(first posted 9/24/2013) OK, right off the bat: I love Broughams. Cadillac, Mercury Marquis, Gran Torino–I can find something positive to say about all of them, never mind the strangled engines, chintzy material quality and indifferent assembly. But just last week I saw perhaps the finest Brougham I’ve found all year, a 1977 Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe. And there’s a family memory related to this one, folks!
What is a Brougham? A Brougham should be classy and comfortable, with a quiet ride, smooth V8 power and all sorts of power assists and gadgets to keep up the interest level as the vehicle ages. The Colonnade Cutlass Supreme Brougham hit all of those targets with a solid “10.”
There is little doubt that the Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe was the finest, most luxurious, most attractive and -quite indisputably- the most popular of the 1973-77 GM Colonnade mid-sizers. Yes, the same Colonnades that 1968-72 A-body snobs deride, are hated by performance enthusiasts and panned by collectors even today. But I don’t give a flying flip what others think: I love ’em!
A lot of folks who enjoy Colonnades prefer the purer 1973-75 models with their scalloped rocker panels, relatively less obtrusive Federally-mandated bumpers and, at least in 1975 models with swivel-bucket seats, reversible upholstery cushions with cloth on one side and vinyl on the other. But despite its similarity to the ’76-’77 Buick Regal coupe, my favorite is the ’76-’77 Cutlass Supreme coupe–and being a Brougham only adds to its appeal!
Why a Brougham? Oh, that’s easy, With the Brough-ham you got the nice, cushy velour upholstery and ultra-comfy floating-pillow seating. Not to mention flossier trim, both inside and out.
Even back-seat passengers did not miss out on the luxury, with poofy, oh-so-comfortable pseudo-buckets in the rear compartment. And the middle passenger? Fuggedabout’em! This car was meant to ferry two upwardly mobile young couples out on the town to have a fine time. A fifth passenger was just a third wheel, man!
Today, when even luxury makes are looking like boring, silver Blandmobiles, these Cutlasses may look tacky, with their ample chrome, stand-up hood ornament and floating-pillow interior trim; but in their day, they were classy. Owning a Cutlass Supreme Brougham in the mid-Seventies meant you were On Your Way Up. Some might call them cheesy anachronisms, but I love their lines. They are truly a classic design–and don’t let the anti-Colonnade brigade tell you otherwise!
I love all CSBs, but what really drew me to this example was that it is absolutely identical to my cousin Dawn’s first car. About 1987, my Uncle Don found her a nice, solid ’77 Cutlass Supreme identical to this one, with Super Stock wheels, whitewalls, silver-blue metallic paint and white vinyl roof.
Well, almost. Dawn’s car was NOT a Brougham, and it made do with a light-blue pleated vinyl interior. I was about seven at the time, and we happened to be at my aunt and uncle’s house the day Don brought it home. I remember being in my cousin Suzy’s room upstairs when Aunt Candy called up to us that the car was here; I looked out the second-story window and was immediately smitten with the silver-blue Cutlass.
That car was sharp. Many Cutlass Supremes were running around the Quad Cities in the late ’80s, but most of them were rusted-out refugees; Dawn’s looked nearly new. I remember going for a ride in it through Credit Island Park, sitting in the back seat and looking out that narrow opera window at the Mississip’. A cherished memory, to this day.
I remember Dawn’s CS was not as well equipped as Aunt Candy’s ’76 Cutlass Supreme Brougham. Despite having its paint and glass ruined by the nearby Blackhawk Foundry, that car was much more luxurious, with its maroon crushed velour and digital clock. Dawn’s car had only an “Oldsmobile” logo where Aunt Candy’s car had a state-of-the-art digital quartz timepiece!
And the ’77s had an odd extrusion on the center of the steering wheel; Candy’s ’76 had a smooth steering wheel hub. Also, the cool “eye-socket” A/C vents in the ’76s were replaced with boring rectangular vents on the ’77s. Little did I know that the final-year ’77s received new vents because the molds for the ’73-’76 dash had plumb worn out, something I found out much later. And yes, folks, this CC has a genuine 19K-odd original miles! I had the good fortune to sit in the driver’s seat of this car, and I have to tell you I loved it! The comfort, the nostalgia… shoot, should I buy it?
And while today’s car is missing that oh-so-impressive digital clock, it is otherwise loaded with optional Oldsmobile goodies, including AM/FM stereo, A/C, cruise control and rear-window defogger. Love those wood-grain radio knobs, too!
Today’s car is a beauty. Not only is it in fine original condition, you CCers could make it your own if you so desire. Want the finest Colonnade in the Middle West? All it takes is money…
This car has been pampered, babied, and garaged since new, as you can clearly see from the pristine factory-applied paint, pinstripes and landau vinyl roof.
It is also an original Quad Cities car, sold new at Hacker Oldsmobile, in Moline, which today is home to Green Chrysler-Chevrolet (home of the Town & Country). Look at that paint, that chrome! You cannot duplicate originality like this!
As is oft said, they are only original once. I spotted this car on the way out to my folks on September 19, and upon spotting that silver-blue paint and white landau top, I had to turn around and check it out. Love! Want! Must…take…photos for CC!
Fortunately, the proprietor of South Hampton Service knows my dad, and when I expressed my interest in documenting this fine survivor, Mark not only agreed, but asked, “Would you like me to move it so you can get better pictures?” Oh, yes, thanks!
Not only did that give me a better set of pictures, but I got to hear that fabulous Oldsmobile 350 fire up and run! Yes, Olds got a lot of flak about putting 350 Chevys into their Cutlasses and 88s, but this ’77 has a genuine Olds V8 in it. I have probably heard Olds V8s run before, but I never paid attention. After hearing Mark fire this one up, I must agree with many of you in CC: The Olds V8 has a great sound all its own, and…it sounds fine! Blub-blub-blub-blub-blub… heaven!
And if that isn’t enough, this Brougham is among the last of the Colonnades, with a build date of June 1977–just before the Aeroback Salons and notchback CS A-bodies came on line. The last of the most popular Olds in history…
Mark is putting a new water pump in this lovely car, but the current owner wants to sell and I am intrigued. I love it…but do I need it? No–but I love it! Should I buy? What’s the price? Can the V50 sit outside? Arrgh…I am so dazed and confused by this lovely car! Should I buy it? Should you? What do you think?
Fantastic car, but….crank windows on a Cutlass Supreme Brougham? That’s disappointing, in my opinion…
But not at all uncommon then in an Oldsmobile. Through the 70s, power windows were exotic things for rich people in their Cadillacs and Lincolns. “Regular” people who bough Oldsmobiles, especially Cutlasses, usually didn’t spring for the power windows. I would be surprised if there was a 20% take rate or power windows on that generation of Cutlass. My mother bought a 72 Cutlass at the end of the model year that was the only one on the lot with bucket seats, and it also had power windows. We thought we were decadent. She didn’t get another car with them until the 85 Crown Victoria.
When I was shopping upscale mid-size personal luxury cars from this era, I really wanted a very loaded car. They were a little thin in the real world. A loaded T-Top that I wanted still lacked power windows. That fact, plus slightly tired condition caused me to move on to the car I eventually bought.
You see occasional GM convertibles from this era that have many options, but still might lack power windows. It still strikes me as odd that people would spend a relative fortune on a higher end toy, and blow off a perhaps $150.00 option that complimented a convertible top.
PW weren’t for everybody back then. My Dad ordered a 76 Monte Carlo Landau with many options but did not order PW or PDL. He told me they weren’t necessary on a 2 door car. But what a car it was, special ordered with the following: Silver with white Landau top and white vinyl bucket seats, console shifter, 400-4bbl, 373 real axle, Turbine wheels, forced air rear defrost, AMFM 8 track, lighting group, cruise, and tilt
Power windows weren’t as reliable and still a ‘luxury. Many buyers avoided them not wanting to worry about a window not closing. But also, adjusting for inflation, the option was pricey for the time.
I can remember my uncle talking about a co-worker who had bought a brand-new car with power windows, seats and door locks in the 1970s. His view was that all of those luxuries meant that there were “more things to eventually break.”
Power windows were not a priority among most car buyers at this time. Air conditioning and AM-FM stereo were the primary “must have” options among “family car” buyers in the 1970s.
You all make good points, but this is a Cutlass Supreme Brougham…to load up this car the way they did and then leave out the power windows simply looks weird to me. Just my personal opinion…
I relate. As nice as this car is, I’d be tempted to add power windows. I’d rather load up a base model than order a stripper TOL model!
Nice. My Dad had a 77 just like this, only green on green. These do look better to me than the single headlight predecessors(never liked that on ANY colonnade) and the upright front end and roofline of the Supreme is very tasteful.
Not many Olds like that about here thouh as usual you post I find its in mint condition but the filler pieces behind the bumper are missing, even appears to have been reroofed
None of the filler pieces are missing they are just recessed on these models.
I do think you may be right about the roof having been replaced, the grain on it should match the grain on the trim pieces.
That grain looks very familiar. I remember cleaning it many times. If it was replaced, it is probably correct – at least for ’76. The trim pieces are probably correct slightly mismatched like that. More like the grain that my ’73 Cutlass Supreme had on its full vinyl top.
Tom…as I type this during lunch I think back to this morning when I drove in to the office in pillow top comfort from behind the wheel of my 80 Cutluss Brougham…so I have to tell you BUY that car. I know we have a few non-Broughamites among us, but I for one drive my Brougham with pride..yes it has a half vinyl padded top, rallye wheels, and chrome in all the right places..the pillow top seats are done in 70’s courderoy-..and has all the imitation wood, power windows, door locks, clock,.. and painted chrome vents and the original AM/FM 4 speaker radio with adjustable Base/Trebble that still plays great..and it is sitting in a parking lot full of generic SUV’s and Camry’s-..so holds your head high–slap down the cash and get that Brougham–it’s a looker!
One thing I noticed was that the dashboard labeling font was the original font from ’73 or earlier, but the radio markings had the 1977 and later fonts, which were first used, I think, in the downsized 1977 B-bodies.
I love it!!!
If you don’t buy, howabout letting me have it, I would love it to the end.
These and their Regal cousins were the cat’s meow in ’76/’77, after the coupes received the flat flanks and the rectangular headlights. I think of the inaugural Colonnades in ’73, the Monte Carlo was the most popular. I’m a little embarrassed to admit my brother and I talked my mother into buying said Monte when we found out a new Impala or Caprice had become too long to fit in our 1930s-era 18-foot long garage. A 4-door Colonnade would have been more practical, but as college students at the time, we thought the Monte was so much more flashy! At least ours wasn’t very Broughamy — no vinyl roof (half or full), no whitewalls, and no bordello interior.
I’m among the older crowd here like Paul, Syke, and Zackman, so my preference for style would be a mid-60s GM car or a 2-seat T-Bird. For ’50s kitsch, I’d take a ’57-’58 Mopar (but how many of the latter are out there in this condition and likely price)?
Still, this Cutlass is a beautiful car when viewed from a perspective of almost 40 years on. The color combo is perfect, and as other commenters have pointed out, you get reasonable handling compared to earlier decades and some important safety features like belts for all occupants (shoulder belts up front), energy-absorbing steering column, and a puncture-resistant fuel tank, at least in a 30 mph rear-end crash test. Plus there’s no absurdly long hood like the Monte Carlo or Grand Prix had.
The car is in excellent condition and the low mileage appears to be real. Last, IIRC Tom, you are single, so there’s no wife to veto the decision. (Marriage has many rewards, but this isn’t one of them!)
Sweet! My neighbor has a gold one of these he bought new, and while the exterior is beautiful, the interior is not nearly as impressive as this. Cool website! If any you guys need bumper fillers or body extensions for one like it, or most other cars from the era, I sure would appreciate your business! Art http://www.autorifix.com
I bought one when I was 17, my first car, and I have it at age 27 and runs as great as it did when I got her. Best car ever! I bought a chrysler 300 so i could park her for a while and the computer went out two years later so I’m back to driving the most reliable vehicle. I believe you wont regret it, I havent even being offered cash in hand for her and turning it down only makes me smile. Buy it!!!
Great thread! And what a beauty!! Tom, did you ever buy the car? I love these cars. My father owned two collonade cars when I grew up in Sweden back in the 70’s, one Chevelle Malibu Classic and a Cutlass Supreme Brougham. After my father passed away late 2012, I started to search for both of them and I found one of them back; the Cutlass. It was sitting on the west coast of Sweden, owned by a farmer who was the fith owner. I contacted him and after some 9 months of negotiations I finally managed to persuade him to sell it back to me. So, I bought back the very same car my father drove when I grew up, 30 years after he sold it! Although the car was in pretty decent condition, I decided to bring it back to its original glory. I drowe the car to Luxembourg where I live and it spent pretty much all of 2013 in a body shop where they restored the body, changed the vinyl on the roof and sprayed it in its original color. Right now the engine is being restored and while I’m at it it’ss getting its original Olds metallic blue paint. Spring is around the corner here in Luxembourg so I hope I can soon take her out for a spin again! The car is a 1976 Cutlass Supreme Brougham, the last model with the 455 cui and400 tranny and it has the Hurst Hatch roof. I attach a picture below, it’s from Sept last year.
In the end, I got the impression from the garage owner working on it that the owner wanted quite a bit for it, so sadly, I passed. But I couldn’t shake the idea of a nice older car, so I bought a 2000 Lincoln Town Car Cartier that more or less fell into my lap.
Read all about it here: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/my-first-curbside-classic-2000-lincoln-town-car-cartier-edition-of-mccarthy-my-grandparents-and-other-things/
Very nice car and a great story Tom, congrats and enjoy! Makes me want to buy a Lincoln as well…I need a bigger garage!
Thanks! Your Supreme Brougham is very sharp too. It looks nearly identical to the one in the ’76 brochure, save the T-top. That T-top has to be rare; I’ve never seen one, though I did see one on a 1977-79 Thunderbird back in the early ’90s.
It is really neat that you bought back your dad’s car. If you ever want to do a “My CC” on it, let Paul, Perry or I know.
I have a 77 Cutlass Supreme Brougham that I have bought from Arizona with the exact same color combination. The car that was posted in the beginning of this post is by far the “fairest of them all.” I hope you did buy it. I would have!! I am restoring mine and I have lot of original parts. I have even been able to find rolls of original interior fabric as I have had one of these cars about 15 years ago and I restored it as well. I am 46 years old now and I have had a 74 or 77 Cutlass in my posession since I was 17. I am working on restoring the one in my post now. They are my favorite car of all time.
That waterfall grille… Anyone else notice that newer BMWs are getting a similar look to their “kidneys”? BMW = the new Olds.
BMW and Pontiac’s grilles evolved into an ever-converging shape through the ’80s and ’90s.
I know this is a old thread but WOW that is a beautiful car! 20 years ago my first car was a 77 Cutlass I got for $200 ,almost identical as this one. It was in bad shape but I was able to drive it home. My dad and I completely brought it back to life, we replace literally half the car because it was all rusted out. I had it for a few years and then sold it to a friend because I needed a truck for work. He ended up trashing the car and then totaling it. I still haven’t got over that and would still like to find another one someday. Anyway again that is a beautiful car and it gives me hope that there are still nice clean cars out there that people do take care of. Thanks for sharing.
GM understood the importance of the personal luxury car market in the mid ’70s and the marketing executives decided to remove the side sculpturing from the Cutlass and Buick Regal coupes. The result was a very clean and handsome car which sold over a million units in two years. The waterfall grill was a nice touch that set the Cutlass apart.
IMHO I like the revised dash on the ’77’s as it seems to be more in tune with the Brougham interior. I do have a slight preference for the ’76 velour cloth pattern and interestingly enough both the ’76 and ’77 velour patterns are identical to the more expensive Toronado.
What a surprise! I didn’t know my vehicle had such a following! Thank you for the wonderful write up Mr Klockau. If you or anyone else is interested in viewing or purchasing the vehicle, feel free to call or text me at 309 737-6671. Thank you all again for comments!
I remember these cars were commonly seen on the road well into the 90’s and this was always one of my favorite vehicles built during the mid to late 70’s era, I can see why these cars were a huge success in sales, I also loved the soft velour seats in these cars and the blue interiors, I also preferred the squared headlights on these cars over the rounded headlights, I always felt the squared headlights gave the car a more upscale look.
hey. i always wanted one of these the same color inside and out as the car in the top picture -green/green [?] since the day i could drive. so today i finally got to buy one. mine is blue/blue but i want to paint it green outside and dye it green inside.
The Honda Civic seems to be the car that most often gets the nod as the car of the seventies decade, but I think I’d go with the ’76-’77 Olds Cutlass Brougham. If you aspired to a Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, or Cordoba but couldn’t afford one, no problem; here’s a good-looking Cutlass Brougham for you that still had plenty of luxury and class. It really appeared that as much as Pontiac owned the sixties, Oldsmobile had the seventies sewn up. In fact, other than the downsized full-size cars, this might have been the last Greatest Hit GM would have for a long time as Roger Smith’s do-no-right, dismal eighties were just around the corner.
Brougham and classy are 2 words that just don’t go together in my book but I really like the front end and simple bumpers of this Oldsmobile,
For a 70s American car it is quite clean and simple in its styling, from the side view it looks well proportioned, those heavy rear pillars would help with body stiffness and make it feel solid.
Hate that half vinyl roof and pin stripes though, if it had a fully painted roof it would look very sleek indeed.
Beautiful. You saw it on my birthday. It’s a great example. Even as a true blue Ford guy, I’d take one (or a Buick version) over a Caddy or Chevy.
2 years ago I bought All original 1979 HurstOlds W30 Cutlass white/Gold color combo with beige cloth interior. original 6,900 miles! 350 4B, tilt, power windows, steering, factory AM/FM radio, Factory AC, rear defrost . The earlier Collonade Cutlass were nice but personally I prefer 79 G body more. Regarding GM A body cars I just bought 72 Skylark sport coupe 350 4B all original with 55K miles being shipped here to Beirut arriving end this month. here is link my 72 Skylark http://www.connorsmotorcar.com/vehicles/445/1972-buick
Beautiful Cutlass… just gorgeous. I never owned that bodystyle Cutlass, but I did have a couple of the later coupes (’78, ’86).
So, what happened to this car since 2013? With its trim level and mileage and condition some CC type must have bought it. Kind of the opposite of the kind of car I’m interested in, but high end and mileage and condition! It is pretty awesome in its own right. And an intermediate so not a supersized land yacht.
The closeups do show Detroit standards about shut line gaps from before Japan demonstrated that they can be really close and consistent.
Thank you tom for this amazing article and car. i agree with all you said save for one thing…………………the 73 to 77 monte carlo is the undisputed king of the hill in personal luxury cars. the interior of the olds is much nicer than the monte and the olds vies for 2nd place with the regal in looks dept. the grand prix is no slouch either. but i like the clean sides of the regal/cutlass. get the car otherwise you will have a hole in your heart that will be there till you fill it with the olds!!!
It’d be interesting to see a break-down comparing the sales numbers for the colonnade era 2-door Cutlass Brougham versus the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix. I suspect the Olds eclipsed the other two quite handily. IIRC, the Cutlass, at its seventies peak, put up some really phenomenal numbers. I don’t have the prices, but I’d guess it was possible to get a fully-loaded CB coupe for about the same price as a strippo MC or GP, and a lot of buyers looking for some intermediate-sized personal luxury did exactly that.
I would be surprised if a Monte Carlo or Grand Prix was more expensive than a comparably equipped Cutlass Supreme back when they were new in the mid 70s.
I appreciate these cars more now than when I commented in 2013. This one’s a real beauty. When these cars were new, they were the rage among young college educated professionals in their late twenties and early thirties. But in a sign that times were changing, the younger “preps” who had money were going for Toyota Celicas.
This is the model that put Oldsmobile over the top in terms of sales numbers; they really had the tiger by the tail in 1977. So hard to watch what became of them by 2004 and their resulting swan song.
I like this more than the boring 1975 R&T Buyers Guide imports and small cars.
The Monte Carlo/GP used the 116″ WB, while the Cutlass and Regal used the 112″ WB. Unfortunately, the extra length was all forwards of the front windshield, so the cars didn’t offer any additional passenger or trunk space. The price difference between the four GM models was negligible when equipment was equalized. The Chev/Pontiac versions had V8, Automatic, and Power Steering as standard, while the Cutlass and Regal offered uplevel trim, but still charged extra for those basic items.
As rpol35 mentioned, the Cutlass put Olds over the top in sales figures. In ’75 it was the top selling intermediate (second only to the Impala/Caprice), and in ’76/.’77 it was the top selling car overall.
” When these cars were new, they were the rage among young college educated professionals in their late twenties and early thirties.”
Yep- back in the day, the Cutlass was the choice for upscale mid-size buyers, although the Monte Carlo was a strong contender. I had a Monte Landau Coupe as my first Chevy demo, in the same color as the Brougham pictured. I have fond memories of that car.
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This is my 1977 Cutlass Salon I acquired her in 2009. It’s been fully restored by Automotive Restorations Stratford Ct. ( 203-377-6745 ) She has a 455 FAST FUEL EFI system under the hood, Edelbrock Torker 455 intake manifold, Wildwood disc brakes, Gear Star 400R Billet transmission, Yank Stall converter, 3.73 Ten Bolt Posi Rear, Hurst Hatch, Aluminum drive shaft, Magnaflow exhaust with X pipe. Transmission cooler, Oil cooler, Electric fans, Moog suspension.
Thanks for sharing, I had forgotten about the Salon version of the Cutlass.
My buddy had a 1973 Cutlass Supreme 2 door w/ 350, in this same colour blue.
More Photos
New Vinyl interior to match original cloth
Awesome interior
Rocket Olds 455 Fast Fuel EFI
Engine compartment
Not your Fathers Oldsmobile
I’ve never (ever) been a Brougham fan, but maybe at some point I’ll start loving the things I looked down my nose at in my 20’s. I’ve heard it can happen (it already has with disco). 🙂
I’ve had many of these Cutlass’s and still do. They’re just a very good car. The Rocket v-8 is the best GM V-8 in that era, in my humble opinion.
A friend of mine had one of these (a ’76) in the fastback style. The unusual thing about it was the 260 V8/5 speed combo.
As a young adult in the 70’s I loved both disco and the Olds A bodies. Through the early 80’s, they were a hot resale item. I bought more than a few and resold them, even the wagons.
I’ve never driven or even ridden in one of these Oldsmobiles, but IMHO as a retired Industrial Designer, this is one of the best LOOKING car designs Olds created. Performance, handling, economy? MEH……who needs that? They LOOKED GOOD!! :):) DFO
These were still visible on the ground in NJ until mid 90s. My older neighbor had a pre refresh version where one of the doors didn’t work. What did she trade into? A first year Sebring convertible.
The post refresh looks more modern definitely can see elements of the downsized ’78 in it. Compared to most of the contemporaries it holds up much better almost a half century later. Maybe we will finally get crossover fatigue and cars like this will come back (new Daytona might be a start)