1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera Brougham Diesel Is Junkyard Treasure
Complete with the ultra-rare 4.3-liter Oldsmobile Diesel V6!
Last month, we admired—if that’s the right word—the little-known Oldsmobile 4.3-liter diesel V6, which was completely unrelated to the Chevrolet 4.3-liter gasoline V6. Now let’s take a look at the only vehicle I’ve found in all my extensive boneyard explorations with that engine under the hood: a genuine, numbers-matching 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera Brougham Diesel, found in a Denver self-service yard recently.
I spotted this car on the same car-graveyard mission that gave us the equally rare 1984 Toyota Corolla Diesel, and it’s possible that this oil-burning Olds was owned by the same diesel-repair shop that ditched the Corolla.
General Motors developed the Oldsmobile 350-cubic-inch diesel V8 for the 1978 model year, which would have been great timing except for the slight problem that the engine didn’t really work. By the time GM sorted out the flaws, it was too late: most Americans wanted nothing to do with diesels. But a V6 version of that engine had already been developed, and it was installed in many GM cars during the 1982-1985 model years. This one made 85 hp (booo!) and 165 lb-ft of torque in 1983.
The Cutlass Ciera was the Oldsmobile-badged version of the Chevrolet Celebrity, and the Brougham sedan was the most prestigious of all the Cieras in 1983. List price for this car was $9385 (about $28,480 in 2022 dollars), plus the extra $500 ($1515 now) for the 4.3 diesel “upgrade” to replace the base 2.5-liter Iron Duke four-banger.
These are the optional “wire wheel discs with locks,” which I think indicate the original owner loved this car.
Want to regain the thrill of driving? There’s only one choice.
