1968-69 Oldsmobile Cutlass: Was this a peak moment for GM styling?

(EXPANDED FROM 7/16/2021)

The Oldsmobile Cutlass tends to receive less attention than General Motors’ other three 1968-69 mid-sized cars. This is unfortunate because the Cutlass was arguably the cleanest of the bunch.

Let’s go a step further. While one might point to the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette and Buick Riviera as among the top cars to come out of GM’s design studios under the tenure of William Mitchell, I would propose that the 1968-69 mid-sized cars represented a peak moment for higher-volume models. And with the exception of the second-generation F-Body pony cars, the caliber of GM’s designs began to decline with the onset of the 1970s.

GM’s 1968 mid-sized cars pioneered the ‘fuselage’ look

Like the rest of GM’s mid-sized cars, the 1968 Cutlass adopted what the Chrysler Corporation would later call “fuselage” styling. The mid-sized Oldsmobile followed in the footsteps of the 1966 Toronado, which was one of the first U.S. cars to pioneer this design approach whereby the side sheetmetal curved in a continuous arc into the greenhouse like an airplane’s fuselage.

Also see ‘1966 Oldsmobile Toronado: Just another shiny thing from General Motors’

This was in contrast to the American automobile’s traditional “two-box” shape, where the greenhouse sat inboard of rear-quarter fender “shoulders.” As with the Toronado, the uninterrupted side curvature of GM’s mid-sized cars was accentuated by giving two-door hardtops and coupes semi-fastback rooflines.

Another one of GM’s design innovations for 1968 mid-sized cars was cutting four inches of wheelbase from two-door models. Although this reduced rear-seat room, it gave GM cars greater long-hood, short-deck proportions than its competition. In time, the rest of the mid-sized field would follow GM’s lead.

Cutlass adopted an exceptionally rounded shape

Of GM’s four mid-sized offerings, the Cutlass arguably pushed the fuselage look the farthest by adopting exceptionally rounded contours. Body sides displayed a pronounced curve that was unusually free of busy-looking creases.

The exaggerated wheel flares added lovely highlights to the body sides without looking ponderous as they did on the 1966-68 Toronado.

Former GM designer Dick Ruzzin (2013) quite rightly argued that the 1968 Cutlass had “softer and more subtle surfaces” than the original Toronado — and would have been a “more sophisticated design solution” for the latter car. That sounds reasonable to me if the Toronado had maintained its unusually wide track relative to the body.

The Cutlass’s front and rear styling amplified the body-side curvature. The bumpers elegantly arched outward to create a somewhat more tapered shape than GM’s other mid-sized cars. This served to make the Cutlass look smaller than it actually was, but it also ruled the bumpers close to useless.

The 1970 AMC Hornet came the closest of any other American car to mimicking the Cutlass’s side styling. Head designer Richard Teague was able to work with a clean sheet of paper in redesigning AMC’s compacts, so he took the fuselage shape a step further. The Hornet’s greenhouse and rocker panel curved more sharply inward than on the Cutlass, and the A-pillar and side windows were more flush with the body-side curvature.

‘Wide-eyed’ headlights represented a rare deviation

One of the most distinctive Cutlass styling features from 1967-68 were the “wide-eyed” headlights. These represented a rare deviation from the standard industry practice of grouping quad headlights close together. Here Oldsmobile reached back to an approach it used in 1959.

The wide-eyed look didn’t work as well on the big 1967 Oldsmobiles as it did on the mid-sized cars. Part of the problem was the “lobster claw” fender ridges, which gave the Eighty-Eights and Ninety-Eights a rather bulky appearance. In addition, the space between the headlights was too wide relative the center grille. This really didn’t work — particularly for luxury cars — so for 1968 Oldsmobile reverted to a more conventional look.

Also see ‘1965-68 GM big cars: The end of different strokes’

Designers quite rightly stuck with wide-eyed headlights on the redesigned 1968 mid-sized cars. They came off quite well — arguably even better than in 1967. However, for 1969 the Cutlass reverted back to a conventional headlight placement and received a more upright fascia that set the tone for the nameplate throughout the brougham era. Of course, the Cutlass went on to great success in the 1970s . . . but something was lost in the transition.

GM was at its peak in differentiating brands

The 1968-69 Cutlass was also impressive because of how well it was differentiated styling-wise from the nameplate’s three mid-sized siblings. Here the contrast with GM’s smaller competitors was stark. Whereas GM gave each of its entries unique sheetmetal, both Ford and Chrysler saved money by sharing door sheetmetal.

GM began to invest heavily in differentiating the styling of its mid-sized cars in 1964. The 1967 GM ad below shows how creative the automaker was in varying the placement of basic parts such as headlights and turn signals.

For example, the Chevrolet Chevelle’s headlights were positioned inboard while the Buick Skylark GS’s were pushed to the corners; the Pontiac GTO’s were stacked while the Oldsmobile 4-4-2’s were wide eyed.

For 1968-69 GM’s mid-sized cars were even better differentiated. For example, the Chevrolet Chevelle received a “raccoon face” front end whereas the Buick Skylark was distinguished by a W-shaped fascia, a side sweepsphere and a fair amount of chrome. Meanwhile, for 1968 Pontiac got rid of stacked headlights but adopted strongly vertical front fender edges, a donut front bumper and Jaguaresque coke-bottle side curvature.

I would imagine that a goodly number of car enthusiasts might rank the 1968-69 Oldsmobile’s styling behind one or more of GM’s other mid-sized cars. Others may prefer the more angular lines of their 1966-67 predecessors. That’s entirely fine — and do share why in the comment thread below.

Also see ‘General Motors trumped Ford’s 1962 foray into mid-sized cars’

My main goal is to draw attention to a moment when GM’s emphasis on styling really worked to its advantage. One reason why is that the quality of the styling was top notch. However, equally important was that GM didn’t cut corners cost-wise by sharing door sheetmetal or even rear-quarter windows on two-door models.

NOTES:

This article was originally posted July 16, 2021 and expanded on Aug. 4, 2023. Dimensions, prices and other product specifications were from the Automobile Catalog (2023), John Gunnell (2002) and auto editors of Consumer Guide (1993, 2006).

Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.

---

RE:SOURCES

• Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 1993, 2006. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, IL.
• Automobile Catalog; 2023. “Full detailed specifications listing and photo gallery.” Accessed Aug 4.
• Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised 4th Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
• Langworth, Richard M. and Jan P. Norbye;  1986. The Complete History of General Motors 1908-1986. Publications International, Skokie, IL.
• Ruzzin, Dick; 2013. “1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Development.” Dean’s Garage. Posted March 30.

PHOTOGRAPHS & ADVERTISING:

• autohistorypreservationsociety.org: : Buick (1968); Chevrolet (1968); Oldsmobile (1959, 1967, 1968); Pontiac (1968)
• oldcaradvertising.com: AMC Hornet (1971); General Motors (1967)
• oldcarbrochures.org: Oldsmobile (1968, 1969,