The Oldsmobile Cutlass, manufactured by General Motors Oldsmobile division was introduced in the year 1961 in order to compete in the unibody compact car market. Its primary competition was the Mercury Comet and Dodge lancer.

Oldsmobile used the Cutlass brand name with a lot of models and although this ploy was hugely successful initially and it had become a very successful name in the car market, it also created a lot of confusion during the 1980s. During this period there were three models running in the market simultaneously and it created a lot of confusion amongst the car lovers. These cars were the Cutlass Supreme, Cutlass Ciera and the Cutlass Calais.

In 1973 General Motors modified the F-85/Cutlass by using GM’s latest “Colonnade” A platform. This line consisted of the following Cutlass models- Cutlass Salon, Cutlass Supreme, Cutlass “S”, Vista Cruiser and Cutlass “S”-colonnade coupe. 1973 saw the addition of another Cutlass model, the Cutlass Salon, which was introduced as an upscale model. Initially it was a four door vehicle and later in 1974 the two doors Cutlass Salon was introduced. 

In 1975, the Oldsmobile 260 V8 was launched. It featured a five speed manual transmission and also had the option of automatic transmission. There were optional engines as well, but they were available only with automatic transmission. The year 1977 witnessed the classic Buick 231 and it is still one of the best cars of all times. However, the best selling model from the Cutlass line was the Oldsmobile Cutlass of 1976.

The Oldsmobile 88 which was also known as Eighty-Eight was produced from 1949 till 1999 was a full size car. The Oldsmobile division of General Motors was responsible for the sale of this car. The 88 line was the division’s top selling car from 1950 to 1974 with cars like 88 and Dynamic 88. The small size and the light weight of this car made the series an image leader for the company. In its early years, it was considered the best performing car from 1949 to 1951.

The car originally had a high compression V8 engine for a large and luxurious 98 series but later it was made into a smaller six-cylinder Oldsmobile. This eventually made 88 the granddaddy of all the muscle cars of that era. The first generation of the car was called the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 and was produced between 1949 and1953. It was available in 2-door coupe, a 4-door sedan and a 4-door hardtop. The Rocket 88 had a V8 engine and 2-speed automatic and a 3 speed manual transmission.

The car has evolved over the years and currently has its 11th generation running. The Oldsmobile Regency now has H-body and is a 4-door sedan. With a 4-speed automatic transmission and a 3.8L V6 engine, the car sure keeps the legend of 88 going. The car has seen a number of variations over the years and was commonly shown in the form of numbers in its earlier years. The production of the car was mainly done in Wentzville, Missouri and Lake Orion, Michigan.