Cutlass Supreme Has 1000-plus Horsepower, Slays Tires With Ease
Gorgeous 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass has a turbo LS under the hood, and its owner is not afraid to unleash those ponies.
We love a good sleeper. There’s just something woefully satisfying about a subtle car that will spank an uppity sports car without breaking a sweat. This Cutlass is certainly no exception, either. With over 1,000 wheel horsepower on tap, it’s sure to make most things look like they aren’t even trying. A picture of a big, smokey burnout is always fantastic. A picture is worth a thousand words. However, when there’s footage of the burnout in question, those words aren’t necessary. It’s much more appealing to let the footage do the talking.
Luckily, you can do just that with this Cutlass! MAPerformance put out a video overviewing this Cutlass, which belongs to their very own sales manager, Leo Vishnyak. We’ll get straight to the question you’re already asking; what’s making all that power?
“Starting from, I guess, the front to the back. The car has an 88-millimeter turbo. It’s got a six-liter LS engine with headstuds, a big ol’ camshaft, 799 heads, a big radiator, a big intercooler, a massive fuel system with three fuel pumps. Moving further back, we’ve got a Powerglide two-speed transmission. It’s got a Chromoly driveshaft and a Ford 8.8 rear end,” says Vishnyak.
This is a formula we have come to know and love. A big giant turbocharger slapped on what is likely a truck 6.0-liter LS-based V8 making monstrous power in unsuspecting vehicles. Though it is reasonable to suspect a G-body vehicle in this condition is making decent power, since most of them that are well kept have at least some modifications, you’re still not likely to suspect this level of extremity.
Bought Not Built, but Is That Such a Bad Thing?
Though this is a wild car, its current owner is not the original builder. Vishnyak describes how a fabricator friend of his built the car and had it sitting for years. He goes on to say that he eventually figured out that if he bugged him enough, he’d let him buy it.
“I want people to know that just because I bought this car prebuilt, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t sweat and bled under many other pieces of old American metal,” says Vishnyak.
“I encourage everybody to do the same. If you get a good deal on a car and it’s the car of your dreams, I don’t think you should hold out,” he continues.
Not to get on a pedestal here, but we agree wholeheartedly. Landing a good deal on a car that is already built the way you’d build it is a whole lot cheaper than doing all the modifications yourself. In our eyes, that’s just savings to throw into more projects! Besides, you’ll find that most people mocking pre-built buyers have cars sitting on the same jack stands they put them up on years ago.
Regardless of your stance on a “bought not built” car, you undoubtedly can appreciate this monstrosity of an American classic! It seems with Vishnyak behind the wheel, it sees more time on the road than ever before. Isn’t that what it’s all about in the end?
