The Oldsmobile Cutlass is a line of automobiles made by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors. The Cutlass began as a unibody compact car, but saw its greatest success as a body-on-frame intermediate car. Introduced in 1961 as the top trim level in Olds' compact F-85 line, over the years the Cutlass name accumulated great brand equity, and became one of the most popular nameplates in the industry in the 1970s. By the 1980s, Oldsmobile was using the Cutlass as a sub-marque, with a number of different vehicle lines bearing the name simultaneously. These included the Cutlass Calais compact,... the midsize Cutlass Ciera, the Cutlass Cruiser station wagon, and the premium midsize Cutlass Supreme. The first Oldsmobile Cutlass was an experimental sports coupe designed in 1954. It rode a 110 in wheelbase, and had a dramatic fastback roofline, with a stock V8. Its platform was quite similar to the later compact F-85, which was not introduced for seven more years. General Motors began developing its first compact cars in 1956, beginning with the Chevrolet Corvair.
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