Driveway Find: 1980 Olds Cutlass Supreme Coupe – It Was Dad’s Favorite Car As Well As America’s

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