1973: The Oldsmobile Cutlass Marches Into Glory

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Always a solid seller, in 1973 the Oldsmobile Cutlass caught fire, becoming a top sales performer at General Motors for years to come.

 

Oldsmobile sold around 105,000 Cutlass Supreme Holiday Coupes in 1972, a respectable performance, no doubt. But in 1973 its successor, the Cutlass Supreme Colonnade Coupe, sold nearly 220,000 cars, more than doubling the previous mark. With GM’s Colonnade styling and the right combination of features, looks, and pricing, the Olds division had unlocked a winning formula with American car buyers. The Cutlass soon emerged as a sales star for GM, and in the coming years, Olds would eventually slap Cutlass emblems on most of the cars in its lineup.

 

1973 Cutlass Supreme Salon Sedan

GM’s new A-body Colonnade cars for 1973—Chevy, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick—were all required to share the same cowl, windshield, and overall greenhouse. Within those limitations, lead stylist Len Castillo and staff focused on creating a unique identity for the Olds version, especially in its front and rear-end treatments. “We always had the grille and taillights tagged,” Castillo said years later. You knew you were approaching an Oldsmobile from the front or rear . . . we intuitively knew what was an Olds.”

Unlike the Chevy and Pontiac intermediates, V8 power was included in every Cutlass, and the Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission, too. The 350 cubic-inch Rocket V8 with four-barrel carburetor and 180 hp was standard, while a 455 CID V8 with 250 hp was optional. And there was a 270 hp L77 V8 available for buyers who selected the Muncie M-20 four-speed transmission, or decided to forego air conditioning.

 

1973 Hurst/Olds

There was a 442 in 1973, but in ’72 it had been demoted from stand-alone model to option package, and in ’73 it continued as a $121 extra on the Cutlass S with appearance items and a suspension upgrade. The performance headliner was the Hurst/Olds (option code W45, W46 without A/C), which included the 270 hp V8, badging and graphics, a fiberglass hood, and a Hurst shifter. While the Hurst/Olds is of supreme interest to Olds muscle enthusiasts, naturally, we can’t say it was a major part of the Cutlass sales story in ’73 as only 1,079 were produced.

 

Cutlass S Coupe (left) and Cutlass Salon Sedan interiors. 

Convenience features and interior appointments were keys to the appeal. The Cutlass S offered optional swivel bucket seats and a console, while the Supreme Salon featured bench seat coverings in embossed black or beige Moroccan vinyl or brocaded Lansing cloth in three colors. Buyers could pile on the extra-cost options, and many did: air conditioning ($397), power windows ($75), power door locks ($69), AM-FM stereo radio ($233), wire wheel covers ($82), vinyl top ($99). It wasn’t difficult to add $1,000 or more to the $3,158 base price of a Cutlass S, a profitable outcome for the Olds division.

With more than 405,000 Cutlass deliveries, Oldsmobile nearly hit the magic one-million mark in 1973—total volume came to almost 923,000 cars for the model year. The division then slipped back for a few years, but then in 1977, it became the first GM brand other than Chevrolet to exceed one million cars in a single year. Since the Cutlass accounted for more than 60 percent of the total, it was only appropriate that a Supreme Coupe was the star of the ceremony in Lansing, below.

 

1977 Cutlass Supreme Coupe, one million cars

8 thoughts on “1973: The Oldsmobile Cutlass Marches Into Glory”

  1. Dad had a ‘73 Curlass Salon, metallic brown with a butterscotch corduroy interior. I believe it was billed as ‘the North American Mercedes’ with IRS, disc brakes, rack and pinion steering and a McPherson suspension. We were at loggerheads at the time but him driving me into town was always a nice moment… Halifax, Nova Scotia

    • Of everything you listed that you believe that car had, the only thing it did have were the disc brakes, and only in front. The only GM product with IRS in 1973 was the Corvette.

      That Cutlass had coil springs all the way around, a solid rear axle, recirculating ball steering, & no McPherson strut suspension. In every way it was a typical GM A-body of the era, sold entirely on styling & what options they could pile on.

  2. I had a ‘77 Cutlass Supreme Brougham with T- tops in college and it was a really nice ride. The gold velour was a bit much though.

  3. I would think everybody in America over 60 years old has owned at least one colonnade Olds; I’ve had at least 5 and several colonnades of Pontiac, Buick and Chevy variety. They were everywhere in the 70s and 80s

    • You’d be wrong. 64 here, & I’ve never owned any of the colonnade models, nor have I ever owned a single Olds or Pontiac. Heck, I haven’t owned any GM product since the mid-80s, a record I plan to keep intact.

  4. Have never owned a Colonnade, but did have a ’69 LeMans as one of my cheap post-college rides. In college (late ’70s) the Colonnades were the schnizz. My grandmother bought a nearly loaded ’77 Regal as her last car; it did quite well for nearly 15 years. Between the Cutlass, the Monte Carlo and the Ford Thunderbird, PLCs were all the rage. Then the ’80s hit and it became all things Japanese for my generation….

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