We recently saw a rather plain Firenza sedan covered here, looking very much the antithesis of athleticism. Although the Firenza was one of Oldsmobile’s least successful model lines of the 1980s, the division also introduced during the decade of glam rock and leg warmers a plethora of trim levels and option packages that sunk like pet rocks. Oldsmobile may have had a rich sporting pedigree, evidenced by the Rocket V8 and the 442, but by the 1980s it had settled into a comfortable, middle-class groove. That didn’t stop America’s oldest automaker from trying to tap into the sport sedan and sport compact markets, albeit mostly unsuccessfully. The 442 and Hurst/Olds are hardly obscure, but how about a SportOmega? Or a Ciera GT?
Let’s work our way through the decade chronologically. The Omega was the first new Oldsmobile introduced for the 1980s, technically arriving on dealer lots in 1979. The least successful of GM’s FWD X-Cars, the Omega tried to retain traditional styling cues on a much smaller body. The X-Cars’ reliability and build quality issues were legion, and conspired to torpedo sales fairly quickly. The Omega, in particular, sunk spectacularly: 147,918 units were produced in 1981, but just 77,469 in 1982, and sales continued to fall until it was axed in 1984. Omega sedans outsold coupes almost 2-to-1 in 1981, and the gap would widen even more dramatically in later years. This would seem to suggest a more conservative and practical consumer base, but Oldsmobile still launched sporty Omega coupes.
The Omega SX was available from launch, and also was available as a sedan. Around $300 bought you a rear spoiler, sport mirrors, blacked-out mouldings and tape stripes, but no mechanical changes. Both a three-speed automatic and a four-speed manual were available, mated to either the 2.5 Iron Duke four or the 2.8 Chevy V6. Oldsmobile’s brochure touted the former as outperforming the ’79 Omega’s V6 and the latter outgunning the ‘79’s V8. Many look back upon these X-Cars with disdain, and a lot of that is understandable given their lousy reliability. At the time, though, these represented such an improvement in packaging and economy, without sacrificing performance. One wonders how things would have panned out if these had been launched fully baked.
1981 would see the arrival of three more sporty Omegas: the SportOmega, the ES-2500 and the ES-2800. The first would be a coupe-only proposition, with a slanted fascia, sport steering wheel and FE2 suspension tuning. The SportOmega was also one of GM’s first applications of flexible urethane fenders. Only the pictured color combination was offered, somewhat resembling the defunct Starfire Firenza.
The ES option package was available with both the Iron Duke (ES-2500) and the V6 (ES-2800). They shared the same front end as the SportOmega, as well as the same FE2 suspension tune and blacked-out mouldings. However, the ES came as a sedan only and was much more subtle visually. The package was only available on Omega Broughams, and you could have any color you liked as long as it was silver; interior options were limited to red or blue. Later years would allow you more color options, but the ES was still always based on the higher-spec Brougham.
The SX would continue for 1981, but the sedan variant was dead. Despite the glut of sporty Omegas available in 1981, just 696 Omegas were optioned with one of the sport trims. The SX would die after 1981; it was no great loss as it had no mechanical changes over the standard Omega. The SportOmega was a one year only affair, and the only sporty Omega left would be the ES right up until the end of the Omega’s run. For 1982, it also gained the High Output version of the 2.8 V6, bumping power and torque up from 112 hp/135 lb-ft to 135 hp/145 lb-ft: this HO 2.8 was shared with the Citation X-11, Skylark T-Type and Phoenix SJ.
The arrival of the Firenza and Cutlass Ciera in 1982 may have played a hand in the Omega’s sharp sales decline. The Ciera, whose A-Body was based heavily on the Omega’s X platform and shared its wheelbase, continued the availability in 1983 of an ES trim in both sedan and coupe variants. Standard features included full instrumentation, a center console, blacked-out mouldings and the FE2 suspension. Cutlass Ciera’s engine options were initially limited to the Tech IV four, a fuel-injected version of the Iron Duke with 92hp and 135lb-ft, and Buick’s new 3.0 V6 (110 hp, 145 lb-ft), shared with the fellow A-Body Century. There was also an optional 4.3 V6 diesel, apparently more reliable than the maligned Oldsmobile V8 diesels, that could also be ordered in conjunction with the ES package; power and torque were 85 hp and 165 lb-ft. (It would also appear the carbureted 2.8 V6 was available some years on the Ciera, but the Ciera’s changing engine lineup during the decade is a headache to understand)
The fuel-injected Buick 3.8 V6 would arrive for 1984 as an option on the Ciera, with 125 hp and 196 lb-ft. However, the four-speed manual option was discontinued: the Ciera would never feature a manual again. Despite that, 1986-87 would herald the arrival of sportier Cieras. Firstly, the ES sedan would be replaced by a GT sedan, accompanied by a GT coupe. Secondly, 1987’s coupe would receive a new, more modern roofline, not shared with the other A-Bodies.
The 3.8 was the only available engine on the GT Cieras, and would see horsepower bumped up to 150; the sole transmission was a four-speed automatic, and 0-60 was around 10 seconds. Exterior trim was markedly more exciting than the very subdued ES, and GTs had Eagle GT tires in addition to the usual full instrumentation and bucket seats. The FE3 suspension package had higher front and rear spring rates and stabilizer bars front and rear. Even lesser Cieras would benefit from a mechanical upgrade: the carbureted 3.0 was replaced by a fuel-injected 2.8. For 1988, GTs would be renamed International Series. Revised sheetmetal would arrive for Ciera sedans in 1989, but the top engine option became the Buick 3.3, yet another smaller version of the 3.8; horsepower increased to 160 hp and torque dipped only slightly, to 185 lb-ft. The 1989 revision would modernize the aging Ciera, and certainly didn’t hinder sales: Ciera became Oldsmobile’s best-selling car, and stuck around despite the arrival of the new FWD Cutlass Supreme.
The compact Firenza may have helped the Ciera squeeze out the Omega, but it didn’t enjoy the A-Body Olds’ strong sales. In most years, the Firenza was even outsold by its Buick Skyhawk cousin. The Firenza was available in an SX trim from launch with full instrumentation and colour-keyed Rallye wheels. Much like its platform-mates, the Firenza was also available with a sporty hatchback body that boasted 38.5 cubic feet of cargo space. Engine options were limited to a 1.8 carbureted four, stroked and fuel-injected halfway through the year to become a 2.0, as well as the Brazilian-built fuel-injected 1.8 OHC four available with a five-speed manual.
1984 would see the arrival of the ES sedan and GT hatch. The GT was available only in white/gray or red/gray, with a matching gray interior with red accents. Both the ES and GT came with the rallye suspension package, leather-wrapped steering wheel and 14’ Eagle GT tires. Those seeking more performance would have been pleased with the arrival of the Chevy 2.8 V6 for 1985, available with a three-speed auto or four-speed manual. 0-60 was accomplished in under 10 seconds.
1985 Firenza
In 1987 came the arrival of an even firmer FE3 suspension tune, to aid handling, as well as a five-speed manual option for the V6. It would be a last hurrah for the sporty Firenzas, though, with the hatch and V6 options disappearing after 1987 (and the rest of the range following after 1988).
The N-Body Oldsmobile Calais was developed as a replacement for the RWD G-Body Cutlass Supreme, with the expectation that gas prices were going to continue to rise. That never eventuated, and instead the 1985 Calais (Cutlass Calais from 1988) occupied the role of a slightly larger compact than the Firenza or smaller mid-sizer than the Ciera. From 1986, the Calais was available in two sporty trims: the ES and GT. The ES featured a firmer FE2 suspension tune, 14’’ Eagle GT tires, and black-out trim. Engine options were the 2.5 Tech IV with a three-speed automatic or five-speed manual, or the fuel-injected Buick 3.0 V6 (125 hp, 150 lb-ft) mated exclusively to a three-speed automatic. The GT was available with the same engine options, but had an even firmer FE3 suspension tune.
These option packages were just a taste of sportier Calais to come. If the 442 represented Oldsmobile muscle in the 1960s, the Calais (and later, Achieva) was its figurehead for the 1980s and 90s. GM’s much anticipated Quad 4 engine would make its debut in 1988 in the Calais and its Grand Am cousin; initial Calais Quad 4s were known as “GMO Quad 4”, but the engine would be available on all Calais (a $600 option) and standard on the new Calais International. The Quad 4 was the first double overhead cam four-cylinder engine developed by GM since the Cosworth Vega. Its 16-valve, 150 hp four outgunned the hottest Civic (108hp) and Corolla (115 hp) of the time, with a 0-60 in the 8 second range, but where they had the upper hand was in refinement: the Quad 4 lacked balancing shafts, and wouldn’t receive them for years, resulting in excessive noise, vibration and harshness.
Still, the Quad 4 put out a lot of power for its time, and not just for a naturally-aspirated four, and a high output version with 180 hp arrived in just 200 examples of the 1989 Calais International; a five-speed Getrag manual and FE3 suspension tune were standard. Calais Internationals were fully-loaded with power accessories and a leather-wrapped wheel. GM would continue increasing the already impressive amounts of power as the 1990s arrived, and there were even plans for a turbocharged version.
The sports treatment wasn’t limited to the compact and mid-size Oldsmobiles, though. The new-for-1986 Toronado would be offered in two trims: a standard coupe, and the Troféo from 1987. The former could still be optioned with a firmer FE2 suspension tune, but the latter would have the firmest FE3 tune standard. 15’’ aluminium wheels and cloth bucket seats with a center console were also standard, as were anti-lock brakes and a CRT Visual Information Center from 1989. These may have been dramatically smaller than their predecessors and a bit stubby, but they were a damn sight sharper than their bland Riviera counterpart. Full-width smoked taillights, hidden headlamps and two-tone paint treatment, as well as the aforementioned aluminium wheels, made the Toronado look smart on the outside. Under the hood, the venerable Buick 3.8 was the only engine option, fuel-injected and putting out 165 hp and 210 lb-ft; a four-speed automatic was the only transmission available. This generation of Toronado, despite the sporty Troféo variant, sold poorly and the line would be heavily revised visually in 1990. As the 1980s ended, though, the Troféo was outselling the base coupe by almost 2-to-1.
The ubiquitous 3.8 V6 would also power the Ninety-Eight Touring Sedan, a new take on a flagship Oldsmobile sedan introduced as Buick was steering away from its sporty T-Type models. Forget wire wheel covers, chrome and loose-pillow seats: this wasn’t a Regency or a Park Avenue. Instead, occupants were surrounded by burled walnut trim, firmly ensconced in power Lear Siegler leather buckets and gripped a console-mounted four-speed automatic shifter. Outside, there was subtle cladding, minimal chrome and fog lamps. It was a similar effort to the moribund Electra T-Type, and around 10% of 1989 Ninety-Eights were Touring Sedans.
The final sporty Oldsmobile to be launched during the decade of shoulder pads and big hair was the Cutlass Supreme International, the sportiest trim of the new-for-1988 FWD GM-10 Cutlass Supreme. Although the 1990s would bring a gutsier 3.4 V6 and a short-lived Quad 4 option, the new midsize coupe was available only with the 2.8 fuel-injected Chevy V6 with 130 hp and 170 lb-ft. However, you had the option of a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. The new Supreme may have lacked the V8 option of its G-Body predecessor, but it was a much more modern car with four-wheel independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes with optional ABS. Still, the 2.8’s power output may have been laudable earlier in the decade but despite fuel-injection and more modern transmissions, the Cutlass Supreme’s styling was writing checks its power output couldn’t cash, especially against rivals like the new supercharged Thunderbird Super Coupe. However, the flagship International undercut the ultimate Thunderbird by $3k.
The International came standard with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a center console, as well as sculpted bucket seats front and rear. The front buckets had side bolsters and headrests that were power adjustable, and leather trim was optional. The interior was very modern and high-tech, featuring electronic analog instrumentation (rather than passé line-style graphics) and an optional head-up display, one of the first such implementations of that technology in a car. Around 18% of 1989 Cutlass Supremes were the top of the range International.
We know now that Oldsmobile never quite established a clear brand image and would die at the beginning of the new century, but it’s interesting to see how they were taking steps as early as the late-1980s to change perceptions. One need only look at their sporty models: the lurid tape-stripes of the Omega SX made way for elegant models like the Touring Sedan and Troféo and Cutlass Supreme International. It’s a shame things didn’t work out.
Curbsiders, were any of these ever a common sight in your neck of the woods? Did any of you own one of these cars, or wish to? Or was a RWD G-Body more your style?
I always thought the Pontiac Phoenix was the worst-selling X.
Good to know.
Traffic-spotting the Phoenix made it seem less common, the formal coupe and five-door hatch blended in with the Buick-Olds and Chevy Citation respectively.
same here
The Omega benefits from the same phenomenon that has preserved so many Buick Skylarks from this generation (just to a lesser degree). They were bought by older drivers who were likely to drive less, and drive them more gently, than owners of Citations and Phoenixes.
To be honest, I’ve never really looked closely at the Omega ES sedan before. Dare I say, but it’s actually not that bad looking exterior-wise. 135 hp and 145 ft-lb of torque is pretty much on par with base I4 engines in compacts today. Not bad.
When we used to have a house on the Cape, every summer for a few years in the late-2000s I’d see a Cutlass Ciera International Series. Red with silver ground effects and lace-spoke alloys. What a sharp car!
My aunt Kathy owned several Oldsmobiles from the late-’70s to early-’90s. Although she was of a younger demographic during this time, she never bought one of these sporty Olds. Her last Olds was a Cutlass Ciera coupe (an ’88 or ’89), but it had wire wheel discs.
Wow! – a blander collection of cars rarely seen in one place in that top photo! Those make Chrysler’s 1980s offerings look good – at least to me!
The later 1980s offerings were a lot better, especially the Cutlass coupe and the 98 sedans. I thought those “mid-sized” large cars from Buick and Olds were very sharp when they came out several years before, and I would have considered one if I were in the market for such a car and had the financial means in those days.
Love them all now but only ones I ever recall seeing in the flesh were the Cutlass Ciera GT coupe and the 98 Touring Sedan.
There was an Electra T-type I knew of that I used to drool over on a regular basis… While the other kids in school wanted a Cutlass Ciera GT with a HO Quad 4 I wanted the 98 Touring Sedan!
Arguably I think the Omega was the best looking X car but always thought that the Ciera was the ultimate little old lady car. They sold well but, I think the Ciera was also a big part of what killed Oldsmobile off.
Seeing all the Cutlass Ceiras going 45 on Interstates didn’t help Olds Intrigue and Alero sales to young buyers. The slow poke, eldery driver image killed the brand, and nearly did in Buick. Caddy is hurting too.
Ive got the 89 cutlass ciera. I put alot more under the hood with high flow exaust twin turbo installed and a custom 6 speed manual transmission. 0-60 in under 6 seconds. Yet to have it dyno tested for horsepower. I love my cutlass. Its given me 50,000 miles so far with me reagularly peeling out and going 80mph + .
Yep. The ads claimed “The new generation of Olds”, but the Oldsmobile tentpole was always the geezerlicous Ciera. The talk never matched the walk.
I’m sure GM Accountants gave themselves plenty of raises based on nominally “profitable” Cutlass Ciera sales, while they strangled the life out of one of the oldest brand on the market.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, Oldsmobile’s big seller was the Cutlass Supreme, which was anything but a “geezer mobile.” It was a perfectly respectable car for younger buyers.
The fact that the Ciera became the division’s best seller in the 1990s, and was the equivalent of the old Plymouth Valiant/Dodge Dart, was one of the division’s biggest challenges.
I caught an ’86 Firenza S A while back: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-capsule/curbside-capsule-1986-oldsmobile-firenza-s-coupe-back-to-j-school/
My mom’s best friend had a 1987 Cutlass Ciera GT for at least 10 years. It was dark gray/silver cladding and red leather interior (if I’m remembering correctly). Also, off and on last year there was a 1986 Ciera GT sedan, red/silver for sale on the Boston craigslist. It looked to be in pristine shape. I wanted to go see it but buying it would’ve meant having to get rid of my ’96 Roadmaster wagon, which I wasn’t prepared to do.
Back in the day I’d have taken a Firenza hatchback. Liked the look of the early J-car hatchbacks, and liked the front end of the Olds the best. I was very fond of the ’68 Cutlass so I loved the headlight-turn signal-headlight pattern on the Firenza that was reminiscent of the fronts of ’67 and ’68 Oldsmobiles.
I had forgotten how sharp-looking the Cutlass Supreme International was.
Thanks for the great summary! I loved seeing all those old brochures and ads
Sporty. Oldsmobile. 1980’s. Does not compute.
Whoever came up with the name for the 1st “sporty” Omega must have nearly pissed his pants when the Olds “bigwigs” adopted it. Really? The Omega SuX????
The Omega ES model actually seems like a decent car, though why it was available with the 4 cylinder is a mystery. Imagine being the salesman trying to move an expensive, loaded, 4 cylinder sedan when your GM competition offered cheaper V6 models?
I guess what always put Oldsmobile out of mind when car shopping is that they fell into a sort of “also-ran” category for me. Chevy had cheap cars, Pontiac had performance, while Olds tried to be sporty and luxurious….but instead lost out to foreign competition on both counts. I wanted several different models of the mid-sized Olds in the 60s and 70s but by 1980? Why bother? Though to be fair, after 1973’s restyle, the Cutlass Supreme really was better than the Monte Carlo.
> Whoever came up with the name for the 1st “sporty” Omega must have nearly pissed his pants when the Olds “bigwigs” adopted it. Really? The Omega SuX????
The marketing guys say that S(e)X sells. They should’ve used some fashion models in the brochure picture instead of random family people. 🙂
My friend’s dad got a new Cutlass Supreme International Series Coupe in 88 or 89. It had the 5-speed stick and the optional FE3 suspension–I remember it had badges to that effect. My friend and I would take it out on some of the backroads near where we lived and I remember thinking it handled really well. And for the time, 130 HP seemed like a lot. My regular driver at the time was a 1983 Renault Alliance 1.4 with 64 HP, so you can see what I’m talking about!
Reading the (very well written) text started giving me a headached as I tried to keep various model names straight. We’re it not for the author’s occasional interjections of platform designations, I’d probably have been completely lost.
I bring this up in light of the current trend to damn and belittle alpha-numeric Euro-style model designations, its just as easy to completely screw up the lineup by using the supposedly beloved model names.
By 2000, other than the Eighty-Eight and Ninety-Eight (and Toronado, I guess), who new what Oldsmobile model was what?
Oldsmobile’s over-prolific use of “Cutlass” on no less than three unrelated car lines (one of them spanning two generations) was almost as bad as Chrysler’s tendency to call everything a LeBaron in the mid 80’s.
For a while during the seventies Chrysler Australia slapped the Valiant badge on all their imports from Mitsubishi – Valiant Galant, Valiant Lancer, etc. Then cooler heads realised the Valiant nameplate was a liability in a market turning to smaller cars, and dropped it.
Most of these FWD Oldsmobiles, especially the earlier ones, were never on my radar. It didn’t help that nobody that I knew personally owned one either. If I saw one today it would certainly draw my eye though, regardless of powertrain or condition, because there are none left on the road anymore.
I snickered a bit at the ad for the Cutlass Calais with the Quad-4. First I noticed all the unattributed quotes in a mishmash of different fonts, presumably to imply that they came from different people. The second reason was the gushing praise for the Quad-4 engine. We removed all the usual maintenance items, so there’s nothing to break! Ha ha!
> The SportOmega was also one of GM’s first applications of flexible urethane fenders.
Did you mean urethane bumpers or fender flares perhaps?
I’m pretty sure that the entire front fender was made of a special material. It wasn’t just the bumper or the fender flares.
According to a copy of the fall 1980 issue of Car & Driver Magazine, new cars ’81, the front fenders were indeed made of an injection-molded urethane plastic, the same as AMC used on the fender flares of it’s Eagle series.
And I knew a guy who owned a Buick back then who said his car had “plastic” front fenders. Didn’t know this was so on some other GM models.
Forgot to mention that our driver’s education car, which was donated from a local dealership, was a 1988 Cutlass Calais with the Quad 4. We got paired up with one other student and then had a series of driving lessons with the drivers’ ed instructor that focused on different types of driving situations. The first lesson was in the high school parking lot, and progressed to driving around town (including parallel parking practice), four lane divided highway, country road driving, and interstate driving was last. Anyway, my drivers ed partner and I were psyched to try out a car with the Quad 4. Coming from driving cars with much less power, needless to say the first time I pressed down on the accelerator in the high school parking lot, I pretty much unintentionally gunned it and my drivers ed instructor had to have a little talk with me.
My sister had an ’81 Omega, and it’s the only car I’ve known that I’d unhesitatingly call a sh*tbox. I’m really lenient, and there was virtually nothing about this car that was good. It began falling apart within weeks of leaving the dealer lot, and the paint started bubbling within a year. Thank God for lemon laws…after a mass of paperwork that Kafka would have loved, it went to its (hopeful) euthanazation 11 months after she was rooked into buying it.
It was the Omega of American cars for our family. Every single car since has been Japanese, and I doubt we’ll never go back. Congratulations, Olds, you deserved what you got for pushing out this turd.
I had the opposite experience. I bought a 1980 4-cylinder Omega (identical to the brown one on the brochure cover) in 1984 with 40,000 miles on it, drove it for 100,000 more miles, and put nothing into it but normal upkeep. When I sold it 9 years later, it still ran great, but needed a new steering rack. As much as people like to dump on the Omega, I must have gotten the only good one.
I love the disclaimer in the omega brochure about parts interchangeability, and it brought back the memory of our 1985 B-body Chevy Caprice Classic wagon (my penny pinching pop bought a floor demo- no plastiwood, gold paint, I can’t remember the interior but I think it was plush cloth…oh, and an am-only radio!!)…mom brought it home and the brakes were smoking…opened the hood and freaked out when she saw it had an olds engine. Like beyond pissed. We drove it rather unsuccessfully for two years before returning it to GM under the NJ lemon law. What a piece of garbage. Definitely a “built on Friday afternoon” model. And yes, road trips in the 80s with an am radio only were as painful as you could possibly imagine.
Even back then there was only three types of music on AM radio; country, western and gospel. Then there’s talk…
You poor bastard. I hope you had a Walkman with a FM radio and a huge box of tapes.
Country and western are two different types of music? I thought they were the same thing. Also don’t forget oldies stations on AM.
Country is what was known in olden times as hillbilly music. Western came from Western Swing which was heavily jazz infused. In 1980, The Good Ol’ Blues Brothers Boys Band From Chicago brought them together. That’s it for my encapsulated history.
The ninety eight touring is sharp looking and the ninety eight regency brougham is nice looking.
Nice summary.
Some pieces of these sport packages are nice, and of course a lot of the better pieces are pretty much standard in today’s cars.
But, its not hard to see why these trims and packages didn’t sell well. A lot of this stuff is simply over done. And, marketing any American car as European in nature was a guaranteed sales killer. It was very counter productive and essentially a statement that the European’s must build better cars. Chevy and Olds were both guilty of this stupidity and it didn’t help them one bit.
Pontiac and Ford simply began packaging their cars with a sportier and more modern approach and generally avoided dwelling on their cars as being “European Like”, and were typically well rewarded with strong sales.
A smarter move for Olds would have been to come up with a sport trim name that wasn’t in use by everybody else, packaging it with buckets, console / floor shift, styled wheels, dual sport mirrors, upgraded suspension and maybe a moderate reduction in chrome. Even if sales of the packages didn’t really take off, it still would have created an interesting alternative to the base models and the broughamy top models. Like any option there would be some margin for Olds in the upgrades, and the image of the brand would be a bit more balanced than if selling just broughams.
I think this wagon speaks out the identity crisis for Oldsmobile very well. This whale looks anonymous enough to be Chevrolet, Buick and Oldsmobile at the same time. This front end in particular, was a universal fit with different grill. In Popular Mechanics Detroit spy shots in late ’80s and early ’90s, the ’91 Park Avenue ( much easier to figure out nowadays) was thought as a Caprice, and Caprice prototype still wore the old body. Eventually the looking like that turns out to be a huge success for Buick, okay for Chevrolet and that’s all for Oldsmobile.
My best friend had a Custom Cruiser wagon that looked exactly like that one when we were in high school. Quite a good car actually but the styling didn’t exactly scream “Oldsmobile”. Or anything other than “big GM wagon”.
In the 1980s, GM was making hay selling high-end versions of those big wagons to upper middle-class america — and the previous Oldsmobuick versions were just as generically styled.
But by the time the new ‘Cruiser’ had come out, the modern skinny suburban soccer mom wouldn’t be caught dead in anything other than a SUV. Those wagons had their issues, but they were really doomed before they even launched.
Before we were married, my wife bought an 88 Cutlass for a screaming deal thanks to her father doing the negotiating and a nice owner’s loyalty (her mother had a Ciera) incentive. It was the base model, white with a blue velour interior; digital dash. It was a nice car to drive, But then it started to have transmission problems – it wouldn’t always upshift under hard acceleration. After we got married we kept it for a few years and then traded it on an Accord Coupe which lasted about 12 years.
This is an interesting and comprehensive article.
Reading it, you get a sense of when the seeds of Oldsmobile’s demise were sown. The division was either trying to be all things to all people, or throwing everything against the wall to see what would stick. Or both.
I assume what was going on was that Olds managers had noticed that Buick and Pontiac were making great hay pushing sporty cars (Buick actually sold over a million units a year for a while in the early ’80s thanks in part to their stock car efforts) and wanted a piece despite the — in retrospect very obvious — fact that Oldsmobile buyers just weren’t into it. Then, after the Roger Smith reorganization, the corporation decreed that Chevrolet should be the cheap one, Pontiac the sporty one, Buick the upscale family car, and Olds … er… for “import intenders” (possibly one of the most foredoomed of marketing notions).
It should be recalled that Oldsmobile had the Starfire in the 50’s and early 60’s. Buick offered the Grand Sport (GS) on the 1965 Riviera, and perhaps some other models. The GS Riviera’s continued into the 70’s. The FWD 1979 Riviera had the S-type, which became the T-type for the 1981 model year. By 1983 Buick offered T-types for a number of their models.
The 1985 FWD Electra’s were offered with a plain Electra, a T-type Electra and the Park Avenue. The T-type Electra was a European style with firm suspension and upgraded interior. The T-type Electra continued through the 1990 model year. Around 1989 Buick also introduced a Park Avenue Ultra.
GM’s management decided that Oldsmobile was to become the European style sedan, while Buick should be American style (whatever this was supposed to mean). So heading into the 90’s Oldsmobile turns the 98 into the Aurora, the midsize into the Intrigue…
The basic problem with the whole idea is that the sales of Euro-style cars is limited. I liked my 86 T-type Electra, and was disappointed with the 91 Park Avenue Ultra, although Buick still offered the grand sport suspension upgrade, which basically turned Buick’s into T-types as far as handling goes.
For a short time my brother-in-law owned a 1988 Ciera International Coupe. It was only about 5 years old when he got it, with very low mileage – around 45,000 IIRC. He really liked the car, but it had issues with severe bucking on the highway that somehow mechanics and dealerships could not seem to rectify. He spent a lot of money changing all sorts of parts, but it never was fixed. He sold it after about a year of ownership to a young college student and never saw or heard about that car again. He vowed to never own another GM car and to this day he hasn’t.
I bought a used, low mileage Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with FE3 Suspenion package, all power, full burgundy leather with gray exterior paint with flake from my Uncle who was a cop when he ordered it. car had the 3.1 V6 and mentioned FE3 Suspension package. . Everyone was always surprised by the acceleration the car had and would ask about the FE3 badging on trunk lid. In a time when 4 cylinders were common, the V6 had a good bit of punch for a front drive sedan. Unfortunately, the car had rear drum brakes and a constant right drum issue. I bought car from my Uncle who ordered it new from him with only 35k miles on it. got rid of it as a trade in with 110,000 miles. Only the right rear drum and 1 water pump were only repairs aside from front pads.Comfy car with power.
Omegas and Firenzas were somewhat scarce in base form, so the sport models were even a rarer sight. I don’t recall knowing anyone that owned one of them. There was an early silver Ciera ES sedan that was at my local community college for many years, probably owned by a professor. It always looked nice, so I’m guessing it was garaged and overall very well maintained.
Having owned a 1987 Century with the T package and big 3.8 SFI V-6, I find it hard to believe that it took 10 seconds for that car to reach 60 mph. It was truly a fast car. All I can say was that car was awesome. It handled well, was ultra comfortable, and although it had its share of nagging little issues over the years, I kept it until it reached 200,000 miles and still miss it to this day.
Wow I never knew you could get a Cutlass Ciera with manual transmission, gosh I sure learn something new on this website, I always felt the FWD Omega was the best looking of the X-cars, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen one, for some reason the 1980-81 Omega’s remind me of the 1985-93 FWD Cadillac’s in the styling department.
The Celebrity Eurosport sold well, so Olds dealers wanted some of the action. But, former owners of 70’s style Cutlass Supremes wanted bigger cars when gas was ‘cheap’ again. Some even went to Chevy Blazers.
Essentially, GM couldn’t keep up the Sloan ladder of 5 divisions, once they started downsizing even smaller than 1977’s B bodies. The FWD cars were like badge engineered British Leyland models, nothing different to rave about.
In 1986 I bought a Calais GT. It had the V6, very plush interior and the digital dash. It was a nice car, but I was only in my 20s and despite being a “GT” it still felt a bit “old mannish” to me.
Ah yes, the coil/spark pack on the Quad 4…that crap went bad twice a year. The second time it went on my Cutlass Calais while on a trip to Glacier National Park. I didn’t want to shell out another $300 to fix it. I started changing them myself. I feel sorry for the guys with Optispark. The Calais got traded in on my ’73 Galaxie when the auto tranny started having issues with the lock-up torque converter not locking up at 40 mph. It was a decent car otherwise, pleasant to drive and decent mileage and no other issues.
The only ones of these variants that I remember seeing with any regularity were the Ciera International Series and the Ninety Eight touring. Pretty much zero memory of the Omega SX or Sport, and I wouldn’t have known an ES if it bit me (I was a baby when they were new, and by the mid to late 80’s, I would have assumed it was just a yearly front fascia change). Same with the Firenza ES; too subtle to notice at a glance except for the color keyed mini-rallys.
The Ciera international series coupes were nice-looking cars though. One of the few A-body variants that I actually liked. And I wasn’t even aware of the Calais International Series’ existence (only 200 made?) but I sort of want one now. That is probably the ONLY N-body I’d come within a 10-foot reach of otherwise.
I was certainly alive and driving cars in the 1980s, but I’ve NEVER seen one SportOmega nor one euro-style Omega ES sedan. It now seems readily apparent that the demise of Olds began in the early 1980s with the down-sized, FWD cars.
Some of the marketing for these sporty Oldsmobiles seems just so far from what I think a lot of people came to expect. This one for the Firenza especially so for a brand supposedly positioned above Chevrolet and Pontiac.
I don’t hate that Calais International Series…I wonder if any still exist. I’m not sure if I’ve ever come across one. If so, it was 20+ years ago when I wouldn’t have thought twice about it.
When the Firenza came out, I wanted one cause the “enza” is the same last 4 letters of my last name. I was going to get vanity license plates with my last name and put it on the car.
That never happened…
When the Toyota Venza came out, I was going to get one and do the same thing…
That never happened either….
There’s still time to get a new Venza. They announced it is being discontinued, but the production line is running until June. 🙂
Calais International coupes were easily my favorite of all of the front drive Oldsmobile offerings, by far! Good looking cars! I’d go for one of those today if I ever came across one… and it’s been some time since I have.
Out of this whole raft of Oldsmobiles of the 1980s, the one that appeals to me the most is that of the Ninety-Eight Touring Sedan. Wouldn’t mind finding a still immaculate one of those that has been babied all these years by it’s original, elderly owner.
I just KNEW there was a good reason why what I find most memorable about the Oldsmobile Omega is its advertising jingle.
Omega, it’s a little Olds,
Omega, it’s a lot of Olds,
Omega, it’s a lot of little Oldsmobile!
…and that might even have been for the prior generation, rear drive Omega…
I still miss my silver 89 Trofeo that I had for all of 2 months 16 years ago. I rarely see one of the roughly 60,000 Toronado’s made between 1986-1989. Trofeo’s probably only made up about 15.000 of those. I haven’t seen one in a few years.
Would like to find a collection of Olds GT survivors. What an interesting mix of sporting intentions this article represents. Thanks for it. Great article.
For a brief period of time sometime around 1985, I had a fleet-spec Firenza sedan as a company car. It was thoroughly forgettable. It came with the job, and when that lease was up, I got to pick my own fleet special. I went for the poverty-spec Impala, maybe a 1986? It was the era where only cops, taxis and fleets would buy Impalas – everyone in the real world bought a Caprice.
I have owned my 88 trofeo fe3 for about 15 years and it has over 200,000 miles on the original engine and transmission,i did the timing chain about 80,000 miles ago and it runs great but transmission is slipping a lot lately probably on its last legs.but its a great car its got electric seats cruise control a/c ,anti skid technology which I have had save my ass on many occasions,it corrects the car for you by pulsating certain calipers,its amazing once you are in a skid you will feel it kick in,it has air suspension and independent suspension in the rear and has big trunk its the ultimate cruiser.it will get off the line fast and gets up to top speed quickly.although I would prefer a rear wheel drive I inherited this car and fell in love with the trofeo.
I have two of these…an 87 Ciera GT sedan (pictured) and an 89 Touring Sedan…supercharged 3800 swaps planned for both…