1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass
General Motors’ push to get into the compact market was spearheaded by Chevrolet with the Corvair Z-body in 1960. In 1961, Oldsmobile got their own compact with the Y-body, which shared similar tooling to the Z-body. Olds shared the Y-body with both Pontiac (Tempest, LeMans) and Buick (Special, Skylark), with some major differences. While the Corvair was a rear-engine platform, and the Pontiac Tempest was a front engine/rear transaxle configuration with a rubber composite driveshaft, the Oldsmobile Cutlass was a conventional layout with a V8 engine up front and live axle rear end. For 1961 there were only two models, a 4-door sedan and station wagon. Late in the model year a 2-door sedan and 2-door coupe were added to the Cutlass line. Then in 1962 a 2-door hardtop and convertible joined the line. Moderately restyled for 1963, an all-new Cutlass based on the GM 115-inch wheelbase intermediate A-body platform was the big news for 1964. While the first gen Cutlass was unibody construction, the 1964 had a separate frame. The “442” high performance version of the Cutlass also debuted this year in response to Pontiac’s GTO. The numbers stood for “4-barrel carburetor/4-speed transmission/dual (2) exhaust.”
Modest Cutlass facelifts marked the remainder of the 2nd gen’s life, before the all-new corporate A-body platform was released in 1968. Larger engines and a general performance image were pushed by Olds, while still maintaining the high style luxury of the standard Cutlass line. The Hurst/Olds (H/O) 442 performance package was also introduced this year.
For 1973 a new larger, corporate A-body eliminated hardtops in anticipation of federal roll-over safety mandates. The new “Colonnade” body featured a semi-fastback top that rolled into a sloping trunk. Federally mandated five-mph front bumpers looked a bit like afterthoughts as GM struggled to keep up with the fast moving government requirements. Only three bodies were available, a 4-door sedan, 2-door coupe, and station wagon. The Colonnade bodies ran from 1973-1977. It was also during this period that as the muscle car market shriveled, Olds cranked up the Cutlass’ luxury features, which saw production numbers continue to climb. In 1976 it was the bestselling car in America, outselling the bread-and-butter Chevrolet. It would continue this distinction into the 1980s
A major downsize occurred for 1978 on all GM A-bodies which besides the Cutlass included the Chevy Malibu, Buick Century and Regal, and Pontiac LeMans. Besides the more traditional three-box sedans, a “Salon” fastback 2- and 4-door sedan were offered exclusively to both Olds and sister division Buick. Both body styles were sales disasters. The 4-door Salon was dropped after 1979 and the 2-door Salon met the same fate in 1980. By 1982 the Cutlass line became an umbrella for a series of distinctly different lines. A Cutlass Ciera, Cutlass Supreme, and Cutlass Calais were all marketed as distinctly different coupes and sedans in a confusing array of different front-wheel and rear-wheel drive platforms. The Ciera ran from 1982-1996, the Cutlass Supreme A-body from 1980-1988, and front-wheel drive replacement from 1988-1997, and the Cutlass Calais from 1985-1991
1973 Cutlass
The new corporate B-body “Colonnade” debuted for 1973. No hardtop or convertible was offered due to the federal roll-over crash mandates. The 442 became a trim package rather than separate model. Front disc brakes were now standard equipment. Base engine was a 180hp 350ci V8. The 455ci big block was still available, with the 270hp version available only with the four-speed manual transmission. Federal emissions and safety mandates, gas prices, and insurance premiums were helping to kill the muscle car, so Olds slowly adjusted marketing to tout luxury at an affordable price. Distinguishing between other GM divisions’ offerings was getting harder as corporate sharing would soon eliminate separate division engines.
AVAILABLE MODELS:
1973 Cutlass
- Body Style
- 2-Door Colonnade Coupe
- 4-Door Colonnade Sedan
- 4-Door Station Wagon
- Engine Options
- 350-2bbl cubic inch V8, 160hp
- 350-4bbl cubic inch V8, 180hp
- 455-4bbl cubic inch V8, 250hp
- 455-4bbl cubic inch V8 225hp
- 455-4bbl cubic inch V8 270hp
1973 Cutlass VIN Decoder:
First Character: Manufacturer
Second Character: Series
- F ~ Cutlass
- G ~ Cutlass
- J ~ Cutlass Supreme
- J ~ Vista Cruiser
Third and Fourth Characters: Body Style
- 29 ~ 4-Door Sedan
- 37 ~ 2-Door Coupe
- 45 ~ 4-Door Station Wagon
Fifth Character: Identifies Engine
- H ~ 350 V8-2bbl
- K ~ 350 V8-2bbl
- K ~ 350 V8-4bbl
- M ~ 350 V8-4bbl Dual Exhaust
- T ~ 455 V8-4bbl
- U ~ 455 V8-4bbl Dual Exhaust
- V ~ 455 V8-4bbl Dual Exhaust
- W ~ 455 V8-4bbl
Sixth Character: Year
Seventh Character: Assembly Plant
- M ~ Lansing, Michigan
- X ~ Fairfax, Kansas
- E ~ Linden, New Jersey
- G ~ Framingham, Massachusetts
- L ~ Van Nuys, California
- R ~ Arlington, Texas
- W ~ Willow Run, Michigan
Eighth-Thirteenth Characters: Basic Production Numbers
Represent basic production numbers for the 1973 Cutlass.
End of Year Sale!