It’s always nice to run into an old friend on a walk, especially on a bright and colorful fall day. I first ran into it at least ten years ago, when I also shot the owner’s BMW 5 series and had a brief chat with him. The Cutlass was in the garage that day, and he told me had been his dad’s car; his favorite, at that. And that he was going to hang on to it for the long haul, as tribute to his dad. And America?
Yes, the Cutlass was America’s favorite car for years, even if it was edged out by the Chevy Citation in 1980; it was the best seller in 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1983; what a record. The Cutlass hit the sweet spot: not too big, not too small, not too spartan, not too posh, stylish, comfortable, and with an acceptable balance of performance, efficiency, ride and handling. It didn’t excel at any of them, but the the overall balance of qualities made it a winner with a whole lot of Americans.
The Cutlass Supreme Coupe essentially was the Chevy Impala/Caprice of its time; it was fundamentally the same basic idea except one size smaller. Americans had been moving away from the really big full-size cars for some time, and 1973 was the last year at the top for the big Chevy, except for a one-year comeback in 1977, when it was downsized. The first energy crisis put the kibosh on the big barges, and Americans settled in for ride in one size smaller but also one little notch higher on the GM prestige ladder. It’s not easy to say why the Olds Cutlass was the anointed one instead of the very similar Buick Regal, but thus it was. The herd mentality is powerful.
But it wasn’t just folks downsizing; there were probably just as many or more upsizing, from Mustangs and Camaros, Vegas and Pintos, and a few Mavericks for good measure. The Cutlass was the ideal next step up the ladder, corporate or carporate.
This example is mostly in fine fettle, but it does sit outside quite a bit too, which explains the advancing vinyloma on its top. There’s no chemotherapy that’s going to fix that.
The inside is clean but also showing some distinct signs of wear on the plush velour upholstery on the driver’s side. That drooping pocket on the door looks to have been an aftermarket addition. And we can assume the steering wheel was replaced at some point. This is a base Supreme.
The Supreme Brougham brought big soft loose-pillow look upholstery along with a few other brougham-appropriate luxury touches.
There was also a Calais model, with a sporty flavor consisting of bucket seats, console, floor shifter and paint accents, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in the flesh. It made up only about 5% of total Cutlass Supreme production in 1980.
As to drive trains, well, let’s just say in 1980 that wasn’t really high on the agenda. Folks just wanted something that would get them to work comfortably and cruise at the 55 mph speed limit without sucking a lot of that suddenly very expensive gas. The standard engine was the Buick-sourced 3.8 L V6, rated at all of 110 hp. The optional Olds 260 V8 brought that down to 105 hp. Yes; those were the days…But if you had a company gas card, the Chevy 305 with a 4-barrel carb rated at 155 hp was also available, and actually made the Cutlass reasonably brisk — for the times — given its fairly svelte 3,265 lbs (V6 without any other options). And lo! That included a standard automatic on the Supreme, unlike the Aeroback Salon, which still came with a three-speed manual. But we’ve saved the best for last: the optional Olds 5.7 L diesel, now downrated to 105 hp. So: Three rather underwhelming engines with either 105 or 110 hp, or the hot rod Chevy. No wonder probably most just stuck with the V6.
America’s sweetheart, but not for long, all too soon it would be tossed aside for Accords and Camrys. But this original owner wasn’t going to let that happen to his sweetheart. Some folks are loyal lovers.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham – Adulting, 1970s Style
Curbside Classic: 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme – This Is 40
CCCCC Part 10: 1978 Cutlass Supreme Brougham: Supremely Popular, With Certain Exceptions
Thinking back, 1980 was a really grim time to buy a new car, especially if your tastes ran towards American stuff on the more traditional end. Awful, strangled powertrains were the order of the day. Add in the sky-high interest rates, high fuel prices and staggering inflation and it was a terrible time. Someone was pretty financially secure to pop for a new Cutlass Supreme that year. And I applaud the son for hanging on to his father’s car. I don’t think I could have mustered that kind of enthusiasm for one of these.
Don’t forget, you could still get the Olds 307 for awhile also. The Cutlass 442 had the 307 4bbl.
A girl I was dating in 1980 bought a ’79 442 Aeroback and it had a Chevy 305 4 barrel.
Looks very well preserved, even the plastic bumper fillers are still there. I wonder what happened to the steering wheel, did these have the Vega polymer that turned into bumpy sticky goo after a decade in the sun?
My own father’s 1983 Regal was nice to drive, the 3.8 seemed willing but was hampered by the 2.41:1 rear end ratio. Ok on the highway but a slug in town. Given the opportunity I would not have preserved it for posterity.
My father-in-law had a 78 Cutlass Supreme that was a company car he loved. Kind of a burgundy color. He always kicked himself that he didn’t buy it from his employer when it was time to trade. In 1980, they saddled him with a Citation that he truly hated. In 1982, he received a Celebrity, which was a step up.
I found a very similar (though one year older) Cutlass a few years ago. Unfortunately it’s been stuck in my folder of “cars to write up someday” – maybe someday I will. It’s amazing just how popular these were when new. Great to get to know a part of this particular car’s history too.
I do like the rally wheels more than the standard or wire wheel covers though.
Somehow, the very similar, yet very different Buick Regal looked so much better to me. The decklid on the Olds made it look pudgy and frumpy. The Grand Prix and Monte Carlo went off (unsuccessfully to me) in opposite directions. Peak coupe.
I agree with you on the Buick Regal being the better looking car during this period.
It was also fun to walk through a parking lot and when you saw a Regal, you would push gently on the grille. It was spring loaded! It would flex in and then return to its original position.
Honestly, I don’t know why I found this fascinating when I was young, but I did. I suppose it saved many a grille from parallel parking damage being designed that way.
My dad was having fuel delivery issues with his 1976 Cadillac and the dealer gave him a brand new burgundy 1978 Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe as a loaner. It had the 260, and dad really liked driving it. He had it about a week. Mom, however, was not a fan of two door cars as the doors were heavy for her petite body.
I do remember that the blizzard of 1978 hit Columbus during his time with the Oldsmobile and we actually went out in the storm with it! It handled very well.
Nice memories.
One of the best cars I ever owned. 1980 Cutlass 4 door sedan 305 .Great all-round car.
Well, these really were my Dad’s favourites. From ’76 to just after the ’81s rolled out he was the fleet and lease manager at the local Chev-Olds emporium. At that level he could have any model he wanted as a demo (except Corvettes or Toronados). With a few exceptions he chose a Cutlass, and quite a few were some variation of this colour which was very popular at the time. He usually had 3 or 4 over the course of a model year.
I thought the new front end on the ’80 finished off the car the way it should have looked all along. I actually thought the Buick Regal was a better looking car, and I also wonder why it didn’t sell as well.
When it eventually came time to move on from the dealership, I recall him saying he would miss his new Oldsmobiles. It turned out his new company car was a new ’81 Accord coupe with a 5 speed. It made him a Honda believer and he never drove another Oldsmobile again….
Between my friends and brothers, I got to know this vintage of Cutlass’s quite well. There were many with diesels and they all loved them. In fact, one that my brother purchased brand new was around 1981 and it was a special car with the optional true dual exhaust with a diesel. That thing was certainly faster than the average diesel. I loved driving it. The seats in many late 70’s and early 80’s Olds and Pontiac’s were some of the best.
How many liters of peglyte or colyte this brown one take per 100km? Surprising for me knowing that the impossible to forget exam is approaching , next week , to often come across a bronze colonnade in these CC columns these days…I’m just trying to laugh.
“My father’s Oldsmobile” My dad gave his Monte Carlo to his brother and bought a Cutlass Supreme coupe. Yes, he was following automotive fashion.
It seems impossible today that an Oldsmobile personal-luxury coupe was the best-selling car in the US once upon a time, now that Oldsmobile is long gone and PLCs and Broughams are an extinct species; indeed coupes of any kind are a rarity. So different from grey AWD crossovers. One of the keys to the Cutlass’s success was that despite the “luxury” image, it wasn’t really much of a financial stretch beyond your basic Chevy or Ford. Same with Cordoba, Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, ’77-up T-bird, and Regal.
I once had an 84 Cutlass with a 307. Put new doors and new paint on it in 94. I loved this car every day I owned it, but unfortunately lost it in a divorce. This is the last good pic I had of it..
My father bought an 80 Cutlass Supreme LS 4 door sedan after his 70 Cutlass Supreme blew an engine. I helped him choose the options for a factory order.
Our family borrowed it a couple of times including one highway trip into British Columbia. A fine highway car, comfortable, good on fuel with the 307 V8 and a decent trunk. He maintained it better than the 70 Cutlass and traded it in 1990 for a Plymouth Acclaim which was okay but not nearly in the same league as the Cutlass.
Oldsmobile apparently outfoxed its GM siblings with the design of this car. The formal grill, quad headlights, and wheel arch style evoked Cadillac more than the Regal with its dual headlamps, angled grill and rounded arches. Even the larger Buck models had wheel arches closer in appearance to the Cutlass than to the Regal. Not sure which I prefer, but America made its choice rather emphatically.
I had a new 1981 Cutlass. Very nice car, but the anemic V6 ruined an otherwise excellent car.
I still have my first brand new car. It is a 1978 Cutlass Supreme Special Edition. Two tone. Carmine red on white. 305 2V Chevrolet engine. Bucket seats carmine red velour interior. No rust. About 110K miles. I retired the car back in 1998 in my garage and have been restoring it for the past 12 years since my retirement. Most millage is highway all around North America. I have won plaques during car shows. It is in pristine condition now and planning to leave to my grandchildren to remember grandpa. Love the car. I have every oil change receipts and repairs since new. It has been a joy restoring it. I bought the car back in Alberta Canada. Factory NO air conditioning. I paid $6,800 Canadian dollars at the time.
So is that 80′ Cutty for sale or are they gonna let it rot away in the driveway??? feel free to contact me bmannasty@yahoo.com
I bought a used 79’ Cutlass Supreme as my first car. I had the car for 7 years and even though its door skins rusted through and oil changes were never frequent, that poor Olds got a University student home safe every weekend and NEVER failed me. I was so impressed with this car, I bought another 83’ with the Chevy 5.0L and had it for another7 years. I officially became an ‘Oldsmobile Man’ as Ralph’s father was in A Christmas Story