Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais

Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais

The Oldsmobile Calais, renamed the Cutlass Calais for 1988, and briefly available in 1987 as the limited edition GMO Quad-4, was a compact car produced by General Motors from 1985 through 1991. In part, it was intended to replace the Omega in Oldsmobile's lineup. It shared the GM N platform with the Pontiac Grand Am and the Buick Skylark/Somerset and was replaced by the Oldsmobile Achieva in 1992. During this time, Oldsmobile also produced two other Cutlass models, the Cutlass Ciera and Cutlass Supreme, each on its own platform. The 1985 Calais, named for the city in Northern France, was chosen to be the Indianapolis 500 Pace car that year.

The first production model (VIN 1G3NT27UXFM200001), was a white Calais Supreme 2-door with a gray velour interior. Equipped with an automatic transmission and the 92 horsepower, 151 CID OHV 4-cylinder engine (also known as GM's "Iron Duke" Tech-IV), this particular model was outfitted with nearly every available option, including wire wheel covers. While this front-wheel drive car is maintained by the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing, Michigan, it is just one of the more than 700 vehicles that make up the GM Heritage Collection of historically significant vehicles that date back to the early 1900s. The Calais Supreme was auctioned in April, 2009, and sold for $6,820.

In 1987, the Quad-4 engine was developed and became available in a special limited edition of the Calais called the "GMO Quad-4". Early television ads touting the new engine's abilities showed video of the Calais GMO Quad-4 racing around city streets (the submodel was dropped, however the Quad-4 engine continued to be available for several years afterward). Another, later special Cutlass Calais model was the 1990 to 1991 Quad-442. It used a high-output version of the four-cylinder coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission. This same High Output version was also available in the top-of-the-line Cutlass Calais International Series.

The International Series was available as both a 2-door or a 4-door and featured exclusive options for the Calais range including lower front and rear facias, lower rocker extensions, and quad-tipped sport exhaust. Changes inside include thickly bolstered sport seats which feature driver-side power controls and were available in cloth with leather accents or full leather. The International Series came standard with power locks and windows with driver's side auto-down, a multifunction Driver Information Center in the center console, full gauges, cruise control, and the uplevel FE3 sport suspension. The standard engine for the International was the new-for 90 Quad 4 H.O. although the normal Quad 4 L.O. and automatic transmission where an option. Optional equipment on the International series included keyless entry and a Delco CD player.

Previously, the Cutlass Calais nameplate was used on top-line versions of the Cutlass Supreme coupé (differing from the Supreme only in minor trim details) from 1978 to 1984. There was also a Cadillac Calais model, sold from 1965 to 1976.

The last one rolled off the assembly line on April 26, 1991