Mike Hayes found and shot this rather remarkable survivor that’s still being driven. I’m off at the coast in the van for a few days so I’m just going to show you this picture gallery without further comment. I’ll leave that to you.
Cohort Pic(k) of the Day: 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Coupe – Not So Supreme But Still Being Driven
– Posted on August 5, 2021
1) The contents of the front passenger seat…spray can of something, screwdriver, extra set of license plates…there’s a story there.
2) You just kind of want to pull it about 10′ further up the curb and get that poor thing out from under the tree.
3) I WILL wash and wax my white car this weekend. Absolutely.
So THAT’S what colour it is (was)!
I have a white car, I need to do some touch up on some exterior rust spots. Just back by the rear wheel wells is all I have to see about. What’s visible anyway. I think I’m doing OK for a 2010 model year.
Street fighter
Sanding raised-white-letter tires to create whitewalls can’t be good for tires…
The Super Sport Wheels may be worth more than the rest of the car.
I had these on my ’83 Cutlass. Made the car run faster and jump higher😎😎😎
Unless they were special ordered which I doubt, the width of those whitewalls date these tires to the last century. The ad used to proclaim “There’s a Special Feel, In An Oldsmobile”. After riding in this car I’d want to wash that Special Feel off.
Glad to see this survivor out there. ’77 was a great year for these, and I’ll bet this was still quite a sharp car even 20 years ago. Agree with 3speedautomatic that those Olds Super Stock II wheels are a great-looking design.
Great post. This reminds me of elderly Mrs. Laine at church – long past her glory days but still classy as possible wearing her 1980’s best. +1 for hanging in there.
Spray can is ether. Driver has been huffing it
I spotted a ’77 Cutlass Supreme in only marginally better condition on the streets of Washington, DC a few years ago. I was able to find this car’s image on Google StreetView as well (since it was parked in the same location), and it was clear that its condition had deteriorated a great deal over just a few years. I bet it has a similar story to tell as today’s featured car.
I used to really be in love. But like most flings her makeup ran a bit by morning. Soon enough I forgot she ever was. Funny thing how things change and we move in
I can smell that car thru my video screen!
This is one example of why vinyl tops aren’t a thing anymore. So many good cars rendered worthless by vinyl top rust.
In a sense this is the perfect car.
1. Others would give you the right of way while driving.
2. Leave it unlocked with the windows down. The chance of being stolen is null. Like rain or snow would hurt it?
3. Panhandlers would not approach you.
4. Insurance would be cheap.
5. Did I say insurance? Who needs insurance for this?
6. No one would ever ask to borrow it.
7. Tell your teenagers this is the only car they may drive. That’ll stop ’em.
8. In the parking lot others would give you a wide berth.
9. An ignition key is most unlikely needed.
10 You’d never have to wash or wax it.
11. Should it die, be stolen, towed, lost after a bender, demolished, etc., so what?
12. It will double in value every time you fill the gas tank.
I remember when cars like this were common out in the boonies, dirt cheap and nearly impossible to kill they soldiered on doing yeoman duty .
-Nate
I’m really lichen this car.
Homeless person living in it?
Otherwise, it’ll buff right out.
The 1974-77 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Buick Regal 2 Door Coupes might be Oldsmobile and Buick’s answer to the same era Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix but there were still plenty of world of differences. The Cutlass Supreme and the Regal were still based from the Chevelle Malibu Coupe’s shortened chassis since all 3 cars wheelbase still measured at 112″ which was only an inch longer than the 1968-79 Chevy Nova so the rear seat legroom were still as less roomy as the same era RWD X-Bodied compacts and yet the Nova had a bit more of a trunk cargo space than the 1973-77 RWD A-Bodied Colonnade coupes and sedans. The 1973-77 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix had the Chevelle sedan’s 116″ wheelbase but the chassis compared to the Chevelle and Regal coupes and even sedans were a bit longer which was more obvious from the front of the firewall to the front bumper owing to their long hoods. This is why IMO, the 1973-77 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix competed divisionally more with the much larger Buick Riviera, Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado in the personal luxury class. The Buick Riviera in 1977 though were downsized which used the same chassis as the Buick LeSabre and had the same 116″ wheelbase as the 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
It would have been a tough call between the colonnade ’74-’77 two-door Cutlass, Regal, Monte Carlo, or Grand Prix. I’d go with a 1974 round headlight Monte Carlo or Regal first, then the rectangular headlight Grand Prix (which looked good in any year) or Cutlass because the stacked headlights on the MC looked like hell.
Another good choice would have been an early, round headlight Cordoba, as well. Dragging up the rear of the intermediate-sized, PLCs would probably be the Mercury Cougar. Fords just really sucked during the mid-seventies.
Here is a 77 Cutlass Supreme that had a much better fate – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1iDOgeR72A
Hmm, I wonder how much rust exists underneath this heap. I envision holes in the frame.
Unlikely if it has spent its life in the PNW.
I should have taken some photos of the underside of the car. One thing that I noticed (and also forgot to take a photo of) was a window decal say “ILWU.” That’s the longshoreman’s union, so perhaps this might partly explain why it is so rusty by PNW standards. (Well, that and the water-trapping vinyl top.)
Replacing the 1/2 vinyl roof would add significant value to this desirable classic.
Other than the busted out taillight and accompanying dent on the rear(great job giant bumpers!) and the lack of top and underlying damage from it this looks like a good power washing away from being in pretty nice shape
I used to drive by this car frequently on NE Roosevelt. Usually it was between NE 73rd and NE 68th, but here it’s just above NE 75th…so I guess it’s at least somewhat operable!
Given the current state of used car prices, four new tires and a power wash could easily make this a $5,000 car.
On a serious note, this is a remarkable survivor. For the sheer number of these produced, seeing one now is a rarity.
No doubt this car proves the old saying – “GM cars will run poorly longer than most cars will run at all.”
The “Chicago Cutlass” is an example of a next-generation Cutlass that is in even worse shape, but still keeps chugging along: https://drivetribe.com/p/the-legend-of-the-chicago-cutlass-KBAH0MehQsioPpy9a5PiZA?iid=FRgIJ1-IQm-ojIM8JP9w_g
I can’t imagine that car being licensable in very many jurisdictions. Certainly not mine.
528,000 of these were made, good for second place in 1977 auto production, behind the newly restyled Chevy Impala/Caprice. A staggering number, but not quite as good as in 1976, when the Cutlass was the number one selling car in the land.
Like the tri-five Chevys, these seemed “just right” to many Americans. Not too small or big, fairly well-built, reasonably priced, with a bit of style. These really hit the sweet spot. The 1978 downsizing didn’t do these any favors, but the 1981 refresh got things back on track.
“Runs good. Best offer.”
The Olds Nationals are taking place right now in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Nice to see 73-77 Cutlasses well-represented and getting some attention here!
These sold extremely well because of style. It was “my father’s Oldsmobile” and that is why he bought one. His also rusted under the half vinyl top.