“America’s favorite Cutlass for flair, value and price”
For 1981, the exterior of Oldsmobile’s Cutlass Supreme coupe was substantially revised, with a lowered front, a slightly higher decklid, and quad headlamps. With the new styling, aerodynamic drag dropped by about 15%.
The standard engine remained the 110 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with a Rochester M2ME two-barrel carburetor. The optional engines, a 4.3 liter/261 ci V8 with a Rochester M2MC two-barrel carburetor ($50) and a 5.7 liter/350 ci diesel V8 ($695!), both had (this makes no sense) five less horsepower than the V6. A three-speed automatic transmission was the only transmission available with any engine. Early eighties Cutlass Supremes were stylish but slow—0-60 came in about 14 seconds with the standard motor. Mileage with the V6 was 21 city/30 highway by the day’s standards (17/22 by today’s measures); with an 18.1-gallon gas tank, a Cutlass Supreme owner could expect a range of 320 to 370 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.
Standard equipment on the $7,484 Cutlass Supreme (about $28,400 in today’s dollars) included power steering, power front disc brakes, and P195/75R14 steel-belted radial-ply blackwall tires (a size still reasonably available) on 14-inch wheels. Inside, a Custom Sport bench seat with a choice of vinyl or cloth, a Deluxe steering wheel, an instrument panel with simulated butterfly walnut veneer, and Flo-thru ventilation were included.
Moving up to the $7,969 Brougham added snazzier exterior moldings, full wheel discs, and a divided cloth velour tufted bench seat.
The $8,004 Cutlass Calais added special painted wheel discs, halogen high beam headlamps, a ride and handling package, reclining front bucket seats in cloth or vinyl, a Rallye gage instrument cluster, and a Custom Sport steering wheel.
Options & Production Numbers
Optional exterior and mechanical equipment included cast-aluminum wheels, tungsten halogen high beam headlamps, engine block heater, limited-slip differential, power antenna, dual sport mirrors, electric rear window defogger, and removable glass roof panels ($695). Inside, you could add either Four-Season or Tempmatic air conditioning, a Tilt-Away steering wheel, cruise control, power windows, power door locks, bucket seats, a digital or regular electric clock, and a series of radios.
The Cutlass Supreme sure was popular—Oldsmobile sold almost 189,000 of them in the 1981 model year along with another 94,000 Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupes for a total of over a quarter of a million. Olds made it well known that the Cutlass brand overall continued to be the most popular car in the United States.
The View From 2025
A few folks are collecting these cars, but they still aren’t common at shows. You do see fourth-generation Cutlass Supremes for sale in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer, though non-Hurst/Olds or 4-4-2 versions are relatively rare.
Make mine Dark Blue Metallic, please.
Among the many rear-wheel-drive G-platform (designated A-platform before 1982) cars I have written about are the 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass coupe, the 1980 Pontiac Grand Am coupe, the 1980 Pontiac Grand Prix SJ coupe, the 1981 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Sport Coupe, the 1983 Chevrolet Malibu sedan, the 1983 Monte Carlo SS Sport Coupe, the 1984 Buick Regal Grand National coupe, the 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupe, the 1987 Buick GNX coupe, and the 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix coupe.
Last updated June 2025.
Eighties Cars 