So this is random and I apologize in advance if this isn't the correct place or I don't have the proper information.

My first serious boyfriend had a 1985 Cutlass. It's been 25 years since we dated (we were together on/off for years), and have gotten back in touch in recent months. I found out he now owns his own auto repair facility, and I couldn't be more proud! I want to give him something nice and personalized to hang on the wall of his shop, and immediately remembered his beloved Oldsmobile.

My hope is to get accurate badging mounted on some sheet metal, painted to match the original color of the car, and have it framed - or maybe turning it into a key hanger for customer keys or something? Not sure yet. But I'm having trouble verifying the correct lettering, etc. I'm hoping one of you amazing people can help!

Here is all the info I remember (again, it's been 25 years so please be kind!):

- 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass (Supreme? Brougham?)
- 4 door
- Baby blue paint (from my research, it appears there are 4 color options of light blue shades from that year? Lord. OK so I'm thinking it was either light royal blue (WA7783) or light blue (WA8574). I'll try to find out when I talk to him again)
- Blue velour interior
- Power windows

So if I'm understanding the information I've found, the script lettering that says, "Cutlass Supreme" would be correct? Or was there more than one lettering option? Also, what about the Brougham part - I think his was a Brougham. Was that only indicated by the trunk emblem?

Is it possible to have a Cutlass Brougham, but not a Cutlass Supreme Brougham? I'd feel really stupid if I gave him the wrong thing, so I am just trying to make sure the full, "Cutlass Supreme" script is correct, and it shouldn't just say, "Cutlass."

I'm trying to do this as a surprise, which is why I might not be able to get all the information. Over the past several weeks I've mentioned his car a few times to verify things I remember from when we were together (like it was a 4 door and had power windows, etc), but if I get too specific with my questions, I think he'll realize something's up.

I would be grateful for any help, or even suggestions on nice things I could give as a personalized gift for his shop. My other idea was a scale model replica car, but can't find anything that is even remotely affordable.

Thank you!

 

Do you have any pictures of the car?

You can use this search engine to look for 78-88 Oldsmobile Cutlasses in salvage yards near you. There might be a few hits if you search in your entire state or nation wide.

http://www.car-part.com/

 

We don't really care about the Cutlass. We want to know if you're going to get back together with your former boyfriend in a serious way!

 

In 1985 you could get a four door in either Cutlass Supreme or Cutlass Supreme Brougham trim levels. The only difference would be the interior and trim and standard equipment - the basic car was the same.

 

You can get paint colors here, but you might not be able to determine the exact color without pictures and more info.

https://www.autocolorlibrary.com/pages/modern-library

 

Stalker vibes... maybe they're cool, but the whole thing seems weird.

 

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the car itself. The closest I can find online from memory is this:



I remember helping him detail it, and it had that faux leather roof piece.

 

Well I'm sorry that you apparently think I'm a weird stalker. I assure you that's not the case. See, because as this is an auto enthusiast site and not a dating or relationship site, I didn't feel the need to go into detail about our history. But apparently I do. Jesus. I'm just trying to get help with something nice I'm trying to do for a friend of 25 years, and show them I'm proud for them achieving their dream.

Let's call my ex Bob, to make it easier. Bob and I dated from when I was 17-19 and again from 22-23; then got engaged, but ended it when I was 24. We stayed friends the entire time that we weren't in a relationship (from my age of 19-22), but because I had gone to college a few states away, continuing a relationship wasn't something either of us thought was smart.

A few years after we ended our engagement, Bob met someone and they got married. They've been together for over 15 years now and have four beautiful kids. Bob and I kept in touch on and off over the past 17 years or so, mostly through email and the occasional Facebook message. On average probably twice a year.

Not long before the pandemic started, we lost touch completely. Fast forward a little over three years to early fall 2023 - I bumped into him at our High School homecoming football game. We exchanged pleasantries, then went our separate ways.

In October of 2023, I found out he was working at the same auto repair place my brother had been working at for a decade. I'd brought my car in to get some work done, and was surprised to see Bob! We chatted for a moment, then I left.

In January I got a phone call, and my caller ID showed it was some random auto repair place I'd never heard of. I figured it was a wrong number so I sent it to voicemail. Five minutes later, the place called again, so I answered. It was Bob! He was just calling to say hi, see how I was doing, etc. We spoke for about 15 minutes and he told me how he'd bought this repair place and they just reopened, etc. Bob told me how excited he was to finally have his own shop (something he's always dreamed of - which I'm aware of, because we've known each other for 25 years). I told him I was thrilled for him, didn't know he'd left the place working with my brother, and I hoped business was good.

Since January, he's called me twice, where we talked for a few minutes. *I* haven't called *him* in over 15 years (unless he asked me to call back), and I've only seen him in person twice - both of which were unexpected.

Now, Bob and I originally met when we both worked at an oil change place. It was a privately owned "mom and pop" type place, where the owners were always there. The waiting room of the oil change shop was full of incredible mementos from the owners' lives and history with cars. The walls were covered in photos of the owners from previous decades, in front of beautiful muscle cars they'd owned, small pieces of auto memorabilia (like a clock made from an old Dino gas pump topper), and other items with meaning to the owners. Bob and I often talked about his dream of owning his own repair place one day, and how he wanted the waiting room to be similar - filled with his past experiences with cars and the automotive field. He even already had a framed photo of his grandparents standing next to their 1969 Trans Am, and one of the original keys mounted in the frame next to the photo.

So after Bob and I spoke a few weeks ago, I realized it would probably be a nice gesture to give him a gift in congratulations for opening his own shop and achieving his dream. It's what I'd do for any friend in the same position, regardless of whether or not they were someone I'd dated. I knew I wanted it to be personal to him, and spent the last few weeks trying to think of something. Then I remembered his beloved Cutlass.

As far as remembering some details about the car? We dated for years when he owned it, and "Baby" (short for baby blue) was his pride and joy. He absolutely adored that car! I remember him tearing up at the dealership when he ended up trading it in to get his 2004 Grand Prix. But every date, every school dance, every time we went somewhere - we took Baby. I remember the color of the interior because I accidentally spilled some cherry slurpee one day, and it made a purple stain (because the interior was blue and the slurpee was red). Instead of getting mad like I thought he would - I mean, he LOVED that car after all - He joked that maybe I should just spill slurpee everywhere so he could have a purple interior.

I remember it had power windows, because one day when we were driving around with the windows down enjoying the day, a storm popped up out of nowhere and it began raining buckets. Unfortunately, the passenger window was a bit eccentric, and we couldn't get it to go up. I got completely soaked while we tried to find somewhere to park out of the rain. And I remember it was a 4-door because... Well... I was a teenager, and teenagers aren't exactly given a lot of privacy. Interpret that however you want.

But again, because this is a forum for discussing automobiles - Oldsmobiles specifically - I didn't see the point in mentioning unnecessary details regarding our past. I guess I could have just said, "a friend," but I was trying to explain why I would even remember anything from 25 years ago about this car. For a million dollars I couldn't tell you what my two best friends drove 25 years ago. I know one had a silver car, and the other a green one. But because Bob was my first serious boyfriend, a lot of things from our time together still exist in the recesses of my memory.

So if completely randomly bumping into someone twice in 17 years, and only receiving calls from them (never making calls to them), gives off stalker vibes? I guess I need to reread the definition of the word. And if I'm weird for caring about a friend and wanting to acknowledge their hard work and struggle finally resulting in their dream being fulfilled? So be it. I'd much rather be a "weird" friend than someone who insults complete strangers on the internet.

 

Haha no, that isn't in the cards. He's been happily married for over 15 years, with four beautiful kids. I've been married for 13 years to a wonderful guy - despite him never having owned an Oldsmobile

I'm just really proud of my friend/ex achieving their dream, and want to get them something to honor their hard work. We may have broken up many years ago, but we've always stayed in touch, so I have some understanding of how hard he struggled to get to where he is now.

The funny thing is, it's taken me weeks to remember even the few details about the car that I provided. I haven't thought about that time of my life in soooooooo long! It took some creative questions to him when we last spoke (as to not arouse suspicion about the surprise) to verify some of the information I'd thought of, and get other information I couldn't remember if my life depended on it (like the year of the car).

 

Thank you! I remember his had the faux leather roof piece. If I'm understanding the info I've found correctly, that verify it was a Brougham? Also, it was a V8. When he owned his 1985 Cutlass, my brother owned a 1984 Buick LeSabre. They were both V8, and the two tried racing one day (I was in the passenger seat of the Cutlass). My ex backed off not long after starting to accelerate, so my brother shot ahead.... Blowing right past the police officer parked on a side street that my ex had seen. I was so scared to go home that night, because I knew my brother would be furious about the speeding ticket he'd gotten lol.