A look at the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser
The history of the American station wagon is a unique story, and the world famous Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser has one of the most unique stories in the world of the American family wagon. The Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser has long been a favorite among many kinds of car fans, including fans of the Oldsmobile brand name, nostalgia buffs, and lovers of Americana.
The Vista Cruiser by Oldsmobile first hit the market way back in 1964, and it remained in the Oldsmobile lineup until it was retired in 1977. Although the Vista Cruiser was based on the Cutlass and F85 design concept, it featured a slightly longer wheelbase than the traditional Cutlass, and it was designed to be a family station wagon instead of a traditional two or four door sedan.
Full Size Station Wagon
The Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser was originally designed as a flat top station wagon based on the Cutlass platform. However, since the Oldsmobile product lineup lacked a full size station wagon from 1965 to 1970, the Vista Cruiser was tapped to serve this purpose, serving as the brand's upper level station wagon product.
When the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser first hit the market it was noted for the glass panels in the roof over the second row of seats, as well as for the smaller glass panels which were located over the rear cargo area windows.
The car was first introduced to the public in February of 1964, and it featured a body style with a split front skylight. This skylight feature continued through the 1967 model year, when it was replaced by a radically redesigned 1968 model which featured a stylish one piece front skylight instead.
In 1969, the Oldsmobile Vista cruiser was further enhanced to include an elevated rear roof section, which was based on the General Motors SceniCruiser bus. GM made this bus in the 1950s for Greyhound Lines. The elevated rear roof design allowed passengers in the Vista Cruiser to enjoy better headroom, as well as an optional front facing third row of seats.
By the time the 1973 model rolled around, the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser had substituted the earlier glass roof panels for an optional pop-up front row sunroof. After that model year the Vista Cruiser name remained for an additional five model years, available as an optional higher trim level of the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme station wagon.
Custom Cruiser: Loved by Consumers
Lovers of station wagons in general and Vista Cruisers in particular often point to the large and stylish sunroof as one of their favorite features, and many of those who grew up riding in this special car still remember the feeling of looking out that sunroof and watching the world go by. The Custom Cruiser is one of the most loved models of the Vista Cruiser, and that model was based on the Olds 98 platform. The Custom Cruiser was basically a Cutlass station wagon with a large sunroof, some four and a half feet by 12 inches. This sunroof was mounted over the rear seats of the wagon, and while it does not open, it does provide an ample viewing platform that children and adults loved, then and now.
The rear windows of this Oldsmobile station wagon are extra large, and they are unique in that they wrap around and connect into the roof of the car itself. It was, in fact, this large window that gave the Vista its name, no doubt for the vista it provided its passengers.
The Custom Cruiser was a much larger vehicle than the ordinary Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, although both vehicles are large by today's standards for passenger cars. The Vista Cruiser is 18.5 feet long and provides room for eight passengers, while the larger Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser is a full 21 feet long and seats nine passengers comfortably.
It is the sunroof that provided the Vista Cruiser with its charm and character, and many station wagon fans were disappointed when the vehicle was redesigned in 1972 to have only the plain flat roof. The various models of Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser sold throughout the production runs came standard with V8 engines, either 330 cubic inches or 350 depending on the model year, and a 400 cubic inch engine was available on some model years as well, providing plenty of power to move this massive vehicle from point A to point B.
