It’s a shame the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme convertible wasn’t allowed to evolve further within GM’s lineup. To this day, I consider it one of the most attractive cars the General has built, and that’s saying something considering how many models have come and gone since then. To my nostalgic eyes, the Cutlass Supreme convertible also represents an important point in history when consumers truly loved automobiles and could influence large companies like GM to greenlight this vehicle for production. The Cutlass Supreme convertible shown here on eBay is said to have just 22,500 original miles and is offered for $14,500.
The convertible version of the Cutlass Supreme first appeared as part of an Indianapolis 500 as a pace car, one of 50 coupes converted into a convertible for the annual motorsports event. This is what I mean by the relevance of car culture: we tuned it, saw the parade laps, and told GM we wanted whatever that stunning drop-top was. There were not firm plans for producing a drop-top version, but demand was so strong, GM brass decided to make it happen. These days, between the lack of interest in major motorsports events and cars in general, I feel we’re a long way from that type of feedback loop.
And the end result was fantastic, a four-seater convertible that looked as good with the top up as it did down. The roll hoop was not so much a means of crash protection as it was a way to preserve the Cutlass Supreme’s novel door handle, which was part of the door and B-pillar arrangement on the hard-top version. Instead of spending a literal ton of money to re-tool the door, the clever hoop was integrated as a way to look entirely appropriate on a convertible while keeping the handle. The seller’s car sports a white leather interior which still looks quite fresh, but the top shows some signs of age.
Under the hood is the powerful DOHC LQ1 V6, kicking out a still-respectable 210 horsepower and 215 lb.-ft. of torque. The only transmission offered was a 4-speed automatic, and all that power was pushed to the front wheels. This convertible Olds was always intended to be a boulevard cruiser regardless of its introduction to America as a pace car, and to this day, it still flourishes in its primary role. To think, you could have three full-size adults riding along with you in relative comfort in a convertible that looks as good as this one. That’s a hard car to find by any measure, and this one appears to remain in excellent condition.
This is beautiful. Very well cared for. If anyone wants a drop top Cutlass from this era, this one may very well be one of the nicest ones you could find. Great color combination too, it looks fantastic. Jeff, you reminded me of the door handle design being in the loop over the interior. I remember reading about that back when GM designed these. I actually liked the Cutlass and Regal when they were redesigned. I liked the convertible better than the hardtops. Hopefully someone snatches this creampuff up and has some fun top down cruising this spring and summer.
The first time I saw that exterior door handle design was on a Beretta. It was parked at NHIS in the regular parking lot during a Winston Cup event. They were not available to the public yet, so we went and checked it out. That door handle design was noticed immediately because there was nothing else like it at the time.
Even though it seems like a good deal, this is the 3rd time the seller has listed it at this price, without takers. Potential buyers for some reason aren’t interested, good deals don’t last.
Steve R
Wasn’t this another GM engine with known head gasket problems?
I always liked these, I wish I could buy it. This one is beautiful, and low mileage is a big+.
Red, convertible, white interior, white top, bucket seats, console with a manual or auto transmission, V6 or V8. Depending on your opinion, it’s hard to beat. Ok hang on, how about white, convertible,red interior,red top, bucket seats, yadda yadda yadda. Either way, depending on the vehicle, you have a great looking car.
Dr Olds always loved a convertible. 😍
Oldsmobile was soooo close! Imagine this car with the then new “baby Northstar” 4.0 dual overhead cam v8. Ohhh what could hae been…Beautiful car and great write up. I wish I had the cash to buy this one.
clean olds. this motor is not friendly to work on at all, and neither is changing out the rear power window motors. Then you have the water leaks. seeing this brings back the nightmares the cause when i was at the dealership
As modern as they were the Cutlass Supreme was my least favorite W car. The convertible did it no favors. However, it is a cool car in its own right. Nothing quite like a little Summer fun.
While the roll bar I could live with, the fixed posts on the back end of the doors (with the door handles in them) are just awful looking when the doors are open, especially with the windows down. They should have relocated the door handles on these down to the door skin like a normal car!
As much as I am not a fan of the Chevy LT V8. The LT3 would be a good fit here. The LT3 is A front wheel drive V8 that would be great here.
Didn’t Oldsmobile later make the Convertible with a QUAD-4 H.O. and a 5-speed manual transmission?
That’s correct, they did. It had the 180 hp Quad 4 HO and was available with a 5 speed manual or automatic in ’90 and ’91. It was replaced with the 3.4L V6 in ’92. I drove several of the Quad 4 cars when I was in the business back then.
A 3.1 V-6 is a far more reliable engine. Even though these cars are a piece of history; Olds was already being platformed into GM generic. Shame. In general, they just don’t bring fair money. Lucky to get 7500-8000