And now it’s an occasion to see one on the street. It was America’s sweetheart for such a long run, including several stints as the best selling car in the land; the Ford F150 of its time. And here’s one survivor, the first I’ve seen in a while, so it must be honored, even if we’ve given it full honors before.
And I just noticed that there’s a similar-vintage Chevy van behind it. These two have some stories to tell.
I’m not really the best person to tell the Cutlass’ story, as my head was very much elsewhere at the time, automotively speaking. But there were millions of Americans to whom the Cutlass still defined the best all-round car to have; some traditional style mixed with a thin veneer of status; this was an Olds after all, and not just a Chevy.
This looks to be a base Supreme, despite that sounding like an oxymoron. But that’s no loose-pillow tufted velour interior; one had to pony up for the Brougham edition for that.
I’ve stated on a number of occasions that the dominance of mid-sized coupes in the ’70s and ’80s was due to the fact that all the millions of once-younger buyers of Mustangs and Camaros had outgrown them, but were not about to get into a four door sedan. These were essentially the next step up; a pony car for those too old to put up with their shortcomings, although the rear seats in these weren’t exactly generous either.
Like so many, this one’s roof is showing some advanced vinyloma. That’ll teach you not to use sunscreen.
Looks like it started its long life in Texas. Not surprising, as in the West Coast these were increasingly seen as Grandma and Grandpa’s car. Got to rock a Benz, or at least a Taurus if you don’t want to be seen as totally outdated. And by 1985, these were rather, although they would soldier on through 1988, as there was still enough demand for them in the new FWD GM era to keep them rolling off the lines, in ever more modest numbers.
And now the remaining ones are in the hands of those who will cherish them. Just how it should be.
Even in Lansing these are getting to be unusual. I know I saw 2 within the last week but I think that’s all.
These were built in such huge quantities a few were bound to inevitably survive, and parts are likely still easy to find except perhaps some trim pieces. The RWD A/G bodies seem to have some following – for fans of classic GM RWD cars, these are considered the last hurrah. Their size is tidy and the styling remains attractive, with the Cutlass perhaps being the nicest of the post-facelift coupes (at least on the outside; the Grand Prix has the best interior). Interesting how GM aced the downsizing of their huge-selling personal luxury coupes in ’78 and 79, distilling the essence of the previous larger models in the new trimmer size, whereas Ford so completely botched their efforts with the 1980 T-bird, Cougar, and Mark VI.
I sold a 84 monte to a friend in dec.who really wanted the car…I could hardly drive the car when I sold with no power steer and the old 305..like an ancient dino..its still in his basement….it drove like something out of 1965.r
.
It’s easy to poke fun and laugh at the personal luxury coupe with its impracticality and overwrought styling. I know I’ve done it plenty of times back in the day.
But given all their faults, the PLC projected a certain level of aspiration that is missing from many of today’s automotive offerings. The PLC at least suggests that the owner might be going to the theater or the country club, even if in actuality they were headed to the hardware store. Modern SUVs and pickups strip away all that pretense, and pretty much just say “Yea, I’m headed to Home Depot”
Haha! All of this is spot-on, Tom. Great observations.
I remember a business trip I took back about 1986-87 where I got the alpha and omega of mid-sized American cars back to back – a Taurus and one of these. The Taurus was modern but was a low trim 4 cyl/auto car (IIRC) that I liked but didn’t love. A higher trim V6 might have impressed me more and I recall being disappointed in the specs of the first one I got to drive for more than 5 minutes.
The Cutlass I still remember vividly. It was a white car with blue roof/interior that I rented in Albany NY. I took it for a drive to kill some time the evening before the next day’s work and this was the first new GM car I could recall that I could have actually seen myself owning. The 307/auto was a really pleasant combo in the car with a good match between weight and gearing. It was quiet and smooth and felt really competent. And, of course, it was practically an antique at that time, so maybe I was appreciating something I understood was the last of its breed.
The remaining ones in my part of the country are usually modified:
There’s a guy in my town who’s got one pimped out like that. I know that’s not to the taste of most of us here, but most here are also going to concede that “to each, his own”.
I was about to say a nice, clean, and all original Cutlass. Seeing one of those clean originals, around the Bay Area, would be like hunting for hen’s teeth on Easter Sunday.
I remember how as the 1980s wore on how the GM G bodies were continually panned and shunned by the automotive press. By around 1984 or so, they were were written off as dinosaurs and not taken seriously except by the knuckle-dragging musclecar and aging PLC fans.
Aerodynamic, front wheel drive sedans were the way forward into the 1990s, and that was fine for the non-car loving owner
But today the G-bodies are laughing their way all the way to the bank as they are quite collectible now. There are entire restoration catalogs and parts houses devoted to them. Regal Grand Nationals have always been desirable and try finding a decent one for under $20k. Monte Carlo SS’s and 442s are generally in the $15k range, and nice, original, low mileage base model cars are getting into the 5 figure range and their prices are climbing.
What about the cars they competed with when they were new? Has anyone seen a 1980s-vintage Camry or Accord in the last 20 years? An Olds Ciera? How about the 1988 GM10s that replaced the G-body? The K-based Mopars? All gone and not even a blip on the collector car market today and not worth much more than their weight in scrap. Only the Thunderbird from that era seems to have maintained any interest as a collector car, and even they aren’t as coveted by the Ford guys as the G bodies are.
Obviously, all those other cars weren’t bad cars, they just did their jobs as cars and were sent off to the scrap yard and forgotten about when they completed their service, versus the G bodies that have largely been loved and remembered fondly and thus kept in circulation for all these years.
Dan I agree with your comment. I liked these cars when new along with their siblings, despite every magazine calling them dinosaurs. Even though outdated they remained popular cars because they were good vehicles. The cars GM did best.
Once GM switched to FWD platforms, I pretty much lost all interest in GM cars other than the F-body, the B-Body and the Vette. Later when I started working on them at GM dealership it only affirmed my beliefs that GMs best stuff was behind them. I also learned why every tech in the shop drove either GM trucks or RWD GM cars.
Even here in rust country I still see the 80s G-body cars fairly regularly. Most of the FWD stuff from the 80s is gone and has been for a long time.
despite every magazine calling them dinosaurs
Really? I don’t seem to remember that. Road and Track’s test of a very similar Malibu coupe was quite complimentary. “…this can be a fine road car”.
I meant in the mid-1980s, like when the subject car was new and they were long in the tooth. Not in 1978 when they were modern. I should have been more specific in my original comment but I was discussing the era of the subject car.
These GM intermediate personal luxury coupes have been showing up at the Carlisle events for several years – particularly the Buick Grand National, Oldsmobile 4-4-2 and Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. Although well-preserved “regular” versions make an appearance, too.
I believe one reason that the Thunderbird of this vintage isn’t quite as popular with Ford enthusiasts is that it continued for another generation as a rear-wheel-drive, personal luxury coupe (along with the Mercury Cougar and Lincoln Continental Mark VIII). Those are now starting to show up at the Carlisle events. They give collectors an option beyond the 1983-88 models.
GM enthusiasts who don’t want an F-body or a Corvette gravitate to these G-bodies and the 1994-96 Impala SS.
Not as many survivors either, unless the Ford’s were Turbo models, they all had the AOD, and on top of that most had the head gasket munching 3.8 if front of it. G bodies seemed to have more robust powertrains and more seemed to be V8 equipped. Plus rust plagued Tbird’s and Cougars even into the MN12 generation, which while G bodies certainly corroded, a full perimeter is a wee bit more reassuring that the body won’t break apart than the Fox unibody.
Less iconic performance names too, the G bodies had SS, 442, Hurst hardening back to the muscle car days, gracing model names that were direct descendants. Thunderbird and Cougar were on completely different classes of cars in the 60s, in yet another a reinvention phase for the 83s, and their performance nameswere the uninspired “Turbo coupe” and XR-7, which until 1984 was a luxury trim submodel, not a performance one. Grand National obviously was concocted within the G body generation, but it truly earned its name and cred with its malaise shattering performance, unlike the laggy Turbo I4 that was not much brisker than the lopo 5.0 in the Ford’s. All this conspires to relegate them to cult status among collectors.
Depending on the drivetrain, the GM cars had their share of problems, too. My friend had a 1982 Cutlass Supreme with the V-6 in the 1990s. The transmission failed…he had that fixed. The V-6 then failed. Both were apparently common with that drivetrain as the miles increased.
When I was a teenager, I discounted these as being “too common.” Mcdonalds sells more burgers and fries than anyone else in the world, but they aren’t really. . .good, are they? Then i had an 86 cutlass brougham and realised exactly WHY these cars were so popular. They were the lexus SUV of their day and rich people down to lower middle class people drive them or aspired to them; young people wanted them, middle aged people with families wanted them, they came in stripper avis special with the v6 and no ac and am radio to sporty models with bucket seats and gauge packages and the four barrel v8 to full on compact cadillacs with loose pillow velour seats and all the power accessories and the vinyl tops. They were handsome, elegant, restrained cars with just enough jewelry to stand out from k car econobox and wheezy 95 hp iron Duke fwd a cars.
I rode in the back of my cutlass and grand national several times and found it very spacious and comfortable with the formal roofline. The trunk was large and with the formal roofline has a very large opening. Top prize for space efficiency should go to the gm fwd c/h bodies but these were very comfortable inside for four or five adults.
Additionally, they were very satisfying to drive. Even with the smog choked v8, there was some acceleration and more importantly plenty of torque for smooth, creamy power. These cars drive well, all of a piece without the flimsy, rattly feeling of a k car, and smoothly, unlike an x, felt much more composed than the Fairmont ltd and handled responsively. They had a premium feel at a very reasonable price. The gm10s never could meet the standards set by these cars.
Additionally, in my experience oldsmobile dealers provided much better sales and service than the chevy or pontiac dealer. Here tnn e Chevy/ford dealers lived up to every filthy car sales stereotype but the olds dealers were more honest. These cars sold very well for a lot of different but well justified reasons.
Nice car. I came to appreciate these over time. Somehow Olds pulled off the trick of having a two door coupe look very much different than their four door model.
The back end of these recalled the glory era of the Cutlass from the colonnade days of 1973-77. The grille tried to emulate the 1973, but I didn’t go for the dustpan effect of the leading edge.
A neighbour had one of these brand new, it was washed every, single, day. Didn’t matter, it was well rusted a few years later, as had his 1973 Supreme.
I can think of nothing more mind-numbing that washing the same car every single day.
I had the Pontiac version of this, beautiful in black (it had the steel roof; no vinyl top). I think the Grand Prix was the best looking of all the C-P-O-B variants. In fact, the looks were better than the car itself 🙂
Even so, I may try to find another Grand Prix sometime.
Yours was the perfect look for me. Black looks great on them.
Love the lack of vinyl roof. Did it have the rallye wheels?
Nope. Standard wheelcovers. (Which I actually kind of liked.)
Those are nice in the turbine style. Would go well with white walls.
I always go for the rallye wheel with trim ring look along with white letter tires ala Lt Dan’s ’83 he used to have. I always seem to go for sporty wheels/tires on a luxury-type car. I actually looked for WLT for my black ’03 Avalon which would have been odd but I couldn’t get them in my size anyway.
I had a ’79 SJ coupe with 14″ version of the snowflake rims which were nice. But I always liked the restyled GPs looks like yours much better.
Some cars just fit me to a “T” and that GP is one of them.
For standard covers, those look really nice. Why pay more?
This is definitely one of the most successful facelifts of all time and could be classified as one of GM’s Greatest Hits if hasn’t been already. The same applies to the other G-bodies as well. My personal preference is the Buick but the Olds still hits a lot of the right buttons.
It’s interesting that Olds sold 126,784 of these for 1987; the total for 1988 was 122,401 – of which 27,678 were the “Classic” rear-drive version. So for all the ballyhoo of the GM-10s, sales declined.
It just goes to show if you make something really well, it doesn’t matter if it’s an old design or not. Conversely, newer doesn’t always mean better.
You make a good point about the facelift. The early Cutlass Supreme of, say, 1978-80 was not as attractive. What’s more, it was not until well into the run that they got a decent drivetrain. The early cars with 260 V8s and V6s made for poor Oldsmobiles. Rockets they were not. The 307 cars may not have been Rockets either, but they were torquey engines well-suited to the platform.
Don’t discount the early ones too much. The 307/4A combo didn’t come until about 1982, but the early cars offered a 350, maybe even a 403. 403 with 4 speed auto in one of the facelift cars would be very nice. We had multiple Oldsmobile A/Gs in my family, and they gave good service.
As much as I love these, deep in my heart, i consider them the same kind of death trap category as an S10. I believe that the S10 is substantially an A/G forward of the firewall. Appealing as it may be, you shouldn’t risk your fragile, bony meat pouch by daily driving that instead of anything whose model year started with 201. You’re the delicate and expensive to repair part, they don’t cut as many bodies out of wrecks as they used to. /rant
I actually pay attention when I drive, I’ll stick with my PLC that begins with 199
Heres what happens to one in a 40 mph head on collision with a late model Camcord.
The Cutlass driver walked away with minor injuries, the other driver was not as fortunate. The Cutlass was also repaired and is back on the road today.
Not sure why it didnt attach
Ouch.
Just mentioned your ’83 Grand Prix in a different comment. Still wish I had gotten it!
Since even our basic cars have at least 200 hp now, it might feel slower than I remember.
But I would still drive one for the looks even if was powered by a hamster on a wheel.
Its just the best front end ever. Hubcaps, vinyl roof, whitewalls, whatever. I’d put up with all that just for that long flat good, that grille and quad lights.
Its just forever cool to me.
Unless you can support your assertion that this was a head on crash with a “Camcord”, I call BS. From the looks of it, the car clearly hit a pole of some sort., and at a speed of maybe 20 mph or so. That is not how a car looks after a head-on crash with another car. And certainly not at 40mph into anything.
Comments like this that make claims about the crash safety of older cars versus a newer car are highly suspect anyway, and do not support the facts (not emotions) that newer cars inherently fare better than older designs.
As to anecdotal claims of how respective drivers fared in a crash, that too is essentially useless information as we don’t know the information about use of belts, ages, etc..
BTW this is what a 40mph head on crash looks like. Much. much worse than what this Cutlass encountered with a pole, at probably 20 mph or less.
Yeah that honestly doesn’t look like a 40mph crash to me either.
I’m not suggesting old cars are safer, but discouraging their usage, especially limited to anything made before 10 years ago? Reward is worth the risk to some of us, there are all sorts of things in the world that will severely injure or kill you that are less enjoyable than having a car you like that you weren’t shamed into buying.
Sorry Paul. I was there and I worked it and there was no pole involved. The CamCord crossed the center lane, the Cutlass tried to swerve to avoid it and they hit off center. I was there, I saw the cars, I saw the drivers and I saw the skid marks leading up to the colllision I certainly appreciate your opinion though.
Collisions in real life aren’t the same as the tests and nowhere did I mention that old cars are safer than new cars, but they’re not the death traps that many make them out to be.
Just a coincidence that it’s a hi-po 442?
I hate to say this, but looking at that picture close up, I’m having a real hard time seeing that damage from another car. I’ve never seen two cars hit and end up with damage like that. It really, really looks like it hit a pole. Look closely at it: you can see where something that extended from the pole (or hydrant) put an odd round-shaped dent into the hood.
If this car had been hit by another car, the headlights would have been smashed, as well as all that front end plastic/sheet metal would have been more damaged.
I simply don’t believe it.
In any case, you’ll never convince me they were doing 40 mph. Reading skid marks? On cars with ABS? How exactly does one do that?
Maybe 40 mph combined speed (each slowed to 20) with the Camcord rolled on its side. The NHTSA crash test of these at 35 into a stationary wall buckled the windshield pillars inward and jammed the doors. That car didn’t touch anything with combined speed of 80.
@ LT Dan:
You posted this same picture in the COAL of your ’84 Grand Prix, and there you said it was a 30 (not 40) mph collision, and that the driver of the late-model car wasn’t wearing a seatbelt — hence the serious injuries. Implying that the Cutlass protected its occupants better than the newer car when in fact the real reason for the discrepancy was seatbelt use is intentionally deceptive, and not a good look.
@Dave;
That is one scary video. I love how they explain the importance of using a “safety restraint” as the footage inside the car shows the glovebox? Or some other large piece of dashboard launch directly toward where your face would have been… I’m firmly team death trap but I also recognize it. No crash is the ideal accident.
@dave, if both cars were going 40MPH the “combined speed“ Is the equivalent of each car hitting a stationary object at 40MPH, it doesn’t combine to 80.
@ LT Dan:
You posted this same picture in the COAL of your ’84 Grand Prix, and there you said it was a 30 (not 40) mph collision, and that the driver of the late-model car wasn’t wearing a seatbelt — hence the serious injuries. Implying that the Cutlass protected its occupants better than the newer car when in fact the real reason for the discrepancy was seatbelt use is intentionally deceptive, and not a good look.
Thanks for pointing that out. And reading that post convinces me even further (not that it’s necessary) that Dan is not giving us the real story here. Here’s what he wrote:
The other car was a late model sedan that was totaled, towed from the scene, the airbag deployed and the unseatbelted driver had some serious injuries. The crumple zones from the newer car absorbed most of the energy from the collision, leaving the heavy steel perimeter frame construction in the Cutlass mostly intact.
It doesn’t work that way. The reality is that perimeter frames don’t work as he’s implying. Modern perimeter frames are actually rather spindly affairs that absolutely require the stiffness of the attached body. They are not like the ladder frames under a truck.
Anyway, I’m utterly convinced that 442 hit a pole and was not hit by a car. The damage would look very different if a car hit it.
Dave, in 1978 and 1979 the 305 was the biggest engine for most Cutlass Supremes, other than the wagons and Hurst Olds which could get a 350 gasser. The 403 left the lineup in 1977. While the 307 replaced the 305 in the States, in Canada the 305 remained for most Cutlasses through the 80s.
The 2WD S10 shares control arms with the A/G body but that’s it. It was a different frame altogether.
There are still some of these G bodies around here in the heartland. I see a few on the road each week. I owned a 1984 Monte Carlo SS. Bought used in 1988 with 48k on it, a teacher owned it from western Nebraska so it was rust free. Loved how it drove and handled. The 305 was eventually replaced with a healthy 355 small block and 350 turbo trans. With the original 3:73 rear posi that really woke the old girl up! Loved that car.
I agree JPC that GM’s 1981 facelift of the A-Special/G RWD coupes did wonders for their appearance, making them worthy successors to the larger Colonnades. The Cutlass and Regal IMO were particularly stylish, and they remained popular right to the end in 1987-88.
Speaking more broadly, GM did quite well over the decades with the Buick, Olds, and Pontiac brands. When one faltered, another would pick up the baton. So for example, Buick was very popular in the 1950s, Pontiac became the style and performance leader in the 60s, and then in the 70s and into the 80s, it was Olds’ turn.
Ford never had that kind of success with Mercury, and Mopar scored only modestly with Chrysler in the 50s and 60s.
As the 80s drew to a close, the writing was on the wall for the so-called medium-priced brands, and today we’re left with the budget/luxury branding scheme for the most part (e.g.,Toyota/Lexus, Ford/Lincoln). Even that isn’t working so well anymore (Acura, Infiniti, Cadillac) for some.
I think every 81 G body qualifies as a successful facelift, maybe with the arguable exception of Pontiac.
The segment was in decline by the time the time the GM-10s came out in fairness, but I do think the Coupes were the answer to a question no one asked. The G body coupes had a nice little niche and were fully amortized. Considering the B bodies lasted deep into the mid 90s, perhaps GM would have been better off doing the same with the G coupes, along with some requisite styling changes to reflect the times, eschewing the whole W body fiasco(or at least concentrating on that platform being strictly Taurus fighting sedans from the start). Imagine the enthusiast possibilities too, a sleeker second gen turbo Grand National, maybe LT1 powered Monte Carlos SS and Cutlass 442s?
Yeah, It would had been interesting to see a design update to the G-coupes, they would had gone head to head against the T-bird in Nascar. As for the G-sedans, they could have a design upgrade of the same thing and why not also an optionnal AWD system like the Pontiac 6000 STE got in 1988?
I always thought the Monte Carlo was the most dramatically improved with the 1981 restyle, followed by the Grand Prix. The 1978-80 models didn’t come off as well as their predecessors.
Both the pre- and post-facelift Cutlass Supreme and Regal were handsome, although both benefited from the addition of quad headlights for 1980.
Regal is the runner up for me, the 78-80 styling, even post facelift, had a rather frumpy look to it, the 81 gained those nice wraparound taillights rather than the odd mix of vertically angled side markers and horizontal main taillights, the more distinctive front end, and flared wheel openings that served to give the later Turbo submodels a truly muscular appearance. The Grand Prix had the rear end and proportions improved like pretty much all of them, but overall I found it the second most palatable design next to the Cutlass Supreme in 78-80, and went to my least favorite of the four after 81 – which would be B-O-C-P
There’s one of these frequently parked in a driveway on a road I sometimes drive. I pass it by and admire it’s taut, appealing style. Because these were so common in their time I hardly paid attention to them then; they were just the air that we breathed. But in hindsight, GM really got the styling right on these. If only they had 3 inches more rear legroom.
A friend of mine bought a similar Cutlass in the mid ‘90’s. It was in nice shape and was his daily driver until it was (sadly) banged up in an accident in the early ‘00’s. He still misses it. They’re not a common sight anymore, but I still like them, and you could do a lot worse than one of these if you wanted something older in your driveway.
My co worker drove a gold Cutlass coupe. She left it at the dealership for service and they lost it in a sea of Cutlasses. It was found parked in the adjacent parking lot 2 days later in another sea of Cutlasses. Yes the keys were in it.
I had a 1982 Pontiac Grand Prix with V8 and bucket seats. Upgraded the tires and shocks and drove it 90,000. Only repair was a water pump.
I miss mine. It was just another used car when I was done with it, and had economically irreparable rear frame rail cancer. I should have kept it anyway, had a competition engineering four link rear and rails welded in, converted it to fuel injection, and made a nice weekend car of it.
Nothing I have owned has ever been so quiet or relaxed.
These were certainly outdated by the mid 1980s, but somehow they were still desirable for teenagers and young adults (well, maybe not in California, but definitely in Philadelphia). If you were going to have a grandma’s car, this was the one to have.
In fact, I know someone who inherited her grandma’s ’85 Cutlass (with fake convertible roof, no less), and I recently found some photos I’d taken of that car… one of the many articles I’m hoping to write up in the coming months.
What stands out about these in modern traffic is both how low they seem from my perch in a tall-but-not-raised hatchback (5′ OAH, even) surrounded by SUVs and how they somehow also seem to be teetering on a wheelbase and tread width suitable for a much smaller car. I don’t remember seeing either aspect of their design when they were common while I was a kid/teen/young-adult-surrounded-by-hand-me-down-G-body-drivers.
My mother drove one of these when my brother and I were very young kids. She was an upwardly mobile Boomer in her mid-30s then, just a little younger than I am now. That’s hard to believe, because it seems so stodgy and Broughamy, and those are not characteristics that fit her at that time (or now, for that matter). It was the last American car she ever owned, and she has driven more and more pedestrian Camcords since.
We were suburban New Yorkers in the late 80s, and she loved how the car handled in the snow; she called it a “tank”.
I have some fond memories of being a little kid in that spacious, Broughamobile. I recall melting crayons over that carpeted panel behind the rear seat head rests and thinking I would get hell for it, but she was cool about it.
When we moved to CA, the Olds didn’t come with us. It was replaced with an ’89 or ’90 Nissan Maxima, which was a stark contrast. They looked (and I’m sure drove) like they were decades apart.
I had an ’83 Cutlass Supreme Coupe just like above, but in green metallic, bucket seats, floor shifter with console, super sport wheels like above, and 231 V6. Not fast, but handled extremely well. One day I pulled the back seat cushion and found the build sheet. Come to find out, it had the sport suspension with sway bars front and rear.
Finally gave it because the rear seal gushed oil and the A/C crashed and R12 freon was no longer available.
My first car when I graduated from college.
Love my 86
These were nice cruisers. This looks like my ’84, except mine was all black with t-tops, not two tone.
These were basically the 1980’s equivalent of tri-five Chevy Bel Airs. Affordable, nicely styled, not too big, not too small, a dash of flair, decent enough power, good resale value. A totally pleasant package that hit the sweet spot for many American buyers.
I’m a collector. I have over 50 of these in NE Central Indiana (James Dean country). I own some of the rarest ones out there. I have Cutlass, Regal, Monte Carlo, Le.ans, Malibu, Malibu Wagon, El Camino, Century, and I’ve had many others.
I have an 83 and still drive it as much as I can
Still have my 87
Just a couple of days ago I got an email from an auction company that I purchased my F150 at. They do consignments, gov’t fleets, new car dealer trade ins and cars from the general public. This months auction includes, you guessed it, a Cutlass though a 1978. It is showing 59k on the odo and the interior looks like new so it might not have turned over. It does have the V8. Unfortunately someone did put a single DIN radio (Blaupunkt) it and also put a LED in that same panel.
Made good use of mine. About all they were good for..
When I was in college in the mid-80s, the parking lot was chock full of these cars. My ’74 Celica was an outlier. Among my friends, every G-body was represented.
I got one! Freshly painted a few months back. Engine swapped with a 75 350 rocket engine.
I’ve often felt like writing a COAL article on these cars, as I had an ’84 Cutlass Supreme Brougham as my first car back in 1998. I specifically sought out one, too, because they checked off several boxes: the last of the carbed/ outdated technology in many ways, and they offered enough style, but with a sporty flair especially with the rally rims. They were a car that you could option and customize them enough that they didn’t look exactly like someone else’s, and in 1998, they were affordable and often in need of some repairs, so I didn’t mind something that was a bit of a project. Modern cars in the 90’s were becoming more complicated to fix with all the sensors and computer based things and whatnot……the 305 was easy to work on and was a reliable engine.
Plus, it saved my life when a guy T-boned me by running a red light, so I’ll always miss it for sacrificing its life for mine.
Got a 86 Brougham myself. 39,000 original miles, original everything. Great shape. Interior is flawless.. only upgrades I did was swapped the facts speakers with newer kenwood speakers and a deck.. and 20″ wire wheels (still have original wheels and hubcaps) friends ask me all the time why I don’t put hydraulics on it.. I reply with “it’s too beautiful of a car to start cutting it up”.
Interior
I bought this one 2 years ago out of TN. All original but I put some Cragars on it to get rid of the classic look with hub caps. I get lots of compliments here in Mo being near route 66 and all. Love it but would sell for the right price.