When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
79 Cutlass Supreme Brougham T Top Diesel 5 speed Mojave interior. How rare?
Hi there. I just came across a Cutlass that I think must be really rare. Maybe all of you fellow Oldsmobile experts can give me a clue on what I am looking at. The car in question is a 79 Cutlass Supreme Brougham with T Tops. What I found very odd is that this loaded up Brougham has the diesel V8 with a 5 speed transmission. Plus, it has that wild Mojave pillow interior which I believe was only offered from 78 to 80 and was seldom ordered. From what I could gather, this would have to be the smaller one year only for 79, 260 V8 diesel. I spoke with the original owner who is 85 now. He ordered the car new right after the second gas crunch started in early 1979. He traveled the highway alot and wanted the best mpg he could get. He said the car would average between 32 to 35mpg on the highway at 60mph in 5th gear. The car has all power options, cornering lamps and the rare fiber optics.
My question is for all you Cutlass guys, how rare is this car? I myself have never seen or heard of another Cutlass like this. I do know the diesel 260 was offered in 79 and I know that only a handful were ordered with a 5 speed but how odd is it to find a Brougham with the 60/40 split bench front seat to have a 5 speed? One comment the owner told me is that in order to shift through all the gears, the passenger seat must be moved all the way back, otherwise, it is impossible to shift down in the gears at the shifter would hit the front of the seat and pop out of gear. I could understand a 5 speed with bucket seats but in a Brougham?
The owner is not really interested in selling the car, I don't blame him. However, I am going to try my best to buy the car. He is 85 and the car just sits in his garage. Hmm, let's see here. A diesel? A one year only 260 diesel not the 350 diesel? T Tops? A 5 speed? Fiber optics? A loaded Brougham and to top it off, that wild Mojave pillow interior. Oh how I want this car!
Sounds interesting and rare for sure, but not worth a ton of money. You do what you feel you must, but don't go nuts thinking because they might have only made one equipped like that that you have found the hope diamond of Oldsmobiles.
That sounds like a pretty cool find. I know GM put Goodwrench diesels in cars to replace the Olds 350 diesel when it died. Did they do the same with the Olds 260 diesel? If that car has the original Olds diesel in it then it would definitely be rare. However, I agree with Randy that it wouldn't be super valuable aside from the nostalgia aspect.
I've always thought it would be cool to get an Olds with the Olds diesel engine. If you end up convincing the geezer that the car would be better off in your hands then you MUST post pics.
Here's the page from the 1979 dealer brochure that shows availability of the five speed with the 260 cu in diesel. I didn't think that was an option, but apparently it was. Of course, that's a T50 trans, possibly the only five speed trans that's weaker than a T5. Fortunately, the anemic 260 diesel doesn't provide much of a challenge for that trans. Note the photo of your upholstery, also.
Nah, that's not the interior that this car has Joe. That is the Salon's optional Tahoe pattern which is very tame next to the Mojave Brougham pillow seats. This insane pattern is in the seats, along the door panels and even on the back of the front seats so wherever you sit in this car, the madness is everywhere. I believe this is a one of a kind car in this combo of options, the diesel 5 speed, the T tops and this interior. Less than 200 diesel 5 speeds were built from what I could gather which is rare enough, however, nobody has ever seen a diesel 5 speed Brougham before. I'm going to contact the GM Media Archives and see if we can come up with any production figures. Here are a few photos of the Mojave interior.
Could you imagine riding in that small cramped back seat, trapped in that dark space with only the insane pattern to look at until the front seat passengers unlatch the seat to let you out, while at the same time, trusting the driver of this slow smelly oil burner diesel will be able to merge onto the highway without getting rear ended by the big truck you see right behind you out that little rear window? Don't forget the car is jerking and rocking back and forth while the driver is shifting through all the gears just to get the car up to 40mph while you are being overcome by the noise and diesel fumes? Ahhh. That's for me.
Last edited by Herbie; October 27th, 2016 at 08:22 AM.
Here is a ad for the Mojave and Tahoe interiors found in a 79 magazine. It's not super clear but you can see Oldsmobile's claim was that their new "Designer Interiors" were inspired by our original American Designers, meaning American Indians.. I once heard that when Columbus came to America, he brought along some of this Mojave pattern cloth as a peace offering, however, when the Indians first saw it, they threw up all over the Mojave, said, you win, we don't have any weapons even close to that and passed out.
Last edited by Herbie; October 27th, 2016 at 08:21 AM.
Here is something Pontiac offered around the same time. Not as insane as Mojave, however, the pinstripe affect was everywhere on this interior including the headliner. They called it the Valencia package offered on the 77 and 78 Bonneville Brougham. Did you hear the story about the family who went to see a shrink but when the shrink found out they owned both a Mojave Cutlass and a Valencia Pontiac, his treatment was to take two aspirin and dump the two cars for a car will plain vinyl bench seats. I know, ha ha silly.
You can say what you want but these interiors sure beat today's bland choices of black or black.
There are precious few cars with black interiors anymore. The choices are beige or grey. Of course, there are only four colors of car anymore anyway...
There are precious few cars with black interiors anymore. The choices are beige or grey. Of course, there are only four colors of car anymore anyway...
Joe,
I must say I have not been looking at all brands of new vehicles. However, my point, as you mention, is limited color choices, both interior and exterior. Gone are the days of 20+ exterior colors and "matching" interior color choices. I recently purchased a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. I opted for the "tan" interior. The seats are "tan" but everything else is black.
Joe,
I must say I have not been looking at all brands of new vehicles. However, my point, as you mention, is limited color choices, both interior and exterior. Gone are the days of 20+ exterior colors and "matching" interior color choices. I recently purchased a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. I opted for the "tan" interior. The seats are "tan" but everything else is black.
Can't say I've been in a new Jeep, but I drive a lot of rental cars, and beige or grey are the only options. I think I had a Jetta once with a black interior. German cars are the ones that offer more black interiors in my experience.
When I make fun of those insane 70's interiors, it's because I really love them! The reason I want to buy this 79 Mojave Diesel Cutlass is due to 5 main things.... A, the Mojave Brougham interior of course. B, the T Tops. C, the Diesel. D, the 5 speed and E, all of the above adds up to one super rare one of a kind machine. There, I said it, I love that puke interior! New car color combos are boring and interiors are either tan or gray? Maybe black once in a while? No thank you.
When I make fun of those insane 70's interiors, it's because I really love them! The reason I want to buy this 79 Mojave Diesel Cutlass is due to 5 main things.... A, the Mojave Brougham interior of course. B, the T Tops. C, the Diesel. D, the 5 speed and E, all of the above adds up to one super rare one of a kind machine. There, I said it, I love that puke interior! New car color combos are boring and interiors are either tan or gray? Maybe black once in a while? No thank you.
Good luck in buying this vehicle. I wouldn't mind finding a nice Diesel especially with 5 speed.
I just got some NOS Osbourne plaid cloth for the interior of my 76 442 from SMS. It should look great when I get the swivel buckets and back seat recovered. I have seen ONE Cutlass with that exact Mojave cloth interior in the wrecking yard maybe 10 or 15 years ago. I mean, how could you forget that? I know it was before I had a smart phone with a camera or I for sure would have taken a picture.
I drive a lot of rental cars, and beige or grey are the only options.
Is this because those are the only options offered, or is this because rental cars are purchased in bulk, and they tend to be bought with the more bland colors? In other words, is what you can get in a certain vehicle as a rental car an accurate representation of that model's range of offerings in terms of exterior and interior colors?
Is this because those are the only options offered, or is this because rental cars are purchased in bulk, and they tend to be bought with the more bland colors? In other words, is what you can get in a certain vehicle as a rental car an accurate representation of that model's range of offerings in terms of exterior and interior colors?
GM apparently only offers two or three interior colors on cars anymore. For example, the Buick Lucerne offers light beige, darker beige, and grey (more charcoal).
Ahhh the Seventies - the decade taste forgot - mainstream cars leaving factories with fabric upholstery after the days of sweaty scorching or icy sticky vinyl. I guess to emphasise a car wasn't a vinyl equipped base model the upholstery was often a particularly garish color scheme. It probably cost no more to make than drab monochromes.
I liked the plush velour offered in upmarket models of the day. Much better than leather imo.
Man, that's ugly enough to be collectable. Sometimes you wonder what they were thinking. The mopar paisley top was another.
There was a guy back in the late 80s here in Dallas that had TWO mod top Hemi cars, a Charger and a Challenger and he parked them outside at his apartment complex. I'd stop and park and look at them often, because Mopar Hemi, not mod top.
Well, after waiting a month for a reply on this diesel 5 speed T Top Mojave Cutlass, I called the owner to see if he gave any more thought about selling what may be the rarest G body Cutlass known to exist. He was a bit rude and cranky as he was the first time I spoke with him, I guess at age 85 he can act as he likes.. He told me straight up that the car is not for sale, however, if I bring 10000 firm in cash, he will think about it and hung up. I want the car but is 10k kind of reaching for the stars? I was ready to jump on it if he said 5k.
That's a bummer the geezer was rude. $10k definitely seems high. You have at least 2 options:
1) Bring $10k to the geezer and deal with the rude old fart in person. Hopefully he would be willing to consider letting his treasure go for an exorbitant price.
2) Wait until he dies and deal with his estate. While you might get some satisfaction from calling the geezer and telling him this it would surely get you know where in your quest to own this car (plus, it's not what right looks like).
October 26th, 2016, 08:54 AM
I believe this is a one of a kind car in this combo of options, the diesel 5 speed, the T tops and this interior. Less than 200 diesel 5 speeds were built from what I could gather which is rare enough, however, nobody has ever seen a diesel 5 speed Brougham before. I'm going to contact the GM Media Archives and see if we can come up with any production figures. Here are a few photos of the Mojave interior.
