The Oldsmobile Cutlass was introduced in 1961 as the top trim level for the compact, unibody Olds F-85. Named either for the Vought F7U Cutlass US Navy jet fighter, or for the type of sword (the jury is still out), the Cutlass would become a model unto itself as a mid-size car with body-on-frame construction. The Cutlass line would grow to include several variations including the 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds muscle cars, the luxurious Cutlass Supreme, and the Vista Cruiser wagon.
For the 1982 model year, the Oldsmobile Cutlass was split into two different variants. The G-Body was a rear-wheel-drive, body-on-frame platform that would carry the Cutlass Supreme names, and the Cutlass Ciera was the A-Body, front-wheel-drive version. The G-Body Olds Cutlass would soldier on through the 1988 production year.
Our feature 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme is a virtual time capsule, with a single owner from new until it was acquired by the selling dealer earlier this year. The Cutlass shows just 3,700 miles on the odometer. It is finished in its original Medium Red Metallic factory finish with a Dark Red vinyl landau roof, and deep red velour interior with a front split bench seat. It is powered by a 5.0-liter V8 backed by a three-speed automatic transmission. The Cutlass is equipped with power steering, power brakes with front discs, air conditioning, remote mirrors, and a Delco AM/FM/cassette stereo, and a power antenna that is not currently functional. Fourteen-inch factory chrome wheels are shod in whitewall Goodyear Vector rubber.
The finish on the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme is glossy and appears new with the exception of some checking present on the roof. Chrome bumpers present well, with no signs of patina or bubbling. No nicks or dings are observed on the body, and body lines are consistent with a new car of that era. Windshield, side and rear glass all appear as new, with no chips or nicks noted. The interior presents as new, with no appreciable wear noted on seating surfaces or carpet. The lighter is also as new, appearing to have never been used. A handwritten service log and manufacturer’s literature are included in the sale.
This exceptional 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme is currently being auctioned on Bring a Trailer, with the auction concluding Tuesday, June 11th.
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Comments
Driven less than two miles per week.
The Cutlass Supreme was GMs best selling RWD car during the ’80s. GM did a good job screwing that up!
One trip around the block with that carbureted 305, and you’ll get a very quick lesson on just how bad the 80’s were.
Sharp looking and comfortable, yes. Just expect it to struggle to keep up with regular traffic.
The 5.0 litre Oldsmobile engine was not a 305 it was a 307. You can tell the difference by where oil cap and distributors were. The standard 307 did however have a problem with soft cylinder walls. The Chevrolet engine was a 305, these engines back then were just corporate engines. Buick engines distributors were in the front of the engine oil through a cap in rocker cover, Chevrolet v8 distributors were in the back and oil fill rocker cover and Oldsmobile had distributors in the back of engine and oil fill was a tube behind the water pump going into the block. Hope this helps you understand the difference between corporate engines
in Canada the cutlass had the 305 and these were equipped with a 4BBL carb. They offer good pickup and were more than competitive with Ford or Chrysler in that time period.
The 307 , derived from the Olds block was only available the Olds B-body 88’s and 98 sedans. This engine was a smaller i think bore, of the 350 Olds block V8.
Some of these Olds cars were also equipped with the 350 chevy V8 .
The cutlass i believe in Canada was all 305 v8 or a Buick derived 3.8 V6
I had 82-84-88 Cutlass Supremes brougham. Carburator, the 88 EURO CLIPS LIGHTS. EASY TO FIX, ALWAYS HAULING a,* I. The freeways Coast to Coast. Very very comfortable vehicles. I regretted sold them.
It’s actually an Oldsmobile 307.
They weren’t that bad on gas at all. 16 gallon tank got me around quite good
Na it’s on the open road at higher speeds or hills where these engine struggled because they made such low power figures. The 307 (305 was Chevy Monte Carlo and Grand Prix these years) made a generous amount of torque but its power was concentrated under 4K RPM’s. These have plenty of pep keeping up with city traffic when in proper tune. I have owned numerous examples. The best is my current 1987 coupe with the 307/2004-R and optional 3.08 rear gears. It will lay rubber and has no problem moving away from stop lights. Passing power is adequate but nothing like a modern car. You must have the base timing at 20-22 degrees and the carb in good tune with no vacuum leaks for this mill to perform well.
How come you never say where the car is located
Clicking the link reveals that it’s in South Carolina
Competition cars in South Carolina. It’s on the license plate in the pictures. Myrtle Beach. He sells a lot of classic cars, catering mostly to low mileage examples and time capsules.
That does not appear to be a ben seat.
Split bench with a fold down armrest.
Yes it is. My 84 monte had the same thing, although mine had power on the driver’s side. This one appears manual, I don’t see the controls on the side. The velour seats on mine were super comfy. Friends called the car a floating couch. It was pretty gutless, as I had the 6 not an 8.
That beautiful vehicle will bring a war pension at auction.
I still have my 79 cutlass in Texas that is completely restored to Original but the motor and trans and rear-end and my 85 Hurst 442 love them both and will never sale I will give the 79 to my grand son and 85 to my son
85 Hurst 442? Yeah no. In the 80s there were 83 & 84 Hurst Olds, but no 442s. No Hursts were produced in 85. I own an 84 HO with T-tops. I don’t drive it much, so ill be selling it on here someday. I hope the new owner will love it as much as I have since ive bought it in 95.
The classic Gbody style is sorely missed. Most new cars are boring.
There were 442s made in the 80s, specifically in ’85 & ’86. The only thing Anthony got wrong is that his isn’t a Hurst 442, just a 442. Some people call the Hurst/Olds cars Hurst 442s, but they are 2 different models and always have been.
How can I buy this car tomorrow?
Love these cars, all of the G-bodies of this era, actually. Even the Aerobacks. The light and dark Maple Red was a memorable color theme used corporation-wide, IIRC. The Rocket engine made this car a lot nicer to drive than the 110-hp, 2-barrel 3.8 Buick V6.
Oldsmobile captured lightning in a bottle with the Cutlass formula over a nice, long span of years. Too darn bad no one at gm today has their fingers on the pulse of the customer the way Olds did then.
The gm customer of today clings somewhat to what gm used to represent, not today’s reality, where all of the corporate bosses want to ERASE the company’s unmatched history, as if they are somehow embarrassed by it. All they’re doing is disappointing long-time loyalists. Market share today proves it.
How ironic, I see the “Otto” badge on the trunk, that dealership is from Albany NY where it probably was sold new. Right near my hometown area. It was an Oldsmobile/Cadillac dealer and in it’s heyday a big dealership and well known, today they still have the Cadillac franchise however they are a much smaller dealer than they once were.
GM ruined a great line of vehicles by going fwd.
You can tell by the oil cap in front of engine this is a 307 Oldsmobile engine, not a Chevy 305 which I explained in my earlier post.
I’ve never heard anything about a Chevy 350 installed in Canadian Cutlass models. For the 1978 to 1988 USA model years, the first few years offered a Chevy 305 as an option. Forget the exact model year the Olds 307 was introduced, I’m thinking around 1982 or 1983. There are two different versions of the Olds 307, the regular version VIN code Y and the high output VIN 9 which was used in the 1983/1984 Hurst/Olds and also the 1985-1987 442. Only two models used a gas powered 350 Olds motor, the 1979 Hurst/Olds and the 1980 442.
Olds 307 debuted on the Cutlass series in 1981 but only wagons. Coupes and sedans maxed out with the underpowered 260 V8 which was rated at only 100 HP for 1981/82. For 1983 the 307 was offered on all Cutlass series coupes, sedans and wagons. It took Buick until 1986 to offer this engine on the Regal
My 82 cutlass came with a 260 CI motor…a baby v8. Was a great car.
Too bad they ordered it with the std 3 speed automatic which used a terrible 2.14 rear gear ratio which softened power and response and reduced highway gas mileage some. The optional 200 4-R was the way to go with the optional 3.08 rear gears. My 1987 two tone blue coupe that I still have is equipped that way and it has no problem keeping up with traffic. At any rate the 307 was a much better choice than the 231 or 260 in any G-body I have owned.
The 1983/1984 Hurst Olds and 1985-1987 442s used 3.73 rear gear ratios for improved acceleration and also had the 4 speed
automatic with overdrive. The 1978 and 1979 442 packages were essentially an appearance package, as the standard 442 did not include a larger engine. The Chevy 305 was an option for the 442 for 1978-1979. In 1980 the 442 was essentially a repeat of the 1979 Hurst Olds, right down to the two color options. Where as the 1979 Hurst/Olds had a Hurst dual gate shifter, the 1980 442 used the standard Oldsmobile shifter. I once owned a 1979 Hurst/Olds and also a 1984 Hurst/Olds. For the time they
were both fun cars to drive, the 1984 Hurst/Olds got a lot of looks with the Lightning Rod shifters.