Supercharged 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Shows Off Purple Paint, Does Massive Wheelie

The fourth-gen A-body is perhaps the least desirable variant of the Cutlass. It shared many body panels with other GM vehicles and the engine options weren't that appealing either. However, none of this matters if you're using a late 1970s Cutlass shell for a massively powerful dragster.

And that's exactly what three-time World Power Wheelstanding champion Jason Schubert did. Finished in a rather psychedelic shade of metallic purple (combined with blue highlights and a matching interior), this 1978 Cutlass Supreme has very little in common with the production car beyond the shell.

The interior is a full-fledged racing cockpit packed with aluminum panels and modern features, plus a dashboard and roll cage finished in purple. And of course, whatever GM engine was under the hood from the factory was ditched to make room for an alcohol-injected mill.

The Chevrolet V8 displaces 427 cubic inches (7.0-liter) and carries a big blower on top. Oomph is most likely of the four-digit variety, but this Cutlass isn't necessarily about power and speed. Schubert's specialty is doing long wheelstands.

Jason has been on a two-year hiatus from competition shows but he's keen on getting back into the game. So he brought his Cutlass dragster to Byron Dragway, where he used to be a regular, for a quick testing session. And needless to say, he still has what it takes to drive his beefed-up Olds with the front wheels up into the air.

The run you're about to see below shows Jason hitting the strip right off the trailer, covering almost half of the quarter-mile with a wheelstand. Now that's how you put a Malaise-era Cutlass to good use!