The Oldsmobile Cutlass was a series as well as the type of sword, which was common during the Age of Sail.
Introduced as the top trim level in Oldsmobile's compact F-85 Series, inspired by the North American F-86 Sabre fighter jet, and beginning a new tradition of using fighter jet names for their products as the Jet Age began, and using nameplates as series designations,
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General Motors began developing its first compact cars in 1956, beginning with initial planning on what would become the Chevrolet Corvair in 1960 on the GM Z platform. The following year a second series of somewhat longer cars was planned for Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac; what would be termed "senior compacts" on the "Y" platform. They would share the same body shell and lightweight engine. Oldsmobile designer Irv Rybicki began work on the Olds model in 1957. It finally went on sale in 1960 as a 1961 model.
The Oldsmobile F-85 shared the new "Y-body" platform with the Buick Special and Pontiac Tempest, using a 112-inch (2845 mm) wheelbase and still-novel unibody construction. It was Oldsmobile's smallest, budget priced model—some two feet (60 cm) shorter and $451 ($ in dollars ) less than the next-smallest Olds, the full-sized Dynamic 88. The F-85 had double wishbone front suspension and a four-link live axle in the rear, suspended with coil springs all around; the drum brakes had a diameter of . Standard engine was the new Rockette all-aluminum V8, Oldsmobile's version of the Buick aluminum V8, which later became the Rover V8. With a two-barrel carburetor and an 8.75:1 compression ratio, it was rated at 4,800 rpm and at 3,200 rpm. Specifications for the base engine remained the same throughout the 1961–1963 production run.
1961
left|thumb|1961 F-85 De Luxe Station Wagon
The first-year F-85 was offered in two body styles, a four-door sedan or a four-door station wagon with either two or three seats, and in a choice of two trim levels, base or De Luxe. Transmission options were initially a 3-speed manual (with synchromesh on the top two gears) Initial sales were somewhat disappointing, but were soon picked up by the May 1961 introduction of a pair of pillared two-door coupes, each with a different roofline and market placement: the F-85 Club Coupe, which became the lowest-priced Oldsmobile model, and the sporty F-85 Cutlass. The Cutlass came equipped with the 185 hp "power pack" drivetrain, and featured De Luxe-type exterior trim with a more upscale interior with standard bucket seats, upholstered in two-tone vertically pleated vinyl, and an optional center console. Car and Driver tested an automatic Jetfire and obtained a 0–60 time of 9.2 seconds, with a top speed of 110 mph (176 km/h). The Jetfire's high cost (nearly $300 over a standard Cutlass hardtop) and reliability problems with its turbocharged engines limited sales to 3,765.
Ultimately the Jetfire engine was far ahead of its time. With forced induction and an already high compression ratio, the Jetfire was capable of producing more torque than a naturally aspirated engine that was twice its size, significantly improving the engine's efficiency and usability in real-life driving conditions, turbo lag not being an issue at motorway speeds. But since turbo and supercharging the engine essentially means forcing the compression in the combustion chamber even higher, the Jetfire was prone to 'spark-knock' and without modern engine management systems, the only way to mitigate this was to use a 50/50 mixture of methanol and distilled water.
1963
The F-85 was restyled for the 1963 model year, to a crisper, more squared off design than that of the 1961–62 models. While the wheelbase was unchanged at 112 inches, the new sheetmetal added to the F-85's rear overhang, increasing overall length to . The Jetfire and its turbocharged V8 returned, for what would be its final year. Three-row seating was dropped on station wagons. On automatic transmission models only, the compression ratio of the "Cutlass" engine was raised to 10.75:1, pushing output to at 4800 rpm and at 3200 rpm. A Delcotron alternator became standard on all models, as well as on the rest of the Oldsmobile car line. Overall sales climbed again to 121,639, of which 53,492 were Cutlasses.
When the decision was made to upgrade the F-85, Jetfire and Cutlass to the all-new GM A platform, the GM Y platform was repurposed for the Chevrolet Corvette in 1976.