While Oldsmobile would still offer a ragtop in the larger B-body Delta 88 Royale series through 1975, the midsize Cutlass convertible took its last bow in 1972. This 1972 Cutlass Supreme convertible with the 4-4-2 package is also one of just 99 final-year convertibles built with the big 455-cid V-8 and the increasingly rare 4-speed manual transmission.
The popularity of convertibles in America was on the decline by the late ’60s after a mid-decade boom, but Oldsmobile’s intermediate Cutlass convertibles were still selling in acceptable if modest numbers: 14,287 for 1970, 11,559 for 1971, and 11,571 for 1972. At that level, Oldsmobile could probably have justified continuing the convertible for another design cycle, but outside forces intervened.
By the end of 1970, new federal safety standards for occupant protection in rollover accidents meant that convertibles would be effectively outlawed in the U.S. in the near future. Although a federal court later ruled (in December 1972) that the NHTSA didn’t have the legal authority to categorically ban soft top convertibles, all of the domestic automakers had given up by then, and either dropped their remaining convertibles or were in the process of phasing them out. GM’s B-body convertibles, which had just been redesigned for 1971, would stick around through 1975, and the Cadillac Eldorado convertible through 1976, but there would be no factory convertible versions of GM’s new 1973 “Colonnade” intermediates. Thus, 1972 would be the final year for the A-body Cutlass ragtop.
In this final model year, Oldsmobile offered a midsize convertible only in the fancier Cutlass Supreme line, which came with standard Strato Bucket seats or Custom Sport bench, woodgrain dashboard trim, a few extra convenience items, and the L34 Rocket 350 four-barrel V-8 (which was optional on the cheaper Cutlass and Cutlass S). Prices started at $3,432.60, which made this the second most expensive Cutlass model after the Cutlass Cruiser station wagon.
For 1972, Oldsmobile demoted the muscular 4-4-2 — which had been a separate model from 1969 to 1971 – back to option package status, the W29 4-4-2 Appearance and Handling Package. Both this car and another 1972 convertible that showed up on Bring a Trailer in 2025 provoked lengthy, sometimes vituperative arguments about whether either car was a real 4-4-2. Since the 4-4-2 was now an option package without a separate VIN code, the only way to know for certain if a particular car was originally ordered with the W29 package is by checking the original window sticker or factory broadcast sheet (which the 2022 Bring a Trailer seller provided).
In 1970 and 1971, the 4-4-2 had included the big Rocket 455 V-8, but punishing insurance surcharges were making big-engine intermediates difficult for many buyers to afford. The 1972 W29 option no longer included or required any specific powertrain, so you could order it with a 350 engine as well as the 455. The 4-4-2 option package included some dress-up items (louvered hood, stripes, decklid and fender call-outs) and the FE2 Rallye suspension, although the latter could now be ordered separately. The W29 package was available on any two-door Cutlass or Cutlass S or on the Cutlass Supreme convertible. (For reasons known only to Oldsmobile product planners, you couldn’t get the 4-4-2 option on a Cutlass Supreme hardtop in 1972.) On a Cutlass Supreme convertible with automatic or a 4-speed, the 4-4-2 option cost a mere $29.
The W29 4-4-2 option was not terribly rare in 1972 — it was ordered on 9,845 cars — and it was far less noteworthy than this car’s real claim to fame, which was its powertrain. The “V” code in the VIN confirms that this car was one of only 66 Cutlass Supreme convertibles built in the 1972 model year with the L75 Rocket 455 V-8 and a 4-speed manual transmission. (The same powertrain was also installed in 77 non-4-4-2 Cutlass Supreme hardtops.)
Although the 4-speed was optional on any 1972 Cutlass, Cutlass S, or Cutlass Supreme with a four-barrel V-8, it was not often seen. According to contemporary Automotive News reports, only 2,557 1972 Cutlasses were built with the 4-speed, a $190 option that included a standard Hurst shifter. About half of those cars (1,252) had the 4-4-2 package, including 1,121 hardtops and 131 convertibles.
In the 1972 Cutlass line, manual and automatic transmission versions of the L75 engine still used different camshafts. The manual transmission cam had more duration, significantly more overlap (88 degrees versus 66), and very slightly more lift, giving it an additional 20 net horsepower: 270 hp compared to 250 hp for the automatic version, both on 8.5 compression with dual exhausts. If you wanted more, you could still order the W30 Performance Package, which included an even-hotter camshaft giving 300 net horsepower. Any 455 engine in an A-body car was very expensive to insure by this time, which limited sales. Only 772 buyers ordered the W30 package this year, only 113 of them on the convertible, and just 33 of those with the 4-speed. Added to the 66 V-code cars, that brings total 455/4-speed convertible production for 1972 to just 99 cars — very rare indeed.
While this Cutlass Supreme IS an original 4-4-2 and an original V-code 455/4-speed car, the fiberglass Force-Air hood is a later retrofit. The Force-Air hood, whose scoops fed a functional cold air intake, was part of the W30 High Performance Package, but before anyone cries “clone” too loudly, the Force-Air hood was ALSO available as a $154 standalone option with either the 350-4V or 455 engines. So, it’s not original, but it is correct here.
As with previous 4-4-2 incarnations, the heavy-duty “Rallye” suspension included front and rear anti-roll bars, stiffer springs, firmer shock absorbers, and heavy-duty rear lower control arms. It wasn’t the standout the 4-4-2 had been a few years earlier, but the option was still well worth having for the big improvement it offered in handling and composure. Oldsmobile continued to charge extra for power steering and front disc brakes, but this car thankfully has both, along with an Anti-Spin rear axle and a 3.23 axle, standard ratio with this powertrain.
The car was photographed with a set of older Super Stock I styled wheels, although it had period-correct G70-14 RWL bias-ply tires. It was originally ordered with color-keyed Super Stock III wheels, and the seller threw in a set of those as well. I don’t know why they weren’t installed for the photos, since the car would show better with them.
This Cutlass Supreme is pretty close to fully loaded: air conditioning, power windows, power locks, power decklid release, a power driver’s seat (not at all common on these cars), tilt wheel, and an expensive AM/FM stereo. It also has a power top, which was standard equipment on the Cutlass Supreme convertible in 1972.
This car wasn’t originally ordered with the Rocket Rallye Pac gauge package (which included a clock set into a 7,000 rpm tachometer in the right binnacle), but it has that now as well.
Even with the 4-speed, this Cutlass Supreme was obviously a cruiser rather than a serious street racer, and with all its options, it weighs around 4,000 lb. If you wanted maximum performance, starting with the much cheaper Cutlass S pillared sport coupe and skipping the air conditioning and some of the luxury options in favor of the W30 package would have cut around 300 lb from the curb weight and over $1,000 from the sticker price. (The seller, the nephew of the car’s second owner, believes this convertible was originally purchased as a prize for the winner of a golf tournament, which is why it was so lavishly equipped. The winner of the tournament couldn’t drive stick and had the original 4-speed and clutch replaced with Turbo Hydra-Matic; the car got a replacement M20 4-speed during restoration some years ago.)
Still, if you were looking to say farewell to the era of midsize GM convertibles in style, with a rare and still-formidable powertrain and full array of luxury options, you’d be hard-pressed to find a nicer drop-top Cutlass Supreme than this one. It sold for $130,000 on Bring a Trailer in May 2022, but somehow ended up back in the hands of the seller and has shown up for auction a couple of times since then, most recently on AutoHunter, where it went for $89,000 in October 2025.
As things turned out, while the ’72 was the last A-body Cutlass convertible, it wasn’t the last factory ragtop to bear the Cutlass name. In 1990, Oldsmobile introduced a convertible version of the FWD W-body Cutlass Supreme, with a permanently erected top bar (which Olds was obliged to remind people was not a roll bar) to compensate for the loss of the fixed roof. Despite its obvious compromises and high price, it was popular enough to survive through 1995, selling a total of 26,164 cars over its six-year run.
Personally, I think I’d rather have the ’72.
Related Reading
Curbside Classic: 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme – Something To Talk About (by Joseph Dennis)
Curbside Classic: 1972 Cutlass Supreme 4-Door Hardtop – Squint And You Can You See The Seventies (by GN)
1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass S 4-4-2: What’s In A Name (Or A Number?)Â (by me)
I keep forgetting that they actually built the GM10 Cutlass convertible. It was the Chevy Beretta convertible that was cancelled at the 11th hour; the Cavalier ragtop had been discontinued to make way for it and was brought back mid-model year.
I was surprised that the GM10 Cutlass Supreme convertible lasted as long as it did. I had kept assuming it was a very brief flash in the pan.
I remember them actually being remarkably abundant around here, like as common as VW Cabriolets. Haven’t seen one in forever though, last was probably in a junkyard
As my father used to say, you learn something every day. I never knew you could get that drivetrain in a Cutlass Supreme. That would be a real gem and less boy racer than the 442 by that point in time. I wonder, did it also not have the hood scoops?
The color scheme on this one leaves me cold.
The W25 fiberglass hood with the scoops wasn’t normally available on the Cutlass Supreme hardtops, only the convertible, but I can’t see any reason why you couldn’t add one if you were so inclined. Astonishingly, the hood was also available as a special-order item for the Cutlass Cruiser station wagon!
The other ’72 C/S convertible I mentioned is Viking Blue with a white interior: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-oldsmobile-cutlass-supreme-442-9/
(I was going to use photos of that car, mostly because I like the color better, but it was a little less period-correct, with a number of what looked like restoration errors, and I wasn’t eager to revive the arguments in the comments thread about originality.)
There were two cars I fell in love with when they were new and still attracted to now. The first was the 1969 Cougar XR-7 convertible, the second was the 1970 Olds Cutlass Supreme convertible. I still remember seeing these cars when new on dealer lots. Regarding this featured car, I was never a fan of the optional louvered hood.
A very thorough article on a rare car! The top bar on the GM10 Cutlass and the stillborn Beretta convertibles were due to the “beer tap” door handles. Without it, GM would have needed to engineer new doors with traditional handles.
We’d all rather have the ’72.
Back when GM had a lot of good looking cars. Before they lost their way, styling wise. Now a good looking GM car is a shock. Back in ’72, it was a shock to see a bad looking one. All that would change in ’73, with the Colonade horror show.