jaunty75

I posted this over in the Newbie forum at the end of a thread about selling an '86 Ninety-Eight, and I know it doesn't belong there, so I thought I'd bring it over here and see if anyone wants to take a shot.

I actually have three Olds trivia questions. The first one is the one I posted elsewhere.

1. Olds produced more than 1 million cars in only six model years. I listed three of them over in that other forum: 1984, 1985, and 1986. What were the other three? Hint: they're also three consecutive years.


2. Cutlass production began in 1961, and in that year, Cutlasses represented only 3% of all Oldsmobiles made. That percentage rose rapidly in the coming years, and Cutlass production equaled or exceeded 50% of all Olds production for most of the latter half of the Cutlass's existence (the last ones were made in 1999).

Question: What was the FIRST model year that Cutlass production exceeded 50% of total Olds production? Hint: it's probably later than you think.

Please note that this count of Cutlasses includes only models that were actually Cutlass "somethings," (plain Cutlasses, Cutlass Supremes, Cutlass S's, Cutlass Cieras, etc.). Other models sharing the Cutlass body style (442s, F-85s, H/Os, etc.) are not counted.


3. In what model year was Cutlass production the largest percentage of total Olds production? I mention above that Cutlasses represented 50% or more of Olds production for many years. Now I want to know in what year was that percentage the highest, and what was that percentage? (So we have question 3a and question 3b.)

Hint: For the percentage, it's a larger value than I ever would have guessed.


Thanks for playing, and I'll fax the winner or winners a nickel for each correct answer.

joe_padavano

So does that mean that the car must be BADGED as a Cutlass, or only that it must carry a Cutlass VIN? For example, except for model years 1968-1971, all 442s carried Cutlass VINs. Except for model years 1968-69, all H/Os carried Cutlass VINs.

And I find it interesting that a FWD Cutlass Ciera (and presumably an N-body Cutlass Calais) would count, but not a 1961 F-85? What about a Jetfire?

Yes, I CAN be a PITA...

jaunty75

Good God, who knows on any of this?

I just counted things that had the word "Cutlass" in them, so unless it was, for example, a "Cutlass Jetfire," then, no, it wouldn't be on the list. And I have NO idea about the VINs!

I DO know that I'm not talking about F-85s that were just F-85s and not Cutlasses. My figures come from the tables and charts in the book "Setting the Pace," so however the authors there categorized cars is what I used.

Just take a stab!

wmachine

Don't worry. If Joe didn't ask, I would! To add to the confusion, is your source(s) using the correct model names? (Since that is what your basis is).

jaunty75

I have NO idea. The authors of that book, Helen Jones Earley being one of them (James Walkinshaw was the other), were well known as Olds experts, worked at the Olds History Center in Lansing, and Ms. Earley long had the informal, honorary title of "First Lady of Oldmsobile." She was the one who would always answer your letter if you wrote to the history center asking about your car. If they don't get it right, no one will!

Jamesbo

I would add Joe and W to that list if I were a betting man.

jaunty75

Yeah, but no one's taken a shot at them.

Here's the answers:


1. Olds production reached 1 million for the first time in 1977 and stayed there for 1978 and 1979 as well. For the three years, the numbers were

1977: 1,135,909
1978: 1,016,350
1979: 1,093,866


The other three 1 million-plus years were mentioned before, and here's the numbers

1984: 1,203,843 (the high-water mark for Oldsmobile)
1985: 1,197,247
1986: 1,199,134


2. The first model year that Cutlass production was 50% or more of Oldsmobile production was 1974. (I would have guessed earlier, given the huge popularity of the 1968-72 models today.) In that year, Olds production was 619,396, and 322,037 of them, or 52%, were Cutlasses of one form or another.

I don't have numbers for the last three years of Cutlass production (1997-1999), but for the 36 model years starting in 1961, when the Cutlass was introduced, and ending in 1996, Cutlass production exceeded 50% of Olds production twenty times.

As I mentioned, Cutlass production exceeded 50% of total Olds production for the first time in 1974. Between then and 1996, Cutlass production fell below 50% only three times. In 1975 (41%), 1985 (49%), and 1992 (45%).


3. The year in which Cutlass production was the largest percentage of Oldsmobile production was 1989. Olds produced 693,467 cars that year, and 587,271, or 85%, were Cutlasses. That's huge, I think. Makes you wonder why they bothered to build anything else. (Remember the Firenza?)

One other piece of Cutlass trivia is what year saw the largest production of Cutlasses, period? Answer: 1986, when Cutlass production was 712,411. That represented 59% of all Oldsmobiles built that year, and it would be the only year that Cutlass production exceeded 700,000.



Had enough? Or should I think of a few million more questions!

jaunty75

I'll answer my own question! No, you haven't had enough! Here's one more:


What was the date the last Cutlass was produced? As I said before, it was in 1999. Month and day?

wmachine

All stuff that can be looked up, rookie.
Now hotshot, tell me how did Oldsmobile commemorate reaching the million mark in 1977?

jaunty75

I'm working on it!

wmachine

Beside various celebration parties and dinners I recall reading about, these commemorative plates (about 12" diameter) were sent to dealers.

jaunty75

Cool.

I was going to guess something like "put Chevy engines in Oldsmobiles without telling anyone?"

BOOWAH

Article attached of the last Cutlass off the assembly line.

jaunty75

Thanks. Cool article.

You can see from the banner in the photo the answer to my trivia question. July 2, 1999 was the day the last Cutlass was produced.

aliensatemybuick

I rented one of those last era Cutlii back in 1998...horrible car. I actually liked some of the last Olds models, but that thing was just plain awful.