Across our great land, the “OK boomer” battle cry is the latest salvo in the culture war between baby boomers and later generations. While this is not the time to take sides, nor is it the proper forum, I think I speak for everyone at Barn Finds when I say that the boomers did get one thing right for sure. That one thing would be the personal luxury coupe concept. Once the largest segment of the automobile market, personal luxury coupes have all but vanished from the new car marketplace. If you want to experience this boomer phenomenon, then reader PRA4SNW has found the perfect car for you. This 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupe is for sale on Craigslist in Kansas City, Illinois has just 111,000 miles on the odometer and is in very good condition. Even the air conditioning works in this elderly-owned Oldsmobile. Is $13,500 too high a price for the pinnacle of boomer personal luxury?
Roll the clock back to the 1970s. Thanks to the EPA and several other malevolent forces, the muscle car era is over. No more fun with high-horsepower cars fresh off the showroom floor. Add to that the 55 MPH national speed limit that was signed into law on January 4, 1975. Well, if you can’t go fast, you might as well travel in style and luxury. As America is and shall ever be a nation that travels by automobile, customer tastes shifted. The average buyer mainly drove alone but wanted room for their family and wanted to be comfortable as more and more of them moved to the suburbs. Those moves meant longer commutes. Coupes with luxury features thus became hot sellers. Vans did too for folks who wanted to combine their automotive customization hobby and their nocturnal exercise program. Newer generations have to come from somewhere.
It wasn’t long before personal luxury coupes ruled the highways of America. No company was better at putting Americans in this type of vehicle than General Motors. The company used different versions of its A-body platform to lure customers into their dealerships. Chevrolet had the Monte Carlo, Pontiac’s offering was the Grand Prix, Oldsmobile hawked the Cutlass Supreme, and Buick put their upscale but demure customers in Regals. Cadillac didn’t get a copy, with that division considering Coupe de Villes and El Dorados sufficient fodder for those with means who wanted personal luxury on a different level.
It was also a good thing that the 55 MPH speed limit ruled the land. My mother had a loaded-to-the-gills 1976 Cutlass Supreme that was a plush car. It even had the Hurst/Hatch optional T-tops. The problem was that it was slow. Glacially slow. My grandfather borrowed it one day to take my brother and me somewhere. We pulled next to a late-sixties Dodge Charger with an engine that just shook the ground. Somehow, we conned him into flooring it when the light turned green. He did, but I don’t think the Charger noticed as it idled ahead of us and was soon out of sight. Being a car-crazed kid, this was one of those pivotal moments where I vowed to never have a vehicle as slow as that Cutlass.
If this Cutlass Supreme has a story to tell, we won’t get it from the Craigslist ad. As per usual, this free ad is as if Silent Cal Coolidge was hired to write it. All we are told is that this car has just 111,000 miles on the odometer, it has a 350 under the hood, and that the air conditioning blows cold and the heat blows, you guessed it, hot. We are also told that it was well maintained and elderly owned. Usually, those two things don’t go hand in hand. While many folks in their later years take good care of their vehicles, we often see cars like this with little battle scars here and there. The pictures reveal none of these. Another crazy thing is the lack of any visible rust. For a 1976 GM product to be rust-free is almost unheard of. Especially for a car in Illinois.
Looking at the pictures reveals a car that is in really good shape for its age, location, and mileage. the paint is certainly presentable, the Oldsmobile-specific wheels and trim rings are all there, and the interior has just honest wear. A good detailing would likely reveal a very nice car that would certainly be presentable enough for your local shows and cruise-ins. The questionable part is the price. Is the market for these cars to the point that the $13,500 asking price is realistic? Have these cars gotten there yet? Please let us know what you think in the comments.
It’s not a 1976 Cutlass Supreme. All Cutlass Supreme coupes had a V-shaped rear window. Based on the grille and roof configuration, this appears to be a 1977 Cutlass S.
I believe this Cutlass is the “Salon” model with the “slant back” design.
This isn’t a Salon – I owned a ’76, and it had the formal roof with the V-shaped rear window. This is most likely an “S” model.
Can I get a shampoo cut and blow dry in this???
Beat me to it CC. This is not a Supreme. A Supreme would have a different more vertical roofline and the narrow vertical tail lights. So would a Cutlass Saloon. This is a Cutlass S. I don’t know whether it’s ’76 or a ’77. But I believe you could get different vinyl roof options, including this one, in both years.
To get to the author’s point, I wholeheartedly agree. I get why we no longer have coupes. But i’m absolutely flabbergasted that we don’t have the luxury trappings of the personal luxury era like velour and leather pillow interiors, whitewall tires, wire wheels, and landau roofs on our modern CUV and SUVs. They are the perfect platform for it. Yet, the automakers make them all sporty. It makes no sense.
It’s a Cutlass S special dealer special, they all had that roof line with the opera windows and Chrome sport mirrors.
Yes, the GMO. Can’t believe I missed that having grown up in the Chicago area, LOL! With everyone trying to make a buck on rare cars, and the high asking price, I’m surprised the seller doesn’t mention this.
Not sure on the values on these but it’s certainly more rare and unique than a Cutlass Supreme from the same year.
’76 was the last year for the spherical dash vents on the passenger side (like this car has). They went to all rectangular ones in ’77.
Poppy wins eye of the day. Great job!! The Supreme grills are also different year to year. The ’76 has a divider in the middle of each waterfall and then two segments on each side, so it appears that each grill is in two pieces. The ’77 just has five segments per grill.
This car has neither of those grills. Rather, it has the ’77 Cutlass S grill that has eight segments per side. For ’77, the Cutlass S coupe and sedan got the flat Supreme front nose. The ’77 442 retained the “sloped” nose of the ’76 Cutlass S, however.
A survivor in nice shape, but not worth that much money. Maybe if it were a 68-72, but not this one.
gotta disagree..
i was delighted to see this one, and that orange Bronco, and ,, well, i just live Barn Finds.
Oh, and one of the best write ups ive read on here, nice wording Jeff ! especially the “exercise program” LOL
this is the car the 442 was based on that replaced the Laguna S-3 on the super speed ways. That fast back roof, as others have pointed out, came on few of these cutlasses, and the one ive been looking for.
This 76 (bi-centenial) also has a 350 which in that year fewer and fewer did, AND power windows and AC. This is a very rare, well equipped and excellent condition car, and an Oldsmobile which no longer exists. A legit made in USA car.
Easily worth 10k, and why not 13.
its been care for all these years and is an exceptional model, and so OF COURSE its worth good money; still cheaper than a used Kia.
Does anyone have a 442 nose out there ?..
As I posted on the FB page, this is a Cutlass S Y76 Regional Special coupe. Some of the regional dealer networks wanted a special model to sell only in their region, so Oldsmobile created a model that used the Cutlass S semi-fastback body with the Cutlass Supreme front clip. They had unique rear side windows, exclusive to the regional specials. There is a website that has more info if you look up “CutlassY76”
Thanks for confirming. I’m surprised this one doesn’t have the stainless band in front of the roof. I have seen several regional editions with that. In the Peoria zone, or maybe the zones around it (Chicago? Springfield?) They had the “GMO” on the B piller in cursive font (remember that?) for the “Galent Men of Olds”
This is worth close to the ask; 350, A/C, power windows and trunk release, gauges, etc. Odd, no tilt or color matched seat belts.
These aren’t getting any less expensive….
This one is the GMO designated model.
Zooming in on the photo of the side of the front fender shows GMO
“Gallant Men of Olds” edition. This could be a fairly rare model of this Cutlass in relatively good condition.
Cool car.
Looks like a stock ’77 Cutlass S to me. The ’76 Cutlass Supreme used a different grille texture.
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Oldsmobile/1977%20Oldsmobile/1977_Oldsmobile_Mid_Size_Brochure/1977%20Oldsmobile-12.html
I always love those “waterfall” grilles, especially these and the ones features on the New Yorker with hidden headlights. I love these American cars from the 70s- uncommon among other people who are also Gen Z.
Excellent write-up Jeff, looking back at the 70’s and how aspects of that time led to the personal luxury coupe. They did what they did very well, especially the Cutlass.
I hadn’t thought about the 55 mph national speed limit in a long time. To think that the prevailing speed on the interstates is now at least 20 mph higher, even while there is much more car and (especially) truck traffic.
Bob I agree with you about having more cars now than when the speed was 55 and more trucks.I recently went to south carolina and me being canadian wasn’t prepared for the speed that your truckers drive.unlike here where the drive around 10 or 20 below the cars.yours scared the heck out of me because they went faster than the cars and rode your back bumper if you didn’t go as fast.things have changed a lot.
right on JA !
if anyone on the road needs an enforced speed limit its the big rigs, i haul cars part time and have witnessed far too many speeding 18s taking risks that if went wring would wipe out many people.
Truckers used to be the one with road manners, now,, no blinkers, cutting people off, entering highways as though they have the right of way.. simply dangerous
If i were highway patrol officer ?!,
other than pulling over people traveling slow in the laft lane, id pull over trucks all day long.
anyway
This Cutlass and others of its pedigree had far better handling than the covented previous generation cars, and 55 is just to slow for em. Factor in all the people either high or in a cell phone while driving and sure, kep the speeds down.
if only there were a lane for drivers who get certified for competence and capability, a fast lane for those worthy.. .
It’s a ’76, because the ’77 has different taillights, and white strips in the plastic bumper trim – but I agree on the “S” designation.
We are all now experts on ’76 v. ’77 Cutlasses, LOL!
In Chicago the Cutlass S came with chrome mirrors, super stock wheels, padded landau roof with opera window, pinstriping, 350 V8, and special badging. They called it a “GMO” I had one!!
Yes! Chicago zone, the GMO was “Galent Men of Olds”
Special orders, prescribed by the Dr. Olds
I had a 1976 Cutlass Supreme, silver with a burgundy landau roof and burgundy velour interior and it was sweet. Good luck to the new owner.
Writer makes the EPA sound like a villain, when in reality, they were the savior of our precious air. Plus, no mention of the insurance companies, who had profits soar about that time. Were they guilty or innocent? I imagine that performance cars did cost them more, but did they over do it? Gouge? Of course the oil shocks caused a drop in the want for gas hungry cars. Lastly, ever pause to think that Baby Boomers were growing up and the market for fast cars had dropped significantly?
The EPA was the “saviour” of our air. That’s a good one! And the Baby Boomers were growing up? Then why did they start increasing the power of cars in the mid-80’s. We were still in our 20’s and 30’s. And almost every year, GM and Ford raised the HP of their Camaro and Mustang.
As a resident of a city that once had air so dirty that the streetlights were on *during the day,* I am grateful for the EPAs efforts in cleaning up our industries and our vehicles. You can go back to the dark, smelly, stifling days of the past, but I look forward to even cleaner days ahead.
Compared to 1970 vehicle models, today’s passenger and commercial vehicles are roughly 99 percent cleaner for common pollutants – hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particle emissions. I’m not making any political statement or argument here, but these are facts.
And after all that? The world’s still ending in a couple of years. According to the the “experts.”
@Big C – Get new experts. Yours are defective.
a refreshing perspective and one any sensible being should agree with. Emission control was a hero, not a villain, as were safety standards.
The reality is not everyone is capable of operating a muscle car, and if its really that important to someone, they can buy a car like this, with a 350ci and simply call Summit Racing or visit a local speed shop and bolt on plenty of power.
Id take power windows and AC over hp every time; now, for those in the know, its not about the hp as much as the fbt anyway ;)
I had a 76 Cutlass, not sure which model but it did look like this one except mine was light yellow with brown vinyl roof and brown interior. Had a 350, auto and A/C. One of the best cars I’ve ever owned, BUT, these cars had a weakness regarding rust around the back of the rear window. I can’t tell from the photos if this one would be worth the price to me, but I’d want to have the area around the rear window looked at very closely and the trunk to see if it has had any leaks.
I’m betting it’s a 76 as well. Script writing front and back
True; ’77s had block lettering. Good eye
I guarantee if you could examine the undercarriage of this car it would be quite crusty and rotten. We had in that looked absolutely beautiful outside and inside. Whooops don’t put it up on a lift.
I had a “76 in this color. Something doesn’t look right about the taillights and mine hade that classy hood ornament.
With this number of miles be prepared as it probably will need a valve job.
I think that the price is right, after being on barn finds for several years and seeing all the rusty crusty crap people are asking 10K or more for. Always loved these Oldsmobiles, dug my coworkers’ Cutlas and later drove my mom’s from Chicago to Door County Wisconsin…WOW those pillow top seats were like sitting on a sofa cruising down the road. I would agree about putting it on a lift before buying, though.
Hi Jeff. With regards to your introduction, the Boomers had nothing to do with the development of this car. That credit/blame falls on the previous three generations. 1 Those born during wartime. 2 Those born to the silent generation. 3 And those who belonged to the greatest generation. There were no Boomers among senior GM management/design at the time responsible for this car. Perhaps a few of the oldest Boomers may have bought one, or maybe they worked on the line putting them together. That’s it for their involvement.
Nice car, but the drivers door panel is filthy, and the driver’s seat has some tears.
hmm, welll
it must be a used car, ..
gasp =0
a tear ?!, ahhhww ya
its junk
🙄
Designed by Len Casillo, these were the best selling cars in America. Look how far we have fallen when Asian crap is the best selling product. Anyway, I owned a silver 1976 Cutlass Salon with Hurst Hatches. This car is not a Supreme or Salon, but the cheaper model. 1976 was the first year Hurst Hatches were available in a regular Cutlass. Yes, they were standard in the 1975 Hurst Olds. I had to sell that car in 1979, to finish college and I miss it more than any other car I have owned in the past 50 years, including my 1971 Corvette, 1969 GTO and 1970 GTO. Was super reliable and comfortable.
Could have been designed by Lou Costello.