It was Thanksgiving Day in the United States a few days ago. I dropped off my parents in the late morning and temporarily headed home. On the way, I spotted a mid-1980s Cutlass Supreme coupe driving in the other direction. It looked unmodified in its original Light Chestnut Metallic.
“When a champion performs, it has a style all its own.”
For 1985, Oldsmobile’s Cutlass Supreme coupe gained a new grille. Little else changed, though the sporty 4-4-2 package replaced the Hurst/Olds package that had been available in the 1983 and 1984 model years.
The Cutlass Supreme’s standard engine remained the LD5 110 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with a Rochester M2ME two-barrel carburetor. The optional engines were the LV2 140 bhp 5.0 liter/307 ci V8 with a Rochester M4ME four-barrel carburetor ($490) and the LF9 105 bhp 5.7 liter/350 ci diesel V8 ($490). A three-speed automatic transmission was standard, while a four-speed automatic was available with the gasoline V8. Mid-eighties Cutlass Supremes were stylish but relatively slow—the best-case V8 and the four-speed automatic yielded a 0-60 time of a little under 12 seconds. Mileage with the V8 was 17 city/24 highway by the day’s standards (15/22 by today’s standards); with an 18.1-gallon fuel tank, a Cutlass Supreme owner could expect a range of about 300 to 330 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.
The base Cutlass Supreme coupe was $9,797—about $27,700 in 2022 dollars. Standard equipment included power steering, power front disc brakes, and P195/70R14 blackwall tires (a size still readily available) on 14-inch wheels with Deluxe bright wheel discs. Interior equipment included a Custom front bench seat in either cloth or vinyl, Deluxe seat belts, a Deluxe steering wheel, and an AM pushbutton radio with dual front speakers and a fixed mast antenna.
At $10,486, the Cutlass Supreme Brougham added a velour divided front bench seat with individual controls, Convenience Group, and (of course) specific Brougham ornamentation.
Options & Production Numbers
Options included a power Astroroof with sliding glass roof panel ($925), a full padded vinyl roof ($245), Four-Season air conditioning ($750), power windows ($195), and cruise control ($175).
The Cutlass Supreme coupe remained one of Oldsmobile’s sales stars, though numbers did not match the halcyon days back in the seventies and early eighties. Lansing sold 75,045 of the base coupes, along with another 58,868 of the Brougham coupes.
The View From 2022
A few folks are collecting these cars, but they aren’t common at shows. You do see eighties Cutlass Supremes for sale in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and at online auctions such as Bring a Trailer that cater to the eighties car market, though non-Hurst/Olds or 4-4-2 versions are relatively rare. As I was writing this blog entry, there was a White 1984 Cutlass Supreme coupe with red cloth seats, a 5.0 liter/307 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, and 131,000 miles listed on Hemming‘s for $20,000.
Make mine Dark Teal Blue Metallic, please.
As of late November, the most viewed post on Eighties Cars during 2022 is one on the 1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupe that I wrote back in 2015. Other rear-wheel-drive G-platform (designated A-platform before 1982) cars I have written about include the 1984 Buick Regal Grand National coupe, the 1983 Chevrolet Malibu sedan, the 1981 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Sport Coupe, the 1983 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Sport Coupe, the 1980 Pontiac Grand Am coupe, and the 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix coupe. I’m shocked I haven’t yet written about Oldsmobile’s Hurst/Olds or 4-4-2 variants.
Eighties Cars 
I believe the Cutlass is the G-body I actually see most at shows up here. I very rarely see Grand Prix, and the few Regals I see are mostly GN/GNXs. There’s a fair number of Monte Carlos, though many are SS variants. There’s a good number of Cutlasses, but most are base or Broughams, and comparatively few 4-4-2 and H/Os. Currently on kijiji.ca there’s 7 1978-1987 Cutlass coupes for sale, a couple that have been fairly modified, and only 1 seems to not have a V8 in it. There’s even 2 Cutlass sedans (and 83 and an 84). Funny enough, there’s only 5 Montes, and 3 are SSs.