Posing in front of our 1976 Cutlass Supreme

June 3, 1979. Sunday. Chicago, IL. Thanks to timeanddate.com, I can confirm it was a Sunday when we drove off from Chicago.

Photo credit goes to Tito Narding. He was there when Joy, my Lola and I arrived in Chicago three years earlier; he was the only one there to see us off.

I distinctly also remember Joy and I had one more week at school at St. Sebastian School (so we missed the last five days of school). Maybe I told one friend, Brian, that we were moving. I should have said bye to Mrs. Martha Schreiber, my 5th grade teacher. At least, Mrs. Goldader (my first ever teacher in the USA) is my friend on Facebook.

I uploaded this to Facebook in 2012. I'll have to re-scan for better resolution when I come upon the original.

Across the street from Warren Barr Tower, where we lived, my mom just had to cross the street to go to work back then. Good times!

In front of Illinois Masonic Hospital where my mom worked.

1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

Per my dad, he bought his first car in June 1976, a 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. I told him it was the best selling automobile in the USA that year.

The Cutlass became America's best selling car this year and would hold this title for most years into the 1980s. A restyled front end with waterfall-type split grilles and new rectangular headlights was introduced that would become an Olds Cutlass trademark in coming years, lasting into the late 1980s. Coupe bodies were reshaped for a smoother, less contoured look than the 1973–75 design, a design change shared with Buick's A-body coupes. Cutlass sedans and wagons kept their bulges through the end of model year 1977. Taillights were revised and the license plate/fuel filler was moved above the bumper. The base Cutlass line was dropped, with the Cutlass S nameplate now applied to the entry-level coupe and sedan this year – both of which featured an aerodynamic slanted front nose in contrast to the upright front ends of other Cutlass models including the Cutlass Supreme coupe, sedan and wagon, Vista Cruiser wagon, Cutlass Salon coupe and sedan, and the new Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe. The 4-4-2 option was still offered on Cutlass S coupes as an appearance/handling package.

Engine offerings were carried over from 1975 including the Chevy-built 250 cubic-inch inline six and Olds-built Rocket V8s of 260, 350 or 455 cubic inches. A three-speed manual transmission was standard with the six-cylinder engine but Turbo Hydra-matic was optional with this engine and the 260, and required with the 350 and 455 V8s. A new option this year was the T-50 Borg-Warner five-speed manual transmission, which was available only with the 260 V8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Cutlass#1976

"Cutlass Supreme was the Filipino favorite car in the Chicago area at that time. Add an Allstate sticker in the back." Cyd Llaneta

"We would always guess when we see a Cutlass and check out if a Filipino was driving it."

In 1976, the Oldsmobile Cutlass was the best-selling car in the United States.

It was followed by the Chevrolet Impala/Caprice, and the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Here's a more detailed look at the top 10 best-selling cars in 1976:

1. Oldsmobile Cutlass: (495,976 units sold)
2. Chevrolet Impala/Caprice: (454,552 units sold)
3. Chevrolet Monte Carlo: (362,171 units sold)
4. Ford LTD: (361,691 units sold)
5. Chevrolet Malibu: (324,870 units sold)
6. Pontiac Bonneville: (301,805 units sold)
7. Plymouth Volare: (295,202 units sold)
8. Buick LeSabre: (289,858 units sold)
9. Buick Regal: (256,486 units sold)
10. Dodge Aspen: (218,879 units sold)

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