Now, before we all completely melt down about how gawky the body kit looks on the car, we should reflect back on the time period this was. Personally, I like the clean look of a plain Cutlass. This kit turned out to be not all that and a bag of chips over the years. There were two versions of this kit, IIRC. One made in Michigan and the other in Arizona. Can't recall which kit was made first, but it was deemed the "better quality" of the two different locations.
But look at GM's lineup in the 80s. Designs were usually reflecting signs of the times a few years or thereabouts prior to the release year of said design. If you recall, EVERYONE was getting into the air dam skirts and crap in the mid-80s. This kit, like Doc Watson himself, had gone above that line of subtle thinking to come out with something more outrageous. I have to admit, the front air dams on the 83/84
Hurst/Olds looked about as far as I would have taken things. The air dam was noticeable, sure, but not too much to where it didn't grind directly against the attempt to blend.
So in a way, this "look" was more along the sign of the times. Back in the 80s, it really didn't look all that terrible when you compared it with other offerings. In fact, there were a few cars that even stock started getting more bold and elaborate with their skirting. Namely the F-body Camaro and Firebird. The 82 Camaro Z28 came out with fairly thin body skirting and squarish nose. But by the late 80s, that skirting got bigger and goofier. This kit follows that line of thinking.
However, time has not been kind to the extra cladding on cars as a good look for them. So chalk this one up as a time-era piece, and then we can move on to something that doesn't stop the clock of auto design.
