25k-Mile Survivor: 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
1977 was the final year of the Colonnade-style Oldsmobile Cutlass before the car got a major restyle and downsizing for the following model, with the 1978 version shedding nearly 700 pounds and experiencing a sales decline of more than a hundred thousand units from the previous year, so with Cutlass production at its highest total ever for ’77 buyers must have been thinking they’d better act now or end up with something smaller. This 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme here on Craigslist is a very nice survivor, and I’m guessing with the condition here it won’t take long for this one to find a new owner. The Olds is in Madison, Alabama, and comes at a firm price of $22,000.
Barn Finds reader Rocco B. sent us the tip here, and for that, we’d like to say thanks! The seller says this is a one-owner car with only 25,000 miles on the ticker and calls the condition mint, a lofty term to describe the condition of any vehicle that’s not all that far from the fifty-year mark. But I don’t think he’s too far off in this assessment, as the original paint still presents a lot like it did back in 1977 thanks to the car living inside a garage when it wasn’t being driven. Even the tan vinyl top has survived well, as have the chrome bumpers and most of the trim.
This one seems to be fairly basic inside, with a bench seat, manual windows, and an AM radio, but when a seventies interior looks this amazing I’m not complaining that it’s not full of optional equipment. The vinyl seats aren’t showing much wear anywhere, nor is the dash, carpet, or anything else in there we get to view from the photos, which all seems to back up the low-mileage claim here, as does the preservation of the weather-stripping.
A 350 was the mid-size V8 for the Cutlass in ’77, making a period-respectable 170 horsepower. The seller claims this one’s been well-maintained and has gotten a fresh oil change and says his Oldsmobile runs and drives without any issues. Everything under the hood appears to be in good order, with the owner confident enough in the car’s dependability to suggest flying into Alabama and driving the car back home. I’m finding little to nothing not to like about this 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, how about you?
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Comments
Beautiful, but seller does not know vinyl from leather. Leather only available in the Brougham. I worked a very busy Olds dealer when this car was new. Those are vinyl seat covers and they split apart after a few years. But these cars never gave is trouble. All we did was change the oil and deal with some minor stalling issues.
They also wrote “Heated Seat”, which may have been an option, but no pictures of the switch for it.
Park it out in the Alabama sun in August – no switch needed – that vinyl will give you more heat than you can handle!!
Actually leather wasn’t available on a Brougham in 1977. They were all that awful striped cloth. In 1978 leather was available. I had a new 1981 Brougham with it. I remember that it was a very expensive option. I too worked at an Oldsmobile dealership in 1976. I wanted a ‘76 Cutlass Supreme Brougham so bad I couldn’t stand it, but at $2.60 per hour it wasn’t likely to happen. Needless to say I only worked there a short time!
The positive comment is, it’s a 77 Cutlass.
The rest is less than positive for me.
First of all, it’s about the least impressive looking Cutlass that I have ever seen. The color combination alone is enough to scare me.
I have never seen these wheel covers before on a Cutlass?
Then, you have what looks like an Auto Zone side mirror.
We’re all skeptical of the heated seat claim, we know for sure it isn’t leather seats, and it’s never even been rained on?
The trunk lid doesn’t fit, neither does the DS door and fender.
The pin stripping isn’t factory correct.
I would have been more impressed if the seller would have left some of his out wording out of the ad.
I know I get slammed for my comments, especially since it’s a 1977 Cutlass. I just don’t approve of some of these sellers claims.
Just my oponion
The wheel cover and side mirror are correct for this base Cutlass Supreme. My parents got a blue one that year. I think the pinstripes on theirs were the same as this one and were a dealer option at time of purchase. But yes it is a low optioned base CS
Looks straight and clean. Some people sure keep a car nice for a long time. It would never look like this in cold damp Michigan. Could make a great car for someone wanting a car to enjoy and show.
Very sharp colonnade. Honestly cannot find much to critique. I don’t see anything from the pics that would make me doubt the mileage claim although I would like to see some undercarriage pics. It looks like it has been well cared for and was someone’s pride and joy. As long as the next caretaker maintains it, this Olds will make for a reliable cruiser for many years to come.
The definition of “nailed it”. These were appealing to a range of buyers and were everywhere when I was growing up in the ‘80s. Unfortunately I never gave much thought to them then, but I sure do respect them now.
I love it. Only change I would make is adding white rallye’s(or whatever they’re called) and white letters.
The 1978 Cutlass may have sold less than the 77’s, but it was the best selling car of the year from 1978 to 1981, just missed out in 82, and regained the throne in 1983. Oldsmobile must have done something right.
I think that was because all of GM’s line looked like rubbish in ’78 except for the Caddy Eldorado.
So saying it was the best selling motorcar for GM that year doesn’t say much.
Kind of like Motor Trend magazines Car of the Year! Let me see, the Vega, the Plymouth Horiz, the Plymouth Volare and my favorite, the Renault Encore/Alliance!
Guess I’m confused…..this looks like a base model, no? Those chrome mirrors, roll windows, bench seat? The same yr Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, etc all had those aerodynamic body-colour matching mirrors…power windows…etc. Price seems high for a base model, no?
The Cutlass Supreme was a step up from the base Cutlass but not yet a Brougham. All offered the three different outside mirror designs; body color sport or chrome in remote and manual style. Three different front seat choices in cloth or vinyl. Leather was offered on some but quite rare. Power windows, locks and seat were extra cost on every trim level. It’s probably hard to believe that you had to specify each and every feature and option but that’s how it was then. Would continue for a number of years until new technology forced some things to become standard.
Looks like a beauty. I’m no expert but I have to say this looks fairly low optioned to be a genuine “Supreme” but maybe I’m confusing that with the Brougham? Bench seat, vinyl, and hubcaps make me think base model Cutlass.
We don’t know enough about these to know for sure if it’s a real Supreme, but either way, it is a great example.
I think that was because all of GM’s line looked like rubbish in ’78 except for the Caddy Eldorado.
So saying it was the best selling motorcar for GM that year doesn’t say much.
It looks like a very base model haven’t owned two of them. There’s no body side moldings etc. The interior is exactly like the one I had and it was a base cutlass supreme with the options that I wanted.
For anyone who is questioning whether this car is a Cutlass Supreme or not, all Supremes and above had the formal roof line like this car has. The Cutlass S and the 4-4-2 had a more sloped roof line and triangular shaped rear side windows. The roof line on this car can also be seen on the Supreme Brougham, the Salon, and the Hurst Olds.
I think the ’78 Supreme didn’t sell as well as the ’77 because Olds came out with fast back 2 and 4 door cars that weren’t hatchbacks and had rear passenger windows that did not open.
Aggreed. Also believe that the supremes had the hood ornament and tail lights that sloped up on the fenders like this one does.
Yes, the Supremes had the hood ornament. The S had an emblem in the header panel. I had a 75 Salon with the 350, power windows, rear defogger, am/fm, a/c, light group, vinyl roof, and sport mirrors. Every option was ordered separately.
Correct you are, Jeff. Many love the idea of an old car until they are confronted with how basic some of them were. Even Broughams and Salons required you to order the power conveniences.
You are correct that the aeroback cars were a flop that pulled the 78-9 Cutlass sales down. However the Supreme, Calais, formerly Salon and Brougham, had their own formal roofline. Salon became the aeroback with a Brougham of its own that was a Supreme equivalent.
I’m on this bloke’s Craiglist page and it shows to have the Cutlass Supreme badging.
It’s a nice looking motorcar for sure. The chrome mirrors cheapen the exterior for me.
He’ll find a Cutlass lover and scoop this baby up for sure. (Not sure at $22K, but we’ll see.)
This car is beautiful. I wish I had the funds and a proper place to store it. As I teenager, we had a 76 Cutlass Supreme. My dad ordered a two door, blue, power windows, locks, AM/FM, no A/C, and the anti spin axle. The engine we had was the 260 and body colored mirrors. Those were the days that you could order what you wanted. Again, a beautiful vehicle
The owner says MINT. The very first thing I noticed was a Tear in the Vinal on the driver seat at the top of the trim. The interior is very dirty, not deserving of a MINT classification.
Maybe it’s original factory dirt (?)