1974 Oldsmobile Cutlass S

The 1973 Cutlass was completely new, so changes to the 1974 model were minimal. Oldsmobile added a few trim changes to the Cutlass over the previous year. The base model came as either a coupe or a sedan with the coupe selling for $3,450. A total of 16,063 examples of the base coupe and 25,718 of the sedan were produced. Standard equipment included an ashtray, armrests, V8 engine, disc brakes in the front, carpeting, dome light, windshield radio antenna, power steering, Deluxe steering wheel, Turbo-Hydramatic, and molding package.

The Oldsmobile Cutlass 'S' model, listing for $3,550, was popular with over 50,000 examples produced. Inside, the upholstery was either cloth or vinyl. Features included a cigarette lighter, interior hood release, and dome light.

The Cutlass Supreme was available as either a coupe or sedan. The coupe proved to be very popular, with 172,360 examples produced. The Cutlass Supreme Cruiser station wagon was also re-introduced and was paired with the Vista Cruiser to form one series.

After War broke out in the Middle East, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) temporarily restricted the flow of oil to the West. As a result, gasoline became expensive as supply diminished. Consumers who were in the market for a new car turned their attention to smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles. With Oldsmobile having just one six-cylinder model in its fleet, they were not able to give consumers what they wanted. Much of the American car industry, however, was in a similar predicament, as only a few companies offered a four-cylinder model.

When compared with the previous model year, total Oldsmobile production fell by 34 percent but was able to maintain its third place among American manufacturers. Total Cutlass production fell to 295,268.

The Cutlass S, Cutlass Supreme, and wagons all shared the same front end. The parking lamps were mounted in the fiberglass front-end panels, rather than under the bumpers as before. The base Cutlass grille had a horizontal-bar design with turn-signal and parking-lamp lenses mounted in the bumper. The bumpers became larger and the bumper in the rear was rated to withstand five-mph impacts.

At the 1974 Indianapolis 500, former race winner Jim Rathmann paced the group of racers in a Hurst/Olds with removable roof panels. Hurst/Oldsmobile offered a Hurst/Olds on the Cutlass S Coupe line for consumers that had the same appearance as the Indy Pacer but with a fixed roof. Buyers had the option of selecting the 230 horsepower 455 (option W30) or the 350 cubic-inch, 200 horsepower (W25 option). It is believed that around 1800 were built in 1974.

Power steering became standard on all Oldsmobiles in 1974.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2014