Cutlass became America's best-selling nameplate in 1976, and GM took its boldest risk in decades by "downsizing" its popular and profitable full-size gunboats for '77 in response to rising fuel prices and a crippling 1973 availability crisis. The $6,609 Ninety Eight lost 800 lbs and shrank a full foot in length to 220.4 in. and eight inches in wheelbase to 119 in., while the $5,145 Delta 88 dieted down to 217.5 in. on a 116-in. wheelbase. Hardly enthusiast bait, these were nonetheless breaths of fresh full-size air that proved highly successful and contributed to record model year output of 1.136 million units, Olds' first million-plus year. ...next page >>