Gas Monkey Garage Turned a ’78 Cutlass into a Minty Lowrider

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Posted on 17 September 2015 by Zach Doell

 

 

If you were to say “classic American coupe,” the 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass isn’t exactly the first shape that comes to mind. Admittedly, it probably isn’t the second or third either. But when you slam one to the ground, swap-in a custom lowrider suspension, and give it some visual flair…the aged Cutlass shows some serious charm.

 

And that’s exactly what the guys at Gas Monkey Garage did to this ’78 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme—the shop’s first foray into the classic hydraulic lowrider—during the latest episode of Discovery’s Fast N’ Loud. Expectedly, it isn’t without its unique touches.

Traditional ground-hopping lowriders sit on a set of hydraulic cylinders, which can push a piston with enough force to shimmy and dance these slammed cars across the pavement. It’s incredibly cool, but the side effect can be an absolutely medieval ride. For this build, Gas Monkey Garage’s Aaron Kaufman melded that conventional hydraulic setup with a custom coil-over suspension, which aims to give this GM A-body the best of both worlds.

 

The custom overhaul continues on the Cutlass Supreme’s exterior, which nets the traditional shouty lowrider paint, intricate patterns, pin striping, and even some gold leaf. A set of Supreme US Wheels duck for cover underneath the low body, a bit of chrome fancies up the engine bay, and an Alpine stereo system finds a home in the minty green dashboard.

Otherwise, this Cutlass retains much of its stock equipment. The Oldsmobile interior looks about the same as it did in 1978, and the 260 cubic inch V8 and automatic transmission under the hood remain unmodified. Perhaps creating a dragstrip “sleeper” lowrider is another episode.

The car failed to find a buyer when it debuted at the Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill, but it doesn’t look like it’ll be unclaimed for long. Richard threw it online and bidding has already passed its reserve.