Buried inside this F-85 generation is the 1962 Jetfire — Oldsmobile's turbocharged oddball that beat the muscle-car era to forced induction by decades.
Lead trim: F-85 215 cu in Rockette V8 (155 bhp at 4800 rpm) · up to 185 hp
Oldsmobile Cutlass1961–1963
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Oldsmobile Cutlass yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactBuried inside this F-85 generation is the 1962 Jetfire — Oldsmobile's turbocharged oddball that beat the muscle-car era to forced induction by decades.
The Oldsmobile Cutlass (named after the Vought F7U Cutlass jet as well as the sword) was a series produced by Oldsmobile from 1961 to 1999, introduced as the top trim level in Oldsmobile's compact F-85 series. The first-generation F-85 (1961–1963; designer Irv Rybicki began work in 1957) shared the new Y-body platform with the Buick Special and Pontiac Tempest, using a 112 in wheelbase and unibody construction; it was Oldsmobile's smallest, budget-priced model, some two feet shorter and $451 less than the Dynamic 88. It had a double wishbone front suspension, a four-link live rear axle, coil springs all around and 9.5 in drum brakes. The standard engine was the new Rockette 215 cu in (3.5 L) all-aluminum V8 (Oldsmobile's version of the Buick aluminum V8, later the Rover V8) rated at 155 bhp at 4,800 rpm and 210 lb-ft at 3,200 rpm; a few months into 1961 a "power pack" option added a four-barrel carburetor, 10.25:1 compression and dual exhaust for 185 hp at 4,800 rpm and 230 lb-ft (premium fuel only). The pillared two-door coupes arrived in May 1961: the F-85 Club Coupe (the lowest-priced Oldsmobile) and the sporty F-85 Cutlass with the 185 hp power-pack drivetrain, bucket seats and upscale interior; a convertible was added in 1962 and an all-synchromesh four-speed manual became optional. For 1963 the F-85 was restyled with 4 in more rear overhang (192.2 in long, 73.7 in wide), the three-row wagon seating was dropped, and on automatic-transmission models the "Cutlass" engine's compression ratio was raised to 10.75:1 for 185 hp at 4,800 rpm and 235 lb-ft. Overall sales reached 97,382 in 1962 and 121,639 in 1963. Length 188.2 in (1961–62), width 71.6 in.
Collectors Spotted in the Oldsmobile Cutlass Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Oldsmobile Cutlass yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
3 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-85 215 cu in Rockette V8 (155 bhp at 4800 rpm) | 1961–1963 | 3.5 L V8 | 155 hp | 210 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| F-85 Cutlass 215 cu in V8 (185 hp at 4800 rpm, 10.75:1, 1963 automatic) | 1963–1963 | 3.5 L V8 | 185 hp | 235 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| F-85 Cutlass 215 cu in V8 power pack (185 hp at 4800 rpm, 1961–1962) | 1961–1962 | 3.5 L V8 | 185 hp | 230 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The last-ever Cutlass was a Chevy Malibu wearing an Oldsmobile badge, down to one single engine choice -- Oldsmobile didn't even offer the Malibu's other options.
Oldsmobile planned just 2,500 of this 15th-anniversary Hurst/Olds revival — demand ran so hot they built 3,001 instead.
The 1979 Hurst/Olds was the only GM G-body car sold that year with a 350 V8 under the hood — and only 2,499 were built.
Only 2,499 of these Cutlass Calais coupes got the Hurst/Olds W-30 package — gold-trimmed wheels, a Hurst Dual Gate shifter, and a 350 V8 you couldn't get any other way.
The removable T-top roof that became a muscle-car cliché started here: the 1975 Hurst/Olds was the first GM car ever fitted with the "Hurst/Hatch" T-top.
The '74 Hurst/Olds was supposed to pace the Indy 500 — but the track needed a convertible for the parade lap, so a Delta 88 got the job instead.
1977 was this generation's best year by far — 632,742 Cutlasses built, the highest single-year production the model ever saw.
The '73 Hurst/Olds was the first offered in two color schemes — black/gold or white/gold — with just 1,097 built all year.
This Hurst/Olds paced the 1972 Indianapolis 500 — and Oldsmobile built about 630 replicas for customers afterward, a quarter of them convertibles.
The Rallye 350 existed purely to dodge insurance rates: a 1970-only, Sebring-Yellow 310hp package built for buyers who wanted supercar looks without the premiums of a 455-engined 4-4-2.
Every single 1968 and 1969 Hurst/Olds rolled out with pinstripes hand-applied by just one person.
Oldsmobile's 1968 redesign gave two-doors and four-doors different wheelbases entirely — engineers admitted off the record it was really to kill the old chassis's uncomfortable 'freeway hop.'
GM capped intermediate cars at 400 cubic inches — so Oldsmobile and Hurst built the Hurst/Olds with a 455 anyway, working around the company's own rulebook.
The redesigned '64 F-85/Cutlass shared its entire new A-body chassis with the Chevrolet Chevelle, Buick Special and Pontiac Tempest — four different GM badges riding on essentially one car.
The 1962 Jetfire beat everyone to turbocharging a production car — but its engine knocked so badly that Oldsmobile required owners to keep topping up a tank of methanol and water just to keep it alive.
Buried inside this F-85 generation is the 1962 Jetfire — Oldsmobile's turbocharged oddball that beat the muscle-car era to forced induction by decades.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.
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The GS/E coupe earned the nickname "German Charger" for its long hood, short deck stance borrowed from Detroit muscle cars.
This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.