Oldsmobile Cutlass First Generation 1961–1963
| Oldsmobile Cutlass | |
|---|---|
1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Convertible
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Oldsmobile (General Motors) |
| Production | 1961–1999 |
| Assembly | Lansing Car Assembly Lansing, Michigan |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Compact (1961–1963) Mid-size (1964–1988, 1997–1999) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera (for 1997) |
| Successor | Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera (for 1982) Oldsmobile Alero (for 1999) |
The Oldsmobile Cutlass is a line of automobiles produced by Oldsmobile between 1961 and 1988, and again briefly in 1997-1999.
The Cutlass was Oldsmobile's smallest, entry-level product, an approach not used since the 1940s Oldsmobile Series 60 and Oldsmobile Series 70 were discontinued in 1950 The all new Cutlass began as a unibody compact car, but saw its greatest success as a body-on-frame intermediateIntroduced as the top trim level in Oldsmobile's compact F-85 line, the Cutlass evolved into a line of its own, spawning numerous variants, including the formidable 4-4-2 muscle car in 1964, premium Cutlass Supreme in 1966, and outright performance Hurst Olds in 1968.
Over time the Cutlass name accumulated great brand equity, becoming not only Oldsmobile's best-selling model but one of the most popular nameplates in the industry in the 1970s. By the 1980s, Oldsmobile was using the Cutlass as a sub-marque, with numerous vehicle lines bearing the name simultaneously. These included the Cutlass Calais compact, the midsize Cutlass Ciera, the Cutlass Cruiser station wagon, and top of the line midsize Cutlass Supreme.
Origins
The first Oldsmobile Cutlass was an experimental sports coupe designed in 1954. It rode a 110 in (2,800 mm) wheelbase, and featured a dramatic fastback roofline and stock V8. Its platform was quite similar to the later compact F-85, which was not introduced until seven years later.
First-generation (compact) 1961-63
| First generation | |
|---|---|
1961 F-85 DeLuxe Station Wagon
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| Overview | |
| Also called | Oldsmobile F-85 |
| Production | 1961–1963 |
| Assembly | South Gate Assembly South Gate, California Lansing Car Assembly Lansing, Michigan Lakewood Assembly Lakewood Heights, Georgia |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 4-door sedan 2-door coupe 2-door hardtop 4-door station wagon |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Platform | Y-body |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
215 cu in (3.52 L) V8 215 cu in (3.52 L) V8 Turbo "JetFire" with 50/50 Methanol/Water injection (1961 - 1963) |
| Transmission | 3-speed Roto Hydramatic 3-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 112 in (2,800 mm) |
| Length | 192.2 in (4.88 m) |
General Motors began developing its first compact cars in 1956, beginning with initial planning on what would become the Chevrolet Corvair in 1960. The following year a second series of somewhat larger cars was planned for Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac, what would be termed "senior compacts." They would share the same body shell and lightweight engine. Oldsmobile designer Irvin Rybicki began work on the Olds model in 1957. It finally went on sale in 1960 as a 1961 model.
The Oldsmobile F-85 shared a new Y-body platform with the Buick Special and Pontiac Tempest, using a 112-inch (2845 mm) wheelbase and still-novel unibody construction. It was Oldsmobile's smallest, cheapest model – some two feet (60 cm) shorter and $451 less than the next-smallest Olds. The F-85 had double wishbone front suspension and a four-link live axle in the rear, suspended with coil springs all around. Standard engine was the new 215 cu in (3.5 L) all aluminum V8, (which later became famous as the Rover V8). With a two-barrel carburetor, it was rated 155 bhp (115.6 kW) and 210 pound force-feet (280 N·m). Transmission options were initially three-speed manual or the newly introduced three-speed Roto Hydramatic. The F-85 had drum brakes of 9.5 inches (240 mm) diameter. Overall length was initially 188.2 inches (4,780 mm), and curb weight was around 2,800 pounds (1,300 kg).
1961
The first-year F-85 was offered as a four-door sedan in base or Deluxe trim, or a four-door station wagon with either two or four seats, in base or Deluxe form. Initial sales were somewhat disappointing, but were soon picked up by the May introduction of a two-door sedan and the Cutlass sports coupe (a pillared two-door for 1961, which became a pillarless "hardtop" for 1962) sporting unique trim, an interior with bucket seats and optional center console, and a four-barrel version of the 215 cu. in. aluminum V8, rated at 185 horsepower (138 kW). This engine was optional on other F-85s, as was a four-speed manual transmission. 80,347 F-85s were built in total. It used a full perimeter frame.
Car Life magazine tested an F-85 with the standard engine and automatic transmission, and recorded a 0-60 (0–96 km/h) time of 14.5 seconds, with a top speed just over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). They praised its construction, but found its steering too slow and its suspension too soft for enthusiastic driving.
1962
The existing F-85 models returned, and a convertible was added to the line-up in September, available in both standard and Cutlass versions. The Cutlass was available as a "hardtop" model, without a center post and door window frames, the previous year it had been a "coupe" with a "B" pillar and door window frames. Overall F-85 sales rose to 97,382, with the Cutlass displacing the four-door Deluxe sedan as the top-selling model.
Bigger news was the arrival of the Jetfire model, a Cutlass hardtop with a Garrett turbocharged version of the 215 V8 rated at 215 bhp (160.3 kW) and 301 lbf·ft (408 N·m), bucket seats and console, unique trim, and a vacuum gauge mounted in the console (where it was almost hidden). Although much faster than a standard F-85, the Jetfire was criticized for having the same soft suspension as its less-powerful brothers, for its lack of a tachometer and other instruments, and for the poor shift quality of both the automatic transmission and the optional four-speed. Car and Driver tested an automatic Jetfire and obtained a 0-60 time of 9.2 seconds, with a top speed of 110 mph (176 km/h). The Jetfire's high cost (nearly $300 over a standard Cutlass coupe) and reliability problems with its turbocharged engines limited sales to 3,765.
Ultimately the Jetfire engine was far ahead of its time. With forced induction and an already high compression ratio the JetFire was capable of producing more torque than a naturally aspirated engine that was twice its size, significantly improving the engine's efficiency and usability in real-life driving conditions, turbo lag not being an issue at motorway speeds. But since turbo and supercharging the engine essentially means forcing the compression in the combustion chamber even higher, the JetFire was prone to 'spark-knock' and without modern engine management systems the only way to mitigate this was to use a 50/50 mixture of methanol and distilled water.
1963
A modest restyle for the 1963 model year added four inches (101.6 mm) to the F-85's overall length, increasing it to 192.2 inches (4,880 mm). The design was considerably more squared off than the 1961-1962 models. Three-row seating was dropped on station wagons. The Jetfire and its turbocharged V8 returned, for what would be its final year. Overall sales climbed again to 121,639, of which 53,492 were Cutlasses.