The first Oldsmobile Cutlass was an experimental sports coupe, developed in 1954. It had a V8 engine and a wheelbase of 2794 mm. Coupe belonged to the class of compact, by American standards, cars and has not received further development. General Motors continued to develop its “compact” cars in 1956, starting with the Chevrolet Corvair. The following year, work began on the creation of larger cars, the so-called "older compacts," in the divisions of Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac. They all used a single platform and a lightweight aluminum engine. In the summer of 1957, the designer Rybicki began work on the new Oldsmobile model, which went on sale in 1960 as the 1961 Cutlass model.
In 1961, the Oldsmobile launched a serial production of the front-wheel-drive passenger 4-door Cutlass sedan. During the years of production, this designation was carried by models of six generations, and different in class, especially in the 1980s, which caused some confusion in their positioning in the market. However, this circumstance did not prevent the Cutlass models from gaining popularity among consumers. From 1961 to 1963, in addition to the Cutlass sedan, there were also versions in the 2-door coupe, 2-door hardtop, 4-door station wagon. The vehicles were based on platform A.
The length of the car was 4882 mm and the wheelbase was 2845 mm; in those years it was the smallest oldsmobile. The 3.5-liter aluminum V8 engine (originally 155 hp, later - 185 hp) was aggregated with a 3- (on the first batch of cars) and a 4-speed manual gearbox. The maximum speed was 160 km / h, and acceleration to 96 km / h took 14.5 seconds. In 1962, Cutlass began to equip the turbocharged 215-horsepower engine with a torque of 408.1 Nm. Up to 96 km / h (60 mph) the car accelerated in 9.2 seconds. A "maximum speed" has increased to 176 km / h.
There was also a 4-speed automatic transmission. From 1964 to 1967, in the production of the second generation Cutlass were cars with previous generation bodies plus a 2-door convertible. The length of the car has grown to 5189 mm, and the wheelbase - to 2921 mm. Curb weight was 1560 kg. The V8 engine range included 3.7 liters (225 hp), 4.1 liters (250 hp), 5.4 liters (310 hp) and 6.6 liters (345 liters). from.).
They worked in tandem with a new 2-speed gearbox with a CVT. The third generation Cutlass was produced from 1968 to 1972. New in the production program was the 4-door body hardtop. The length of the cars was 5123 mm, wheelbase - 2845 mm for the coupe and 2946 mm for the sedan.
They were installed engines of 4.1 liters, 5.7 liters, 6.6 liters and 7.5 liters. The fourth-generation Cutlass included a 4-door sedan, a 5-door station wagon and a 2-door coupe. Cars were equipped with engines: V6 3.8 l from Buick, 4.1 l from Chevrolet, and also V8 Rocket of 4.3 l, 5.7 l, 6.6 l and 7.5 l, which could be paired with 3- , 4 or 5-speed manual gearbox or with a 3-speed automatic transmission. The fifth generation Cutlass was produced from 1978 to 1988. Its production at Sainte-Therese (Quebec, Canada) included cars in a 4-door sedan, 5-door station wagon and 2-door coupe. The basis of the machines were platform A (1978-1981) and G (1982-1988). The wheelbase was 2743 mm.
On the cars installed engines Buick 3.8 L V6, Pontiac V8 4.9 L, Chevrolet V8 5 L, as well as 4.3-liter V8 gasoline and diesel engines of its own design. Similar models were Buick Century, Chevrolet El Camino, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser, Pontiac Grand Am, Pontiac Grand Prix and Pontiac LeMans. In addition, from 1982 to 1990, the mid-size Cutlass Ciera sedan was produced, from 1985 to 1991 - the Cutlass Calais compact, from 1988 to 1997 - the mid-size sedan and Cutlass Supreme coupe, from 1991 to 1995 - the mid-size Cutlass Ciera II sedan.
The 4-door 5-seater Supreme sedan had dimensions of 4921/1804/1391 mm with a wheelbase of 2730 mm and a gauge of 1512/1472 mm. The ground clearance was 140 mm, the boot volume was 439 liters, and the curb weight was 1,585 kg. The overhead valve with two camshafts and fuel injection engine V6 24V with a volume of 3.352 liters had a maximum power of 213 hp / 5200 rpm and a torque of 291 Nm / 4000 rpm. Located in front of the transverse. According to the manufacturer, the consumption of AI-92 gasoline in the urban cycle was 10.5 liters per 100 km. The engine is aggregated with a 4-speed automatic transmission.
The front suspension was a wishbone, spring struts and a lateral stabilizer; back - a system of levers and brakes, springs and transverse stabilizer. The brakes were all disc, front - ventilated. The last, sixth, generation of Oldsmobile Cutlass was produced at the plant in Oklahoma from 1997 to 1999. Its predecessor was the Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, a similar model was the Chevrolet Malibu. The car had a 4-door 6-seater sedan and was front-wheel drive. At its core, it had an N-platform.
The outer dimensions were 4836/1763/1433 mm with a wheelbase of 2718 mm and a track 1492/1447 mm. Trunk volume - 449 liters. The last generation Cutlass was equipped with an overhead valve with a lower camshaft and fuel injected engine V6 12V with a volume of 3.1 liters and 160 hp / 5200 rpm with a maximum torque of 251 Nm / 4000 rpm. The manufacturer-claimed consumption of AI-92 gasoline in the urban cycle was 10.5 liters per 100 km. The front suspension consisted of a transverse lever, spring struts and a transverse stabilizer, the rear one included a continuous beam, springs and a transverse stabilizer.
The front brakes were installed ventilated disc, rear - drum. By 2000, the release of Cutlass was completely discontinued.
