1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 for sale on BaT Auctions - ending June 2 (Lot #48,956) | Bring a Trailer not nearly the speed demon as the similar Buicks of those years, but also should sell for a whole lot less than a GNX
It is a looker, I almost bought one, but I just hated the looks of the steering wheel (IMO the most unattractive sport steering wheel GM made) ended up buying a 87 Mustang 5.0 LX with a manual trans that was stolen 3 months after I bought it. I think this year was the best looking of the Cutlass models of the 1980's.
Nope. That's WAY before steering wheel air bags became standard. Air bags started to become available on a few vehicle models around the mid 70's, but weren't standard on ALL models until some time in the early 90's
The first airbags were in Olds and Caddy cars in '74, IIRC; the next ones introduced by the Big Three were '85 MY Ford Tempos. My dad was Transportation Manager at Bangor Submarine Base then, and had one assigned to him. It was hilarious watching him stuff his 6'5" frame into it. Then I stopped laughing when I, as a sailor a couple years later, had to do the same thing. But the airbag juggernaut gained momentum after C&W artist Barbara Mandrel and her daughter were involved in a serious accident, and not only did both survive, but I think they were only mildly injured.
I don't think even the GM10 front drivers got airbags until about '93 or so. I bought a Lumina coupe new and it didn't have a bag.
I had an ‘88 Tempo and the thing I remember most was that obnoxious glider shoulder harness. It was a great salt sled and airport car so I put up with it in the snow and salt of Chicago instead of having to drive the ‘87 Grand Marquis (two words) in the crud
Leadsled. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The folks on this site continue to amaze. Sometimes it’s like an encyclopedia. You ask a car related question and someone will dig out the info. Great article. I remember as a kid, I think it was around 1972-73 Allstate insurance ran a commercial with a guy in a ‘72 Monterey with airbags talking about the future of automotive safety. I also remember seeing an article on those Impalas. There was one recently on EBay, or BAT that was light green up for sale. Thanks for researching it, and it’s always amazing to realize that some of these advances go way way back. It’s funny now to watch some of the 1956 Ford spots on safety, and how giddy they were about a deep dish steering wheel, and padded dash and and sun visors. We’ve certainly come a long way. I have a friend that has a 1926 Stutz sedan with their version of “safety glass”. It’s like a wire chicken coop type of mesh set up in between the double windows.
For Ford, 'safety' was certainly a thing in 1956. They were advertising optional seat belts! http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/ford/56_ford2.html
