type: GM LS1
Induction: Custom cold air intake with Spectre Performance cone-style filter
Exhaust: Hooker Super Comp block hugger headers, custom 2 1/2" stainless steel exhaust, Dynatech PowerCat catalytic converters, Borla Turbo mufflers
Transmission Type: GM 4L60E
Other Items: Custom engine shroud and radiator covers, Summit Racing dual-pass aluminum radiator, Summit Racing stainless steel hoses and aluminum AN fittings, custom wiring harness
Wiring By: Scott Thompson

Body
Modifications: Removed roof rack, smoothed roof and floor pans, modified hood with additional character line 
Paint Color: PPG Bamboo Pearl Metallic (bottom)/ Galapagos Green (top)
Body and Paint By: Greg Cline and David Johns, Greg Cline Automotive
Chrome Plating By: Steve Tracy, Advanced Plating

Interior
Modifications: Chrysler 300 front bucket seats; custom rear-facing jump seat, door cards, and center console; Speedhut Legacy gauges; stainless steel cargo strips
Upholstery: Light Olive leather with tweed inserts, Dark Green German square weave carpeting
Steering: CON2R Series One steering wheel
Other Items: Custom dashboard emblems with carbon fiber inserts, custom rear package tray, Electric-Life power windows, Vintage Air SureFit air conditioning system, JVC stereo and amplifier with Diamond Audio speakers
Upholstery By: Chuck Hanna

Special Thanks
Dave Spangler and David Johns, plus my wife and kids: Trisha, Mollie, and Caitlin