Looking great in a color that I believe is Chamois Gold, and having been repainted six years ago (and apparently debadged, unfortunately) this car is listed as a 1973 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, but I believe it’s a Cutlass Supreme Cruiser as it doesn’t have exterior woodgrain. Whatever it is, it appears to be a gem in waiting for the next owner. It’s said to be a two-owner car and with a 455 V8, this is the one to have, despite horsepower numbers being down in ’73. It’s posted here on craigslist in Centennial, Colorado and the seller is asking $6,500 or best offer. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Rocco B. for another great tip!
As almost always with craigslist ads, the photos aren’t the best, there is no photo at all showing the driver’s side, not even a fleeting glimpse. Is it there? Is it rusty, or dented, are the doors missing? I doubt any of those things are the case, but how it got totally missed is beyond comprehension in 2024. It is what it is and we have to trust that it looks as good as the other three sides of the car look.
And by the other three sides looking good, I mean looking great – this appears to be one very nice car. I don’t see a flaw anywhere really, either inside or out, and that’s pretty rare. With no badges at all or photos of a VIN or data plate, it’s anyone’s guess as to what this car really is. I’m sticking with my Cutlass Supreme Cruiser model, what do you think?
This is it for passenger area interior photos. The unique seat pattern is great and the seller says there are seat covers on the front (bucket?) seats to protect them, but there are no photos. They do show a photo of the rear cargo area. I’m leaning toward this car being a three-row, nine-passenger Cutlass Supreme Cruiser wagon rather than a Vista Cruiser.
The engine is an Oldsmobile 455-cu.in. OHV V8, which would have been factory-rated at 250 horsepower and 370 lb-ft of torque when new. It sends that power through a three-speed automatic to the rear wheels. The hood release appears to be new or heavy-duty or something, and the top radiator hose is toast. The seller says it has a new battery, but the battery got drained due to the lights being left on so it hasn’t been driven in a year. I’m sure most Barn Finds readers could get this one humming again in no time. Is this a “de-woodgrained” (is that a term?) Vista Cruiser, or a Cutlass Supreme Cruiser? I’m sticking with the latter.
I thought the Vista Cruisers had the glass window along the front roof line
I may be wrong but I think that ended in 72
Colonnade Vista Cruisers were significantly cheapened-out. They had a “Vista-Vent”, literally an aftermarket-style pop up glass sunroof, over the front seats.
Of course the “vista vent ” is an ultra rare option that few of these wagons had
The Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser is a station wagon manufactured and marketed by Oldsmobile over three generations from 1964 to 1977.
The first and second generation Vista Cruisers are noted for their fixed-glass, roof-mounted skylights over the second-row seating with sun visors for the second row passengers, a raised roof behind the skylight and lateral glass panels over the rear cargo area along the raised roof, and access to the third row of forward-facing passenger seating was accomplished by a second row split bench seat that retracted forward.
In contrast to the 1971–1976 Custom Cruiser (a hybrid of the Delta 88 and the Ninety-Eight), Oldsmobile styled the 1977 Custom Cruiser as a station wagon version of the Delta 88,
1973 the Vista Roof was not added to the Vista Cruiser, so to me it’s just a Cutlass Wagon, not a Vista Cruiser.
I own a 1971 Vista Cruiser which now is my daily driver, and I have owned Oldsmobile’s since 1969, and I will never own anything newer than 1972 and it’s an Oldsmobile.
I believe there was a 73 Vista Cruiser here on Barn finds a while back. It had a sunroof, but not the glass roof like the 72 and prior. I agree with Scotty I think its a Vista Cruiser just no woodgrain whether it was repainted and omitted or not, I couldnt say. But wow, someone really went all out ordering this Wagon with a 455. Probably used for family vacations, maybe even towing a camper or a boat. If only old cars could talk.
Without the VIN in the ad there is no way to tell if it came from the factory with a 455 or it was added later. The seller doesn’t suggest one way or the other in his ad. For a stretch of time in the 1980’s through the early-90’s when a lot of full size 1970’s GM cars were cycling through the wrecking yard you could go to the local Pick Your Part (there were 4 within a 45 minute drive of my house) and have your choice of half a dozen complete 455 Olds engines for just over $100 plus core charge.
Steve R
Anything that wasn’t a big block Chevrolet passenger car engine, were cheap in those days. Pontiac 455, Buick 455 and Cadillac 500 cubic inch engines.
The Good Dr Olds offered a big vehicle w the big motor, to haul around the whole tribe 👪
There was no Cutlass Supreme Cruiser in 1973, so this has to be a Vista Cruiser. I could find no evidence online of an option to delete the standard woodgrain, so this is likely a de-forested Vista Cruiser.
CCF, nice catch! It appears that they came out for the 1974 model year, so either this is a de-forested (ha!) Vista Cruiser or it’s a ’74.
Dang, whatever it was, it’s gone already.
I’m betting the 455 is not original……probably was a 350…and they ripped out the AC components when the switch was done…
It looks like the radiator support was cut out to accommodate the latch cable. Maybe he converted it so no one could open the hood without the keys to open the door. I know that sounds far fetched.
That cable is for an aftermarket Chapman Lock alarm system, which was armed with a security (circular) key under the dash. Much like many other “security” devices, they fell out of favor when the thieves discovered a work around and cars with the devices began to be stolen in great numbers, LOL! The idea was that the lock would lock the hood shut, so the car couldn’t be hot wired or the battery stolen, and locking the hood also armed the alarm system. They were quite popular from the mid-1970’s through the late 1980’s. My Dad had a Chapman Lock installed on his then brand new 1984 Audi 5000 Turbo. They’re still available under the Z-Loc brand name (see links below):
http://www.zlokhoodlock.com/index.html#/
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Chapman+Lock&t=osx&ia=web