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A quick list of things Cam Newton doesn’t have: a Superbowl ring, a first-rate fashion sense, or a good eye for car customization. We’ve called him out before for his questionable purple War Eagle Chevy Silverado; now, the latest gaudy machine to find a home in Newton’s garage is a mix of old steel and new gold. Feast your eyes on his 1970 Oldsmobile 442 Cutlass, with a host of parts and pieces that Newton had plated in 24-karat gold. Is that the weird part of this story? Sadly, no. The bizarre twist is Newton’s handlers asking the garage responsible for the Midas-touched Olds to shush about the project.
When word about the car broke on ESPN last week, it included a number of colorful quotes from Terry Dobbs, owner of Monster Customs, who oversaw the ‘70s muscle coupe’s transformation. Among the custom work Dobbs and his outfit performed: front grilles dipped in gold, a Carolina Panthers logo added to the left grille (a bolt-on, in case Newton gets traded), a custom steering wheel which incorporates Newton’s initials, the Olds logo and a panther, gold Forgiato rims and bumpers, and diamond stitching on the new interior. (Would including actual diamonds have been too tacky?)
Dobbs told ESPN that the wheels took the longest time to complete, given that the rims are wider than normal and, coupled with the air-ride suspension, there was so much rubbing during turns that the Olds was “practically undrivable.” The engine “also had a few gremlins that needed fixing.” That got us curious about the complexity of the build and mods, so we gave Dobb’s group a ring to ask about the project. We barely got the quarterback’s name out when the fellow at the garage abruptly stopped us, saying “Cam’s media people said they don’t want us talking to anyone about this anymore.” The man declined to elaborate on why, and reiterated we needed to speak to Newton’s publicist.
When reached, a member of Newton’s media team didn’t deny that a moratorium on speaking about the gold Olds existed. We submitted a written request to talk to a member of the build team about the car, though as of publication, we haven’t received a response. When you plate a sizeable chunk of your car gold, people are going to notice and have some follow up questions.
The garage, located in Marietta, Georgia, also worked on Newton’s Chevy Chevelle and is allegedly tackling his Rolls-Royce next. Maybe the Rolls will be partially platinum?