My parents rented a 76 Cutlass 2door, red/tan half vinyl top and interior, on a two week trip out west in 1976. Even though it was a rental car I still remember it fondly more so than cars we owned. Picked it up at the San Antonio Airport, drove to CA and left it at the Amarillo Airport and flew back to Greensboro. We included it in a lot of our photos, it meant that much. I was 16. Dad passed in 06 and Mom passed 3 weeks ago. I still see us cruising the Western US in that Olds.
@Buick Regal; They Dropped the V8 rear wheel drive car that EVERYONE Loved, and made something that was Cutlass in name ONLY. From best to worst. The start of the downfall of Oldsmobile.
@Buick Regal; I worked at a Olds dealership for the last 27 years. I got to see Oldsmobile go to the top and then to the bottom. I remember we were selling so many cars in 1986 and 87 that employees could not park on our lot. (no room) We could not believe what GM did to our division.
All I know is the cutlass supreme was the best selling car in America in the 1970's and that's because it had style and comfort for 5. I loved Oldsmobile cars!
My Dad bought a 73 Cutlass Supreme 2 door with a 350. Royal blue with a white vynle top. Always thought it was a cool looking car. He passed away in 1981 at the age of 52. I was 14 and inherited it. Wasn't a race car but a great date car. Actually got it up to 130mph on the 210 fwy. Car just wouldn't go any faster. Valves never floated though. After highschool, I sold it to purchase a 69 AMX. Now THAT was a race car!
The reason FoMoCo built the Cougar so damn soft was that it knew it's customers very well and most people coming into a Lincoln Mercury dealership in the mid 70's wanted a super smooth loaded luxurious cruiser and those things were awesome for that purpose... My best friends dad had a 75' XR7 and it was the smoothest quietest thing I had ever experienced including a neighbor's 73' Sedan deVille.... We had junk cars so I was hyper aware of stuff like that...
My mother hd a 75, the ride was a air floating machine and very quite....the olds was pretty bad on workmanship with gaps, and seemed a bloated boat.....I drove both of those models, they both had flaws,,,I just really like the cougars styling better....
@@hendricksonrunner5015 Hey,, as an option to the Oldsmobile and as long as we're restoring things, we could tighten up the suspension on the Cougar and do some tweaks on the 460 and make an easy real world 325 hp and 450 ft lbs of torque and have that great dash with full instrumentation and great ultra comfy quality interior surrounding us instead of the cheap ass Cutlass interior.. Just a thought.
@@hendricksonrunner5015 Ok,, apples and oranges... I was talking about a stock 8.5 to 1 compression dished piston raised deck retarded cam mid 70's 460 smog motor with a few upgrades in a massive 1974 Cougar XR7. If I get to build a 1971 pre smog 460 and CRAM it in a Fox body you'll be wasting nothing. I definitely agree with the powerful but street-able concept,, if it doesn't make good vacuum and idle well with the A/C running then I don't want it. I'm in Houston,,, if it doesn't have good A/C it's worthless to me.........
@T38 Talon www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/10/best-selling-cars-around-the-globe-when-oldsmobile-was-top-of-the-class/ Here's some more reading for you, that 1975 sales record will double in a few years. They sold so many oldsmobiles that they started putting chevy engines in them to keep up.
Yes they were , hated to see Oldsmobile go by the wayside. Pontiac too. Always thought a better approach was to keep the best selling model of all divisions and sell them at GM dealers. So a dealer could sell a Cutlass or a GTO or a Corvette. Seems a pity so many good cars gone.
@Buick Regal No, 48,000 people who got 1977 Oldsmobile 88's with the 350 "shhh... this isn't a Rocket, it's a Chevy" engine sued GM. 10,000 of them got $550 because Olds ads/brochures made no mention AND they charged more for the 'privilege'. www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-the-1977-oldsmobile-chevrolet-engine-scandal/
Liked that show, and Conrad, he certainly had my respect. Still remember the 1st episode, had J.D.Cannon as a guest star. William Conrad drove Lincoln Continental "Mark" series coupes, I believe in later seasons they were the "Signature Editions"(?)("Cartier"). He had one of the 1st mobile phones, made calls thru the "Mobile Operator". I loved at the end of each episode he'd be in his apartment cooking up some gourmet meal for his happy clients!
I grew up in the days of these quarter mile times in the 18 second range. It is why I shake my head when people say a 0-60 in 7 seconds or a quarter mile time of 15+ seconds is “slow”. Man, you guys have no idea.....
Those Cougar's were great cars especially with the 351W. Not a Toyota but they lasted like one. Somewhere I've got a video of me in a second generation Town Car traveling between Morrisville and Dadeville in...it was a Lindemann test. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
@@mr.butterworth4216 yeah we had plenty of hammered Buick skyhawks, Pontiac J2000s, Chevy citations and Oldsmobile omegas too.....lol No one was classy enough to have a Cadillac cimmeron though. If you had a monza or vega you could BS everyone that you were going to v8 swap it but the J bodies were trash. After school I had a 91 grand am that was actually a pretty good car for winter the quad 4 reved like crazy but the body rusted and fell apart before the engine wore out. Kinda miss that one, except for the whole crappy gm body thing.
Graduated 1986 had a 1976 Cutlas Brougham in Brown ugh... buds had a mint 1977 yellow, his Bro a mint green 1977 and lastly another had a blue with black stripes his was fastest.. all were fun to cruise. Mine had duals with cherry bomb mufflers.fun times
My mother bought a brand new 75 Cutlass supreme and I was 10 at the time. It was a baby blue color and had a 350 and the sport type wheels. It was so cool. She drove it like she stole it, so we named her "princess lead foot" after that. It was such a cool car.
Love the classic Cutlasses! My old friend had a 72. Sister bought a 77 brand new, alas it went to landscaper back in 2012. Sad to see it go. The Olds I have access to now is a shadow reminder of the great Oldses of the 60s and 70s.
That ‘74 Mercury Cougar is just plain sexy! The Cutlass might have sold more and proved more popular with buyers, it was also very handsome and great looking, but to me, there’s something about that Cougar would’ve made me bring a fully equipped XR-7 home in nineteen hundred seventy four...or seventy five!
Hello folks. I currently have in my possession two Oldsmobiles. One is an ALL ORIGINAL 74 Cutlass Supreme, and the other one is an ALL ORIGINAL 78 Delta 88 Royale. The Cutlass had 57 thousand original miles on the odo when I purchased it five years ago. The Delta 88 had 12 thousand miles on the odo when I purchased it in Feb 2020. The Cutlass has the 180hp 350 V8 smooth as silk, and the Delta has the 170hp 350 V8. The Cutlass WILL kick that Delta in the butt any time! I have spects on both cars purchased from the factory. Both cars are fully equipped. The Cutlass weighs in @ 4000 lbs. The Delta @ 4200 lbs. Both engines have rochester 4bbl carbs. The Cutlass has #8 heads and the Delta has 3-A heads. Both cars has the thm 350 with 273 rear axels. The Cutlass is floor shifted and the Delta is on the column. The Cutlass is Citation Bronze metallic in color. The Delta is Metallic Burgundy in color. When I drive either one of these cars, I get MANY MANY thumbs up, many horn blowers, ohhh so much attention. Car shows are off the chain with soooo much attention. I get many many offers to sell them to prospective buyers. I ordered from Oldsmobile in 1972 a bronze Cutlass Supreme. In Dec 1976 I ordered a 76 Cutlass Brougham fully loaded. In 1980 I ordered a 1980 Cutlass Brougham, and I still have that car. I am currently restoring it, although I will not put that Chevy 305 back in it! I have a 76 Olds 350 that will go into it. The Olds V8 engines were completely different from all the other gm 350 engines. The olds engines were better built and better internal components. When I purchased these cars, I wanted a car that was NOT COMPUTER CONTROLLED. The Olds V8 engines in both my cars runs like watches. When @ car shows, people want to hear the engines, and I let them. It's a shame Oldsmobile folded, and me as owner of both these wonderful Oldsmobile automobiles would love to keep up the legacy. Thank You all.
Put you a set of number 5 heads on that and see how much better it runs the number 5 heads are 64 CC chambers and the 1980 cars a 455 will make them scoot rite down the road
The Cutlass was the number one selling car in America well into the 1980's. Once they made them front wheel drive they just weren't as good a car anymore.
They sure made beautiful cars back then. I was there. I got my drivers license in 1974. But unlike most teenagers, I didn't want a muscle car. I wanted a new Pontiac Grand Prix. That never happened, and a couple years later I wound up with a used 1973 Pinto. Even that was a beautiful car compared to the garbage out there today. TWO doors, hatchback, wide with a low roof, curved body sides that wrapped in past the outside edges of the tires at the bottom, instead of the slab sided, tall narrow FOUR door look of today. Before that I drove my dad's rusted out TWO door '63 Chevy Nova SS.
The problem was not the car, but the reviewers who expected a luxury highway cruiser to be a sports car. It you want a sports car, buy one. This '74 Cougar was designed to be driven elegantly and slowly. By 1974, the Mustang had become the hot rod of choice. Cougar became the luxury version of the Mustang, and was targeted toward the more affluent and older buyer. During this time period the Thunderbird, sort of lost its way and many people who would have purchased the Thunderbird bought the Cougar. Also those who dreamed of the Lincoln Mark series, but, could not afford it, purchased the Cougar or the Thunderbird.
@T38 Talon Many thought the downsize was a mistake at the time. But hindsight proved Ford was correct in their decision. The Mustang II 1974 to 1978 may have saved Mustang from extinction! And, I for one, who was only 28 years old in 1974, thought they were great, because the sporty cars of that era had grown to large for my taste. It had good looks, and with a small V8 under the hood it was fast. When the gas crisis hit around 1976-77, Ford was prepared. Now, these Mustangs of this era, are becoming somewhat sought out by collector.
Mom, had a 72 Cutlass S. 350 4. I tried, to talk into the luxury Le Man's. But she wanted the Oldsmobile. Never any trouble after 12 years. Olds in 72 didn't offer a 6. The Pontiac had the 350. 400 bucks less than Cutlass. When I was 16, worked 30 hours in school. My sweet dad who is with the Lord. Helped me get a 76 Grand Le Man's. Paid him each week. It listed for 5900.00. factory 8 track, Rally ll, tilt, A/C. 72 Cutlass, listed 4,116.00. A/C, AM, power steering, brake's, 3 speed Tubro, Auto. All the outside trim. Cutlass was the king in the 70's.
I had a 75 it was a fast beast for stock. First day my buddy rode with me at lunch we came around a curve all 4 swalling. And 4 barrel sounded like it was about to suck. The hood through it.
I wish Bud was still around. These cars are god awful, yet I watched every second of it. Even though these are the type of cars that KILLED the big three
@@henrystowe6217 Homie the cars in these tests barely survived them lol. All this would be a walk in the park for a modern Ford Fusion or even a Camry.
So tell me how was the olds better. Rhetorical question. He says the cougar had to soft handling and ride for a personal Luxury car. Duh a luxury car should ride soft especially back in the 1970s.
Wow, these cars handled differently than cars do now! All that tire noise, lengthy stopping distances, and those suspensions that seem to be filled with Jell-O - it's no wonder technology has improved considerably over the past 40+ years. If you saw one of these babies on the street today, they would be wearing historic vehicle plates!
I loved the cutlass. I had a 1975 4D , a 1976 salon 2D and a 1986 2D. They were cruisers, but 75 4D was built like a tank and I could do neutral drops all day long, only broke motor mount lol.
From the day I was born , Dad got a new Oldsmobile every 3 years . Mom had a 70 Torino , then a 76 Catalina , and finally a 78 Malibu . Learned to drive in the Catalina . Lost my virginity in the back seat ! Had a friend who was also just getting her license . Let her drive it , and she sideswiped a speed limit sign ! Shaved the door handles off the passenger side ! I thought my Dad was going to kill me ! He got home from work and told me to fix it ! Bought new door handles and put them on myself . Borrowed mom's Malibu one night and jumped it on a woopdeedoo like the Duke's of Hazzard ! Oh , the good times !
Cutlass got better braking? it starter to pull at at 30 and got to a roll over condition at 70. yes the test drive only spun it half way around , but your average driver would have wreaked it.
Arthur Clark most of these were crushed or if you see one now they are on 24 rims or with spinners last month I saw one stock like wow I haven't seen one stock since like the late 80s
The years 73 thru 75 were very bad for the big 3. Government regulations killed horse power in cars, and they compensated by by adding size and glitz. Cheap glitz in my opinion. I think those regs were what caused the downward spiral of Americas once great mfgs.
Nice trip down nostalgia lane. Curious as to why they compared the Olds with the standard 350 V8 (a 455 was available) to the Cougar with the optional 460 V8.
Perhaps they ordered it the way most people would have ordered them. Thats why even back then they were testing all automatics. I hate automatics so much its sad to see how even back then (when they were horrible at best) they were the preferred trans choice.
@@twoeightythreez Maybe, but this should be a comparison of the 455V8 and the 460V8. With that logic the cougar should have had the 351V8 not the 460V8.
@@mikeadams2677 gas was very cheap, but people tended to be much more frugal back then. Remember that those big blocks were a big ticket item and insurance was more expensive for them too.
I daily a Tacoma and my weekend car is a boosted Miata. Both faster, both handle better. Still, there's something to be said for those old long nosed, short tailed old coups of the '70s. The Monte Carlo was always my favorite. So cushy and comfortable. They were made for people who wanted that sporty look, and a smooth luxurious ride but couldn't afford a Mark V, an Eldorado or a Riviera.
I love the fake engine noise, way they give you 0-30, then 0-50 times on first car, then 0-60 but not 0-50 time on the 2nd car....they always did this in these reviews. And The full lock up panic stops are hilarious! They don''t even try to threshold brake, they just smash em on!
back in the day my cousin and I both ordered a 77 Cutlass Salon on the same day, she chose the brown and I chose the blue with white landau top. 2 - tone blue velour interior. Dang I loved that car. would love to find another one.
These were no longer Cougars. The late 60s had the real cougars, not the fat luxury cars they became as we see here. But, that's what disco era America wanted at the time - a velvet living room on 4 wheels.
I remember my parents had a 76 Cougar which was the same car, and dam that thing rode good.....then they got a Olds Cutlass Calais, dam wish they made cars like that now, with the engines of today. I sure miss all those personal luxury coupe...hate all these little 4 door boxes theyre making now....
I've owned both of these cars and liked them both. There is nothing out there today that is anything like these "Midsize" cars at the time. Today these cars would be considered huge.
I actually owned the xr7 during the late 90’s and got a well maintained car for 900 bucks. I am glad that I just used it as a city car and never pushed it because being a new young driver with that suspension would’ve gotten me killed!
1:53 Most of the Cougar's extra 8.5" of length over the Cutlass seems to be between the front wheels and the bumper, making it look even clumsier than it is; these are the same clown-car proportions Ford ended up using on the 1977-79 LTD-II and T-Bird, some of the most awkward looking cars Ford ever built. I'll bet half the reason for the extra length was to add enough crush-zone to meet the crash standards of that era. Ford must have figured out how to design some of that protection into the front engine cradle when they re-used much of that frame design in the Panther-based 1979 LTD, which had a lot less overhang.
I had a 77 Cutlass Supreme with swivel buckets, it was a very comfortable ride and dead reliable, never had any serious breakdowns in 250K miles although the transmission was getting pretty soft by then.
Cutlass for me, with F41 suspension. But it'd have to be a four-door - I always liked the Colonnade sedan window profile. And OTOH every '70s/90s Ford I ever sat in had those evil seats with negative lumbar support that forced you to slouch whether you wanted to or not and killed your back after 25 miles.
I love these old reviews. However, I'd like more consistency. Sometimes he gives the speed through the pylons; sometimes not. Sometimes the acceleration tests are to 30, 45 and 60, with quarter mile. Other times, like here, there are 30 and 70 mph runs for the Cougar, but none for the Cutlass.
My thoughts exactly. Why on earth do professional test drivers test braking distances with locked wheels. I know there was no ABS but then you have to modulate the brake pressure yourself. Even I learned that when I took my driving test many years ago.
I like the music that is playing at the beginning of the Olds Cutlass video, I feel the Cutlass should've done better on the 0-60mph run considering that it took 19 sec to reach 78mph which is very high for a 19 sec quarter mile time.
James Gazzillo yeah my grandfather was a transmission mechanic for folks Oldsmobile then Hubacher Cadillac Sacramento CA in the 70’s/early 80’s and HATED when the GM brands started sharing engines and body lines.
I'm with Bud, if those frame chassis Fords had any more wallow, you could paint Pacific Princess on the side and film the Love Boat on 'em. On Gran Torino the option was called Competition Suspension, should have been mandatory. IMO the Cutlass with HD suspension did it right. HD suspension for all, right on Bud!!
Ford/Mercury offered a heavy duty suspension with front and rear stabilizer bars. If this was right, that Cat didn't have the best handling pkg for '74 and also keep in mind the 351-4V was still available in '74 with 255 net hp. Cougar would win hands down with these added. I wish Ford had been able to keep the Cleveland engines going they were superior to the Windsor versions and had Ford gave the intermediates four wheel disc brakes from the Lincolns, they would have had a winner with the Torino/LTD II (Thankfully T-Bird was a smash success in 1977-79)
The car barely stopped in the video, add the extra weight of the heavier engine and you would have burn the brakes out trying to keep from plowing into a sudden stop.
The 455 didn't weight much more than the 350, which was a unique aspect of true Olds engines. The brakes clearly had issues - pretty common back then and could have been repaired under warranty.
I remember the '74s and the related emission equipment. None of it electronic, all of it electromechanical and vacuum. You needed a big engine just to get any sort of speed and the muscle car, well, it was on life support. You could still get dual exhaust in '74, but that came to an end with the catalytic converter in 1975. Yep, performance went out the window. But, the air is cleaner.
1974 was an awful year for American cars. So was the rest of the decade. The 2 cars in this video don't suck as bad as some of the other cars out there in 1974, though. Many people don't remember gas rationing back then in 1973/1974. Just finding gas was a problem sometimes let alone paying for it. The last thing you wanted to do was to go buy a car with a 460 4 barrel engine in it.
The EPA just killed engines back then, the emissions systems were new and complicated and many owners took all that shit off and got much better performance and mileage.
My parents rented a 76 Cutlass 2door, red/tan half vinyl top and interior, on a two week trip out west in 1976. Even though it was a rental car I still remember it fondly more so than cars we owned. Picked it up at the San Antonio Airport, drove to CA and left it at the Amarillo Airport and flew back to Greensboro. We included it in a lot of our photos, it meant that much. I was 16. Dad passed in 06 and Mom passed 3 weeks ago. I still see us cruising the Western US in that Olds.
Whether as a kid in the 70's or a teen in the 80's, I could say one thing about the Cutlass. They were EVERYWHERE ! It was THE coupe to have.
Number one selling car by 1987.
So what does Oldsmobile do ?
THEY DROPPED IT !!
Especially the’76/77 Supreme
@Buick Regal; They Dropped the V8 rear wheel drive car that EVERYONE Loved, and made something that was Cutlass in name ONLY. From best to worst. The start of the downfall of Oldsmobile.
@Buick Regal; I worked at a Olds dealership for the last 27 years. I got to see Oldsmobile go to the top and then to the bottom. I remember we were selling so many cars in 1986 and 87 that employees could not park on our lot. (no room) We could not believe what GM did to our division.
I didn't have an Oldsmobile but I had a Buick regal 85 I miss that car
All I know is the cutlass supreme was the best selling car in America in the 1970's and that's because it had style and comfort for 5. I loved Oldsmobile cars!
My Dad bought a 73 Cutlass Supreme 2 door with a 350. Royal blue with a white vynle top. Always thought it was a cool looking car. He passed away in 1981 at the age of 52. I was 14 and inherited it. Wasn't a race car but a great date car. Actually got it up to 130mph on the 210 fwy. Car just wouldn't go any faster. Valves never floated though. After highschool, I sold it to purchase a 69 AMX. Now THAT was a race car!
The reason FoMoCo built the Cougar so damn soft was that it knew it's customers very well and most people coming into a Lincoln Mercury dealership in the mid 70's wanted a super smooth loaded luxurious cruiser and those things were awesome for that purpose...
My best friends dad had a 75' XR7 and it was the smoothest quietest thing I had ever experienced including a neighbor's 73' Sedan deVille....
We had junk cars so I was hyper aware of stuff like that...
My mother hd a 75, the ride was a air floating machine and very quite....the olds was pretty bad on workmanship with gaps, and seemed a bloated boat.....I drove both of those models, they both had flaws,,,I just really like the cougars styling better....
My thoughts exactly, no one would buy it like the announcer wanted it. I lived the era too. Those cars were very comfortable.
@@hendricksonrunner5015 Hey,, as an option to the Oldsmobile and as long as we're restoring things, we could tighten up the suspension on the Cougar and do some tweaks on the 460 and make an easy real world 325 hp and 450 ft lbs of torque and have that great dash with full instrumentation and great ultra comfy quality interior surrounding us instead of the cheap ass Cutlass interior..
Just a thought.
Grand Marquis could have done that ...this Cougar was a waste of the badge
@@hendricksonrunner5015 Ok,, apples and oranges...
I was talking about a stock 8.5 to 1 compression dished piston raised deck retarded cam mid 70's 460 smog motor with a few upgrades in a massive 1974 Cougar XR7.
If I get to build a 1971 pre smog 460 and CRAM it in a Fox body you'll be wasting nothing.
I definitely agree with the powerful but street-able concept,, if it doesn't make good vacuum and idle well with the A/C running then I don't want it.
I'm in Houston,,, if it doesn't have good A/C it's worthless to me.........
Those 70s Cutlasses were some of the best selling cars of the decade.
@T38 Talon Yes it was. www.hemmings.com/stories/article/americas-most-popular-car-oldsmobile-cutlass
@T38 Talon www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/10/best-selling-cars-around-the-globe-when-oldsmobile-was-top-of-the-class/ Here's some more reading for you, that 1975 sales record will double in a few years. They sold so many oldsmobiles that they started putting chevy engines in them to keep up.
@@mcqueenfanman ...and got the pants sued off of them for it, too.
Yes they were , hated to see Oldsmobile go by the wayside. Pontiac too. Always thought a better approach was to keep the best selling model of all divisions and sell them at GM dealers. So a dealer could sell a Cutlass or a GTO or a Corvette. Seems a pity so many good cars gone.
@Buick Regal No, 48,000 people who got 1977 Oldsmobile 88's with the 350 "shhh... this isn't a Rocket, it's a Chevy" engine sued GM. 10,000 of them got $550 because Olds ads/brochures made no mention AND they charged more for the 'privilege'.
www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-the-1977-oldsmobile-chevrolet-engine-scandal/
this footage reminds me of a episode of Cannon from the 70's.
W/a little mannix in there too.
Richard Morris Mannix drove Chryslers.
Bill Levins 🤣🤣
Liked that show, and Conrad, he certainly had my respect. Still remember the 1st episode, had J.D.Cannon as a guest star. William Conrad drove Lincoln Continental "Mark" series coupes, I believe in later seasons they were the "Signature Editions"(?)("Cartier"). He had one of the 1st mobile phones, made calls thru the "Mobile Operator". I loved at the end of each episode he'd be in his apartment cooking up some gourmet meal for his happy clients!
I grew up in the days of these quarter mile times in the 18 second range. It is why I shake my head when people say a 0-60 in 7 seconds or a quarter mile time of 15+ seconds is “slow”.
Man, you guys have no idea.....
Guess its faster than a model T ford.
The Model T was the last good Ford anyway, they all went to crap afterwards
@@woodyofp8574 That's stretching it .LOL.
David Battaglia they turbo charge everything today. It could've been done then too.. on everything.. thank goodness it wasn't.
Waa scary passing a slower car on 2 lane highways with such poor acceleration
Those Cougar's were great cars especially with the 351W. Not a Toyota but they lasted like one. Somewhere I've got a video of me in a second generation Town Car traveling between Morrisville and Dadeville in...it was a Lindemann test. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
1974 mercury xr7 still a neat land yacht. And one gorgeous cat. Despite 209ft 70 mph stop.
If you went to highschool in the 90s you had at least 3 friends who had one of those oldsmobiles as a first car.
@Jason Rackawack in my experience, it was more likely a GM J-body shitbox from the 80’s.
@@mr.butterworth4216 yeah we had plenty of hammered Buick skyhawks, Pontiac J2000s, Chevy citations and Oldsmobile omegas too.....lol No one was classy enough to have a Cadillac cimmeron though. If you had a monza or vega you could BS everyone that you were going to v8 swap it but the J bodies were trash. After school I had a 91 grand am that was actually a pretty good car for winter the quad 4 reved like crazy but the body rusted and fell apart before the engine wore out. Kinda miss that one, except for the whole crappy gm body thing.
Graduated 1986 had a 1976 Cutlas Brougham in Brown ugh... buds had a mint 1977 yellow, his Bro a mint green 1977 and lastly another had a blue with black stripes his was fastest.. all were fun to cruise. Mine had duals with cherry bomb mufflers.fun times
Yeah when you could buy one for 500 bucks
Guy I knew had the exact Cutlass in this video, in the early 80s.
The real McCoy ✔ He knew his business. A true gentleman. Missed. Thank you
My mother bought a brand new 75 Cutlass supreme and I was 10 at the time. It was a baby blue color and had a 350 and the sport type wheels. It was so cool. She drove it like she stole it, so we named her "princess lead foot" after that. It was such a cool car.
Like watching a 70’s detective show.
The music 😂
The 70's music and Hollywood car sound effects, love it
Love the classic Cutlasses! My old friend had a 72. Sister bought a 77 brand new, alas it went to landscaper back in 2012. Sad to see it go. The Olds I have access to now is a shadow reminder of the great Oldses of the 60s and 70s.
That ‘74 Mercury Cougar is just plain sexy! The Cutlass might have sold more and proved more popular with buyers, it was also very handsome and great looking, but to me, there’s something about that Cougar would’ve made me bring a fully equipped XR-7 home in nineteen hundred seventy four...or seventy five!
Hello folks. I currently have in my possession two Oldsmobiles. One is an ALL ORIGINAL 74 Cutlass Supreme, and the other one is an ALL ORIGINAL 78 Delta 88 Royale. The Cutlass had 57 thousand original miles on the odo when I purchased it five years ago. The Delta 88 had 12 thousand miles on the odo when I purchased it in Feb 2020. The Cutlass has the 180hp 350 V8 smooth as silk, and the Delta has the 170hp 350 V8. The Cutlass WILL kick that Delta
in the butt any time! I have spects on both cars purchased from the factory. Both cars are fully equipped. The Cutlass weighs in @ 4000 lbs. The Delta @ 4200 lbs. Both engines have rochester 4bbl carbs. The Cutlass has #8 heads and the Delta has 3-A heads. Both cars has the thm 350 with 273 rear axels. The Cutlass is floor shifted and the Delta is on the column. The Cutlass is Citation Bronze metallic in color. The Delta is Metallic Burgundy in color. When I drive either one of these cars, I get MANY MANY thumbs up, many horn blowers, ohhh so much attention. Car shows are off the chain with soooo much attention. I get many many offers to sell them to prospective buyers. I ordered from Oldsmobile in 1972 a bronze Cutlass Supreme. In Dec 1976 I ordered a 76 Cutlass Brougham fully loaded. In 1980 I ordered a 1980 Cutlass Brougham, and I still have that car. I am currently restoring it, although I will not put that Chevy 305 back in it! I have a 76 Olds 350 that will go into it. The Olds V8 engines were completely different from all the other gm 350 engines. The olds engines were better built and better internal components. When I purchased these cars, I wanted a car that was NOT COMPUTER CONTROLLED. The Olds V8 engines in both my cars runs like watches. When @ car shows, people want to hear the engines, and I let them. It's a shame Oldsmobile folded, and me as owner of both these wonderful Oldsmobile automobiles would love to keep up the legacy. Thank You all.
Put you a set of number 5 heads on that and see how much better it runs the number 5 heads are 64 CC chambers and the 1980 cars a 455 will make them scoot rite down the road
This guy, Bud, had an awsome job! This would be a dream job to me, testing cars during this era
Something I recently learn from Bud, after the engine reaches a certain size it goes from "cubic inches" to "Cubic Acres". RIP...
The Cutlass was the number one selling car in America well into the 1980's. Once they made them front wheel drive they just weren't as good a car anymore.
The FWD ones went on to become the most stolen car in America due to the insane amount of parts interchangeability these cookie cutter cars had.
Yup..and american cars transition into fuel injection killed us.
They sure made beautiful cars back then. I was there. I got my drivers license in 1974. But unlike most teenagers, I didn't want a muscle car. I wanted a new Pontiac Grand Prix. That never happened, and a couple years later I wound up with a used 1973 Pinto. Even that was a beautiful car compared to the garbage out there today. TWO doors, hatchback, wide with a low roof, curved body sides that wrapped in past the outside edges of the tires at the bottom, instead of the slab sided, tall narrow FOUR door look of today. Before that I drove my dad's rusted out TWO door '63 Chevy Nova SS.
The problem was not the car, but the reviewers who expected a luxury highway cruiser to be a sports car. It you want a sports car, buy one. This '74 Cougar was designed to be driven elegantly and slowly. By 1974, the Mustang had become the hot rod of choice. Cougar became the luxury version of the Mustang, and was targeted toward the more affluent and older buyer. During this time period the Thunderbird, sort of lost its way and many people who would have purchased the Thunderbird bought the Cougar. Also those who dreamed of the Lincoln Mark series, but, could not afford it, purchased the Cougar or the Thunderbird.
@T38 Talon Many thought the downsize was a mistake at the time. But hindsight proved Ford was correct in their decision. The Mustang II 1974 to 1978 may have saved Mustang from extinction! And, I for one, who was only 28 years old in 1974, thought they were great, because the sporty cars of that era had grown to large for my taste. It had good looks, and with a small V8 under the hood it was fast. When the gas crisis hit around 1976-77, Ford was prepared. Now, these Mustangs of this era, are becoming somewhat sought out by collector.
YOUGOTIT210 No V8 available in the Mustang for 1974. I think it became an option in 1975.
Mom, had a 72 Cutlass S. 350 4. I tried, to talk into the luxury Le Man's. But she wanted the Oldsmobile. Never any trouble after 12 years. Olds in 72 didn't offer a 6. The Pontiac had the 350. 400 bucks less than Cutlass. When I was 16, worked 30 hours in school. My sweet dad who is with the Lord. Helped me get a 76 Grand Le Man's. Paid him each week. It listed for 5900.00. factory 8 track, Rally ll, tilt, A/C. 72 Cutlass, listed 4,116.00. A/C, AM, power steering, brake's, 3 speed Tubro, Auto. All the outside trim. Cutlass was the king in the 70's.
Breaking in these old videos cracks me up… let’s see how far this thing will skid!!
My god the body roll with these old cars is amazing 😏
Huge soft, wallowing boats. I was only 22 years old then, but I drove a '61 Bugeye Sprite in 1974.
In the 70's the word performance was removed from the English language.
"Why the engineers build a car so soft and wallowy is beyond my understanding...." XD
I had a 75 it was a fast beast for stock. First day my buddy rode with me at lunch we came around a curve all 4 swalling. And 4 barrel sounded like it was about to suck. The hood through it.
I wish Bud was still around. These cars are god awful, yet I watched every second of it. Even though these are the type of cars that KILLED the big three
He would shake his hid at the crap they're making now. None of it would survive his test drives
hmmm government regulations driven instead of market driven is what hurt the industry
Ford didn't need a bailout.
@@henrystowe6217 Homie the cars in these tests barely survived them lol. All this would be a walk in the park for a modern Ford Fusion or even a Camry.
With the narration and music this feels like a Faces of Death video
It’s a shame Bud is not around today evaluating the new muscle cars. 👍🇺🇸
If we are being honest, that cougar stomped that cutlass in everything but handleing.
Um, no. The Cutlass outsold the Cougar by quite alot. In fact, it was the best selling car in America in 1975-76.
So tell me how was the olds better. Rhetorical question. He says the cougar had to soft handling and ride for a personal Luxury car. Duh a luxury car should ride soft especially back in the 1970s.
Homeless Home Movies True. It was trash compared. Now I hate GM trash and kinda like Ford. 😂😂
The cougar had a large taillight enough to keep the bulb manufacturers in business for next 5 years
Wow, these cars handled differently than cars do now! All that tire noise, lengthy stopping distances, and those suspensions that seem to be filled with Jell-O - it's no wonder technology has improved considerably over the past 40+ years. If you saw one of these babies on the street today, they would be wearing historic vehicle plates!
@GeminiSixtyFour:
. . . And This
Is A Bad Thing?
~ õÓ?
.
The Cutlass Supreme was an awesome ride
That cougar was a beautiful car. The Cutlass supreme was beautiful in 76&77.
That's a whole different kind of driving to master! I am kinda impressed!
That Cougar XR7 looked and handled like a dream. Too bad they don't build em like that anymore.
I loved the cutlass. I had a 1975 4D , a 1976 salon 2D and a 1986 2D. They were cruisers, but 75 4D was built like a tank and I could do neutral drops all day long, only broke motor mount lol.
From the day I was born , Dad got a new Oldsmobile every 3 years . Mom had a 70 Torino , then a 76 Catalina , and finally a 78 Malibu . Learned to drive in the Catalina . Lost my virginity in the back seat ! Had a friend who was also just getting her license . Let her drive it , and she sideswiped a speed limit sign ! Shaved the door handles off the passenger side ! I thought my Dad was going to kill me ! He got home from work and told me to fix it ! Bought new door handles and put them on myself . Borrowed mom's Malibu one night and jumped it on a woopdeedoo like the Duke's of Hazzard ! Oh , the good times !
Thank you for posting this. Omg I wish I was around for this era!!
Cutlass got better braking? it starter to pull at at 30 and got to a roll over condition at 70. yes the test drive only spun it half way around , but your average driver would have wreaked it.
Arthur Clark most of these were crushed or if you see one now they are on 24 rims or with spinners last month I saw one stock like wow I haven't seen one stock since like the late 80s
The years 73 thru 75 were very bad for the big 3. Government regulations killed horse power in cars, and they compensated by by adding size and glitz. Cheap glitz in my opinion. I think those regs were what caused the downward spiral of Americas once great mfgs.
And then the imports came along and the reast is history.
Purple with a white vinyl roof, what's not to like?
My buddy bought a new 73 cutless supreme salon with the 455. We used to cruse around in it. Nice car.
I’m shocked they couldn’t find a 455 Cutlass to compare against the 460 Mercury.
Nice trip down nostalgia lane. Curious as to why they compared the Olds with the standard 350 V8 (a 455 was available) to the Cougar with the optional 460 V8.
Perhaps they ordered it the way most people would have ordered them.
Thats why even back then they were testing all automatics.
I hate automatics so much its sad to see how even back then (when they were horrible at best) they were the preferred trans choice.
@@twoeightythreez Maybe, but this should be a comparison of the 455V8 and the 460V8. With that logic the cougar should have had the 351V8 not the 460V8.
They didn't have the gas money for the big blocks. Lol
Yeah. I think GMs 455 would have stomped the 460
@@mikeadams2677 gas was very cheap, but people tended to be much more frugal back then.
Remember that those big blocks were a big ticket item and insurance was more expensive for them too.
Loved my 74 442 bright yellow....Black stripe.....dual high rise 4bbls.......SWEET!
I owned a 77 Old's Gutless. Low compression and tall gears didn't make it much of a runner, but I did like the styling and ride.
I daily a Tacoma and my weekend car is a boosted Miata. Both faster, both handle better. Still, there's something to be said for those old long nosed, short tailed old coups of the '70s. The Monte Carlo was always my favorite. So cushy and comfortable. They were made for people who wanted that sporty look, and a smooth luxurious ride but couldn't afford a Mark V, an Eldorado or a Riviera.
The Cougar went from being a Mustang twin to a Thunderbird twin...
I love the fake engine noise, way they give you 0-30, then 0-50 times on first car, then 0-60 but not 0-50 time on the 2nd car....they always did this in these reviews. And The full lock up panic stops are hilarious! They don''t even try to threshold brake, they just smash em on!
That’s because that’s what you do in a panic stop. Especially women.
Some of his comments are hilarious!
Cougar XR 7 is my favorite ! 👍
back in the day my cousin and I both ordered a 77 Cutlass Salon on the same day, she chose the brown and I chose the blue with white landau top. 2 - tone blue velour interior. Dang I loved that car. would love to find another one.
These were no longer Cougars. The late 60s had the real cougars, not the fat luxury cars they became as we see here. But, that's what disco era America wanted at the time - a velvet living room on 4 wheels.
I had a 73 Cutlass Supreme buckets dual exhaust it was hot
The Cutlass it is then! Off to the dealership!!
Pick and Pull may have a few on the lot.
@@kennethsouthard6042 1986 Cutlass Supreme
Oldsmobile
I remember my parents had a 76 Cougar which was the same car, and dam that thing rode good.....then they got a Olds Cutlass Calais, dam wish they made cars like that now, with the engines of today. I sure miss all those personal luxury coupe...hate all these little 4 door boxes theyre making now....
I totally agree.....where are the big sporty 2 door coupes? Fuck sedans!!! haha....seriously. The last one was the Chrysler Sebring, I think.
Moses Berkowitz same What ever happened to personal. Luxury cars with 2 door coupe.
Yea with today's little cars I feel like a pink power ranger should jump out! Hahahahaha
I also like the jazz fusion music that was playing in the video while they were testing the Olds Cutlass
I've owned both of these cars and liked them both. There is nothing out there today that is anything like these "Midsize" cars at the time. Today these cars would be considered huge.
While you're at it, Road test the Nash Metropolitan and make sure you hit those cornners !
My second car was a 74 Gutless. Looked almost like the one in this video. It wasn't fast at all but a nice cruiser.
First car was 74 cutlass salon, the most beautiful car I ever owned. First song I heard on the radio was midnight at the oasis.
I had 74 cutlass supreme blue with a black vinyl roof. This video gave me flash backs
Even these luxury cars to me still look better then what they give us today 4 door curves.
The 460 seems to do the cougar VERY WELL!!!
i just wish old school porn jazz would play everytime i crawl in my old cars.
That’s Hilarious 😂😂😂😂
With an old school porn girl in the passenger seat.
@@kennethsouthard6042 well not after 37 guys slammed her on tv.
I actually owned the xr7 during the late 90’s and got a well maintained car for 900 bucks. I am glad that I just used it as a city car and never pushed it because being a new young driver with that suspension would’ve gotten me killed!
What you said summed it up. That it’s had to believe that Dan Gurney drove a Cougar in the Trans Am series.
Bud is Rock'n Polka-Dots & Gold chain !! Koool Man !!! : D
1:53 Most of the Cougar's extra 8.5" of length over the Cutlass seems to be between the front wheels and the bumper, making it look even clumsier than it is; these are the same clown-car proportions Ford ended up using on the 1977-79 LTD-II and T-Bird, some of the most awkward looking cars Ford ever built. I'll bet half the reason for the extra length was to add enough crush-zone to meet the crash standards of that era. Ford must have figured out how to design some of that protection into the front engine cradle when they re-used much of that frame design in the Panther-based 1979 LTD, which had a lot less overhang.
Well put and totally correct. Every Ford of that era was fat as hell.
But they looked like a pimp mobile. People love that look now
This guy is HONEST and AWESOME!
If the Cutlass had a 455, that would be a REAL contender for the Cougar...!!!!
Can't beat ..Rocket 350. GM gets the Nod.. I wreaked mi 76..Donated the the drivetrain into 84 cutlass .Had the 350 sitting on v6 motor mounts.
I had a 77 Cutlass Supreme with swivel buckets, it was a very comfortable ride and dead reliable, never had any serious breakdowns in 250K miles although the transmission was getting pretty soft by then.
Cutlass was my first car. Loved my 73.
Love 70s & early 80s cars.🤗
My pal had one in the mid 70's. Bloated size and Floated ride. Personal Luxury they called it.
Handles like a riverboat.
Exactly my thoughts 💭 LOL 😂
@@andreoates8405 Barging through corners?
Riverboat on a rollerskate
How is it possible for a car to understeer and oversteer at the same time??? Amazing
Olds 350s in '74 were so damn anemic! Durable but slow.
Cutlass for me, with F41 suspension. But it'd have to be a four-door - I always liked the Colonnade sedan window profile. And OTOH every '70s/90s Ford I ever sat in had those evil seats with negative lumbar support that forced you to slouch whether you wanted to or not and killed your back after 25 miles.
I see the '74s are out early this year.
Blues brothers
They tested the hell out of those cars!!
I even took my HS drivers ED course in a '74 cutlass supreme!
Glenn G LoL!! I took mine in a 76 cutlass salon station wagon.
I learned to drive on a '77 Cutlass!
I love these old reviews. However, I'd like more consistency. Sometimes he gives the speed through the pylons; sometimes not. Sometimes the acceleration tests are to 30, 45 and 60, with quarter mile. Other times, like here, there are 30 and 70 mph runs for the Cougar, but none for the Cutlass.
How do they get brake fade when the brakes are locked up the entire time? The only thing getting hot is the tires.
The brake fluid is reaching it's boiling point and the rotors and pads are heating up, leading to quick performance degradation.
Really? You must be an engineer from Detroit.
My thoughts exactly. Why on earth do professional test drivers test braking distances with locked wheels. I know there was no ABS but then you have to modulate the brake pressure yourself. Even I learned that when I took my driving test many years ago.
I like the music that is playing at the beginning of the Olds Cutlass video, I feel the Cutlass should've done better on the 0-60mph run considering that it took 19 sec to reach 78mph which is very high for a 19 sec quarter mile time.
I love these old videos! Is there a video about the Buick Skylark 1968/69?
Its not a cougar, its a torino with a cougar grill!
That's true and I know that because I owned one
That’s not a cutlass its a Monte Carlo with an olds grille
@@awesomefanger or a Buick century with a olds grill
James Gazzillo yeah my grandfather was a transmission mechanic for folks Oldsmobile then Hubacher Cadillac Sacramento CA in the 70’s/early 80’s and HATED when the GM brands started sharing engines and body lines.
@@awesomefanger i know i didnt like that also you buy a Buick and it old's engine
I'm with Bud, if those frame chassis Fords had any more wallow, you could paint Pacific Princess on the side and film the Love Boat on 'em. On Gran Torino the option was called Competition Suspension, should have been mandatory. IMO the Cutlass with HD suspension did it right. HD suspension for all, right on Bud!!
Ford/Mercury offered a heavy duty suspension with front and rear stabilizer bars. If this was right, that Cat didn't have the best handling pkg for '74 and also keep in mind the 351-4V was still available in '74 with 255 net hp. Cougar would win hands down with these added. I wish Ford had been able to keep the Cleveland engines going they were superior to the Windsor versions and had Ford gave the intermediates four wheel disc brakes from the Lincolns, they would have had a winner with the Torino/LTD II (Thankfully T-Bird was a smash success in 1977-79)
That body roll was insane 😭
wish they would've tested the Olds Cutlass Supreme with the 455 instead of the 350.
Doobie1975 ,the extra weight and power of the engine would have really stopping ..interesting.
What?
The car barely stopped in the video, add the extra weight of the heavier engine and you would have burn the brakes out trying to keep from plowing into a sudden stop.
The 455 didn't weight much more than the 350, which was a unique aspect of true Olds engines. The brakes clearly had issues - pretty common back then and could have been repaired under warranty.
Doobie1975 the 74 cougar reminds me of the 1974 ford torino.
There's nothing like listening to these big boats bounce on those big ole tires making them howl....
I remember the '74s and the related emission equipment. None of it electronic, all of it electromechanical and vacuum. You needed a big engine just to get any sort of speed and the muscle car, well, it was on life support. You could still get dual exhaust in '74, but that came to an end with the catalytic converter in 1975. Yep, performance went out the window. But, the air is cleaner.
1974 was an awful year for American cars. So was the rest of the decade.
The 2 cars in this video don't suck as bad as some of the other cars out there in 1974, though. Many people don't remember gas rationing back then in 1973/1974. Just finding gas was a problem sometimes let alone paying for it. The last thing you wanted to do was to go buy a car with a 460 4 barrel engine in it.
Even if new cars have twice the horsepower, they will never have the soul of cars 50 years ago before the EPA stepped in and ruined stuff.
"The air is cleaner" ?? riiight
SCDevon, You are right on. I lived through it all, in Los Angeles.
SCDevon, Hey, remember those vinyl "Landau" tops??? Really ugly....... And the fake wood paneling on the side of station wagons....... even uglier.
What was the higher trim level between the Salon or the Supreme on the Cutlass model?
Salon
That's not really a fair comparison, though; in '74, Olds still offered the 455
The EPA just killed engines back then, the emissions systems were new and complicated and many owners took all that shit off and got much better performance and mileage.