NPCC raffle car begins tour of area communities

The 2022 North Platte Community College raffle car, a 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442, will make appearances in several area communities over the next couple of weeks.

It will start out at the Cruisin’ the Bricks Cruise Night and Car Show from 3-7 p.m. Saturday at West C and Second Street in McCook.

The Cutlass will then return to North Platte where it will be set up at Walmart beginning at 4 p.m. July 1.

Over the Fourth of July, the car will be at the Sutherland Car Show at the city park in Sutherland from 8 a.m. to noon. From there, it will travel to Grant for the Grant Car Show from noon to 5 p.m. in the city park.

On July 7, the vehicle will head north to Broken Bow for Crazy Days. It will be set up in the city square from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tickets will be sold everywhere the vehicle is displayed.

About the car

The Oldsmobile is the 17th raffle vehicle produced by the college’s Transportation Division. It was restored by students in the Automotive Technology and Auto Body Technology programs.

The original interior and rear end of the Cutlass were maintained. The Automotive students put in a L33 aluminum block engine, which was introduced in 2005 as the “high performance” 5.3L engine.

They also installed a 4L65-E heavy-duty automatic transmission - designed to harness performance engines on the street and strip.

Additionally, the Automotive students were responsible for a Kilduff Lightning Rod Shifter, a swap harness from Johnson’s Rodz, tubular upper control arms and 2-inch drop spindles, a custom camshaft and performance tune and tire clearance of the chassis.

Auto Body students added a custom hood and a rear trunk spoiler, painted the vehicle its original gray and silver color and repainted the pinstripes on the sides.

Upcoming appearances 

The Oldsmobile will tour the state throughout the summer, making appearances at car shows, parades and cruise night events. A detailed schedule is posted at mpcc.edu/academics/programs/classic-car-raffle.php.

A total of 10,000 raffle tickets will be offered at a cost of $10 each. Proceeds will be used for scholarships for students in the college’s transportation programs and to help offset the cost of producing the next raffle car project.

A number of businesses, organizations and individuals have offered to sell tickets. In North Platte, those include: Don’s Motor Company, Cohagen Battery Store, Levander’s Body Shop, Grandma’s Memories Antiques and Collectibles, Isabelle’s Auction House, A.J. Janas, Pat Smith, Jody’s Auto Sales and LKQ Corporation.

The Yellow Rose Lounge and Herrick Auto and Marine, in Curtis; Top Notch Auto and Towing and Moe’s Graphics, in Gothenburg; Kent Silvester, in Imperial, Neil Noel, in Beaver City, and Duncan Upholstery, in Cairo will also have tickets.  

Additionally, tickets are available at the welcome centers of MPCC campuses in McCook, North Platte, Broken Bow, Imperial, Ogallala and Valentine.

The drawing for the Oldsmobile will be at 2 p.m. Sept. 10 during the annual Colonel Cody’s Cruise Show and Shine in Memorial Park.