It was 1997 and I was on my way to take my driver's license exam when I first saw her: a beautiful '77 Cutlass S 442. It was love at first sight. Within an hour, I had passed the exam and was talking to the seller. As I drove her home, sixteen years of Oldsmobile obsession had paid off. I finally had one of my own. And I never let go. We've had our ups and downs throughout the years. With only 42,000 miles on her at the time, she won me a few "best of show" competitions at local car shows. After a few years, I installed dual exhausts and then foolishly cut my dash to install a cd player (it was the trend at the time!) Then, during my senior year in high school, I totaled the front end being "stupid." I wasn't able to find another set of '77 grills that I was happy with so I settled on a set from '76. I think of it as a reminder, to myself and others, not to be an idiot. That and I kinda like the look of them. Eventually, I ran off to college and moved across the country. You'd be surprised at how fast seven years goes by. The car sat with my parents before I moved back east to be reunited with my love. I hope to never be separated again. I get her out for the summers and with 62,000 miles on her, she's still in great shape. She's showing her years, that paint isn't what it use to be, but the 350 V-8 is as strong as ever (and pulling in 17 mile-per-gallon, I might add) and the white vinyl interior is just as blinding as the day she rolled off the assembly line. Every time I look at her, I'm reminded of how great a car Oldsmobile had built. And for that I am thankful.

- Chris