While the Oldsmobiles of the late 1980s and into the 1990s made awesome looking drag cars (and still do!) they didn’t exactly come out of the gate flying in 1988, especially the Cutlass. Sales were down in 1988 and the company was rolling out the new front drivers to replace the classic RWD offerings that had defined the brand forever in an effort to capture younger buyers looking for more modern cars. The “International” variants of these cars were the more sport/driver centric intended versions and the 1988 Cutlass had many of the things that would appeal on that front. A little more body cladding for looks, manual transmissions for fun, and suspension systems designed to favor handling more than they had in the past were good but th power was the problem, especially for the Cutlass Supreme International.
Rather than have the rowdy Quad4 or the more torquey and powerful 3.8L V6 in the nose, this car has the weak-kneed corporate 2.8L V6 engine and that was no bueno. You’ll see and hear the MotorWeek reviewers have some good things to say about this car but they all kind of come to a screeching halt when they get to the engine. Anyone who ever drove one of these engines in any of the stuff that GM threw them into, especially the Camaro can attest to the warbly sounding V6 being underwhelming at best and downright sad at worst.
We love the looks of these cars and really still do. This video is a great example of how just about all the stuff in a car can be right but one important element can send the whole works down a less favorable path once the key is switched on and the gas pedal hits the carpet.
