Oldsmobile Cutlass

MAKES THE CUT

When it comes to big ole American coupés the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme ticks the size box. Owner Eddie Hawke points out some of the bigger elements of his Oldsmobile.

“I’m always amazed at the size of the piece of glass in the door when I open it,” he says. “The door itself is 1.5m long. I thought it was large, so I measured it,” he laughs.

It does give the Cutlass quite a wingspan but it has a practical purpose as, being a two-door, it’s the only way to get people into the generous back seat. Just because the owner chose a coupé doesn’t mean access for backseat passengers should suffer.

Sinking into the plush driver’s seat gives the driver a view of a wellorganised cockpit and an array of dials. The word ‘cockpit’ is apt as the wrap-around dash puts everything in easy reach.

The only downside to sitting in the seats is that it hides the swirls embossed into them, a sample of the American version of luxury that also serves up imitation woodgrain panels surrounding the switches and dials.

Eddie’s example has done comparatively few miles at 63,000 (101,386km).

“The previous owner only did about 4000 miles [6437km] in it — and 800 of those were driving it home across the US. I’ve only done 6000 [9656km] since 2015 when I purchased it.”

DIFFERENT STROKES

Eddie’s search for American muscle began five years ago. He was looking online for a vehicle to see what took his fancy. In a smart move he ended up speaking to a shipping company that he had noticed was bringing in cars and someone there recommended some contacts.

Images came for his consideration so Eddie quickly got a picture of what was popular. That persuaded him to look for something a little different. He flicked past many pictures of the marques and models these contacts knew were popular here until he came across the Oldsmobile.

“I hadn’t seen many Cutlasses around so I thought that would be a great option,” he says.

Oldsmobile introduced the ‘Cutlass’ model name in 1966 and it survived through five generations in rearwheel-drive form until 1998. The name survived on sub-brands until 1997. When the ‘Oldsmobile’ name was dropped in 2004 it had already claimed the title of longest-lived American car brand having been started in 1897 in Lansing, Michigan, by Ransom Eli Olds. It was absorbed into General Motors (GM) in 1908.

For this Olds, GM had plenty of power plants to choose from in the early ’70s, the largest being a whopping 455 cubic inches (ci; 7456cc) in the L74 V8 which delivered more than enough power to take apart most tyres. The Cutlass wasn’t only available in the expected V8 variants. There were more sedate options. The smaller and more practical, economical version was catered for with the Buick 231ci (yes, under four litres at 3785cc).

Eddie’s has the 350ci (5735cc) Oldsmobile Rocket engine lurking

under the 180-odd-centimetrelong hood. This delivers 180 brake horsepower (bhp; 134kw) to the rear via a three-speed Turbo Hydra-matic auto box, the most popular transmission, although three- and four-speed manuals were available. It creates plenty of forward momentum and an unapologetic rumble through the chrome twin exhaust tips, with just enough aggro on tap to keep the neighbours on their toes.

Most of the time while driving the lack of engine noise in the cabin is bordering on eerie, especially after being primed by the rumble in the confined space of a shed. Dropping one of the massive glass panes in either door supplies the missing soundtrack as the Olds confirms it still has plenty of life on the open road.

ENTER THE OPERA

Exterior styling in 1973 was changing across the board, as the hue and cry for safety in response to the surging power of the muscle car era came to consider rollover accidents as well as 5mph (8km) bumpers. Pillarless designs, as in GM’S previous ’68–’72 A-body cars, which encompassed a hugely successful and vast range of coupés, were assumed to be unsafe.

Oldsmobile, and ultimately GM, answered the call with this shape, the ‘Colonnade’ A-body platform, the first of the third generation of Cutlass design. The most notable feature was the return of the B-pillar, separated in the Supreme from the C-pillar by a small ‘opera’ window — probably the

The American version of luxury serves up imitation woodgrain panels surrounding the switches and dials

most distinctive feature of all mid ’70s American cars. After a brief flourish they disappeared soon after and were never seen again.

The ’73 and ’74 Cutlass coupés were distinguished however by the two convex creases — vaguely Cutlassshaped, come to think of it — one starting behind the front wheel and leaning into the door, the second curving down just ahead of the rear wheel, disappearing into the line of the rear quarter panel. As they were unique to the Oldsmobile in the GM line-up, and lasted just two years, it certainly satisfied Eddie’s requirement to get something different. Better yet the ’73 did without the 5mph rear bumper fitted to the ’74.

It’s interesting now to note that, even though few expected it, the Colonnade cars exceeded sales of the previous generation, which racked up 2.7 million sales in various GM brand guises and the Oldsmobile Cutlass was the most successful of all. In its first year of production the 1973 Cutlass Supreme coupé sales at nearly 220,000 accounted for more than half of the 406,000 Cutlasses registered that year: the S coupé at 77,000, followed by the Supreme and standard sedan, and the standard coupé. There were also performance 4-4-2 and Hurst/olds models, the Vista Cruiser station wagon in Oldsmobile A-body variants, plus many other variations on the Colonnade theme in the GM quiver.

Cutlass sales kept on climbing. In 1974 Cutlasses accounted for 43 per cent of Oldsmobile sales and in 1976 Oldsmobile sold 486,845 Cutlasses, making it the best-selling car in the US that year. On three occasions in the 1970s and ’80s Oldsmobile became the only other brand besides Ford and Chevrolet to have ever sold more than a million cars a year.

HORSES HEAD DOWNHILL

It’s more than likely that its popularity counted against the Colonnade Cutlasses in the decades since its heyday as prices of the previous model rose faster among collectors, although the prices for this fourth generation are on the move now. Another reason for the lag is probably that 1973–’77 Cutlasses were also the first generation of cars to have their horsepower strangled by early emissions gear and demands for higher fuel economy. The decline was steep. While the 1973 L74 was rated at 275hp (205kw) the baddest engine you could buy in a Cutlass in 1976 was the 403ci (6604cc) V8, rated at just 185hp (138kw).

That lesser ranking among collectors also means that the older generation cars are better supported by spares and reproduction parts. Prudently Eddie collected many spares at the time of purchase, including brake drums, shoes and pads, a water pump, and much more. Those parts sit in the shed alongside the Cutlass still in their original packaging. The low mileage coupled with the care the car is now receiving mean they will probably sit a while longer yet.

The ’73 and ’74 Cutlass coupés were distinguished by the two convex creases — vaguely Cutlassshaped, come to think of it