simulated woodgrain trim, with nearly 80% of buyers ordering the option. Following the exterior of the Ninety-Eight, the Custom Cruiser was given a new front bumper for 1972. For 1973 and 1974, Oldsmobile added 5-mph bumpers to the front and rear, respectively. For 1974, the grille was redesigned. For 1976, the Custom Cruiser received a second revision. Largely a preview of the 1977 Oldsmobile 98, the fascia was given four square headlights with outboard marker lights. Clamshell tailgate design Along with all other 1971-1976 General Motors full-size station wagons built on the B-platform, first-generation Custom Cruiser wagons feature a "clamshell" tailgate design. A two-piece tailgate configuration, the tailgate slid into a recess under the cargo floor while the rear glass window retracted up into the roof; the design operated either manually or with optional power assist. The first powered tailgate in automotive history, the powered option ultimately became standard, as the manual tailgate required a degree of effort to lift out of storage. The system was operated from either an instrument panel switch or by key on the rear quarter panel. The clamshell tailgate was intended to aid the loading of the 19-foot long station wagons in tight parking spaces. Heavy and complex, the system was not included in the 1977 full-sized station wagons (shorter by over a foot and over 1000 pounds lighter); instead, GM developed its own two-way tailgate (a design developed by Ford). Production Figures Note: 1971-1976 model years are the only production figures that Oldsmobile broke down specifically by body configuration (i.e., woodgrain, two-row or three-row seating) Second generation (1977–1990) For the 1977 model year, as part of a downsizing of the entire GM full-size range, the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser was redesigned, becoming a direct counterpart of the Delta 88 sedan. While interior space was reduced only marginally, its exterior footprint saw extensive change, with the full-size Custom Cruiser and the intermediate Vista Cruiser/Cutlass Supreme wagon briefly switching places as the longest Oldsmobile station wagon (for 1977 only, as GM intermediates underwent a similar downsizing for 1978). As with the previous generation, the Custom Cruiser shared its body with the Buick Estate, Chevrolet Impala wagon/Caprice Estate, and Pontiac Safari. Following the exit of Chrysler from the segment after the 1977 model year, the Custom Cruiser primarily competed against the Ford LTD Country Squire and Mercury Colony Park, which remained in production through 1991. Following the 1985