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18k Original Miles: 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Deluxe

The 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado was a ground-breaking car when it was released, and in recent times, they have become more desirable in the classic market. Today, good examples can command respectable prices, especially when they are as spotless as this one. It has a history as a museum display vehicle and has only managed to accrue 18,000 miles on its odometer over the past 55-years. It is now out of display and looking for a new home. Located in Pasadena, California, you will find the Toronado listed for sale here on Facebook. The owner has set the sale price for the Olds at $26,000.

The Toronado is finished in Ocean Mist, although it isn’t clear whether it has received any repaint work in the past. The paint holds a beautiful shine, with no significant marks or problems. The panels are as straight as an arrow, and the overall condition and appearance are all that you might expect from a classic that has just emerged from a museum. The Olds has spent its entire life in California, which has allowed it to remain completely rust-free. The chrome is immaculate, and the windows appear to be flawless. The original hubcaps are free from any physical damage, and the wheels have been wrapped in a fresh set of narrow whitewall tires as the perfect finishing touch.

Oldsmobile created a ground-breaking car with the 1966 Toronado. When it was released, it was the first American-designed and built front-wheel-drive car since the collapse of Cord in 1937. Traditional wisdom has always said that a manufacturer would struggle to successfully push anything beyond 250hp through the front wheels. Oldsmobile took one look at that rulebook, tore it up, and went their own way. What they managed to shoehorn into a standard-sized engine bay were a 425ci V8 and a 3-speed THM425 automatic transmission. This was referred to as the Unitized Power Package and sent that monster’s 385hp to the front wheels. Torque steer was always going to be a potential issue, and the Toronado’s incredible 475 ft/lbs had the potential to rip the wheel out of the driver’s hands. Oldsmobile put a lot of careful thought into suspension and steering geometry to minimize this. Also, it made power steering a standard feature to further isolate the driver from this problem. The result of this careful development work was a car that weighed 4,568lbs but could storm the ¼ mile in 15.6 seconds. When you consider the fact that a FWD package is not ideal for getting power to the road on a hard launch, that figure is extremely impressive. This Toronado has been meticulously maintained and comes with service records dating back to the 1980s. The owner claims that it has a genuine 18,000 miles showing on its odometer, and the service records could potentially verify this. The Olds now runs and drives perfectly and has clocked around 300 trouble-free miles since coming off display.

The exterior and spotless engine bay makes a great impression, and the Toronado’s interior is just as fantastic, with no issues or problems to report. The Fawn upholstery on the seats and other surfaces looks faultless, while the dash and pad are equally impressive. There are no problems with the carpet, and all of the plated surfaces and switches shine like new. Life inside the Olds is made comfortable by the inclusion of air conditioning, power windows, a tilt wheel, and an AM/FM radio with a power antenna.

This 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado is a stunning car, and its condition is all that you might expect from a vehicle that has recently emerged from a museum. It would seem to want for nothing and has the potential to offer its next owner years of enjoyable motoring. Its price pushes up towards the top-end of what you might expect to pay, but its overall condition seems to justify this. If you are looking for a 1960s classic that is ready to drive and enjoy, this could well be it.

Comments

  1. Avatar angliagt Member

    These were groundbreaking in ’66.
    I always thought the ’66 was the nicest,
    cleanest one.

    Like 36
  2. Avatar Nevadahalfrack Member

    You guys are finding some real heartbreakers lately, and this one is priced perfectly!
    GLWTS, and GLT the new owner, the lucky dog.

    Like 26
  3. Avatar Bmac777

    Nice car, but I wouldn’t drive it unless it was a 4 speed standard!
    ( I see that all the time , just had to use it lol)
    But seriously, these things moved.
    My friend had a 70′ w/455 and he’d put the E brake on and get front tires smoking and then launch, smoke pouring out of front fenders as it took off leaving 2 smoke trails 25 ft long 3 ft high. You don’t see that a lot of times.
    I like them all but 66′ are the best.

    Like 13
    • Avatar Anthony M.

      LMAO. Throw in another “too many doors,” for good measure.

      “Pffft. Too many doors. The only way I would buy that is if it had zero doors and people could get in and out through the windows. Hard pass.”

      Like 9
      • Avatar Steve Clinton

        The doors on these Toronados are HUGE! They must have used heavy-duty hinges.

        Like 5
    • Avatar JoeZeppy412

      My parents had a 1970 Cutlass S with a 455 in it. Thing was like a rocket. I had it up to 110 on the highway on my learners permit. Surprisingly I didn’t kill myself. They sold it shortly after because they were afraid I would do something crazy in it. Too late.

      Like 1
  4. Avatar alphasud Member

    Beautiful car was gently driven by a little old lady from Pasadena😊when I read the write up of GM calling it a unitized power unit it reminded me of GM calling the Corvair engine and transaxle assembly the PowerPack. The THM425 was so well designed it became the motive power of the GMC motor homes. Also I know of many people who removed the Corvair PowerPack and installed the unitized power unit in its place (after a lot of cutting and fabrication)

    Like 9
  5. Avatar Frank Farrell

    If you’ve ever driven this car or it’s sister, the Caddy Eldorado, they really rode beautifully. Because of the front transaxle they had these huge torsion bars that ran the length of the frame to support the lower control arms, and these cars just floated. I miss them. When my cousin junked his, I had these plans of taking the motor and transaxle and putting them into an old Camaro powering the rear axle so I could have an independent rear axle mid engine car. Thank god I don’t think like that anymore.

    Like 8
  6. Avatar Jack M.

    And don’t forget what the lack of a transmission tunnel does for leg room.

    Like 15
    • Avatar Dave

      That feature died with those cars. I haven’t driven a FWD car since that didn’t have a tunnel. All of those route the exhaust system through the tunnel.

      Like 1
  7. Avatar CCFisher

    Awesome car, in a great color combo, from the days when GM led the industry in styling and engineering. Those days are long gone.

    Like 17
  8. Avatar Steve Clinton

    I always thought the Toro’s front end was a tad too long. (I know, picky, picky, picky.)

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Will Fox

    To me, these are another good example of where a vehicle’s first year is probably the best. Clean lines, unique with FWD–one year before the Eldorado got it.
    As a kid I remember a gold one in my neighborhood; always attracted attention!

    Like 6
    • Avatar Steve Clinton

      I also love the ’66 Buick Riviera!

      Like 7
  10. Avatar DRV

    They are in a class by themselves. I’m glad it doesn’t have a Coca Cola advertisement on the side.

    Like 3
    • Avatar Steve Clinton

      No, that would be a GM Motorhome!

      Like 0
  11. Avatar mainlymuscle

    Great car ,great colors,worth the money all day everyday !Mine is black on red,great colors on anything ,but this turquoise is just so era specific !
    I ,and many others,have always said these amazing cars are the bargain of the century,but Toros never seem to “catch a wave”.One would think that the ship has sailed,for anything built in 66 ,but perhaps not.The young guys go gaga over my big Toro,more so than my 65, black on tan L79 Vette roadster which is worth 5 or 6 times more !

    Like 6
  12. Avatar Maestro1

    I have one, and I advise any of you to buy it now. You won’t be disappointed.

    Like 13
  13. Avatar Jack

    I know a lot about these cars owning a 68, 73, 76 and 83. Wish I had the 68 back which had the 455. Smoke the tires while moving at 25 mph.

    Like 2
  14. Avatar Kenn

    I bought one when new. Just a darker blue, but what a car! Only problems encountered were the boots on the CV joints. GM hadn’t figured out what kind of rubber of which to make them, and they tore with regularity. Once that problem was solved, my ’71 gave me over 200K trouble-free miles.

    Like 6
  15. Avatar Angel Cadillac Diva Member

    Two colors i am not fond of are blue and green. Now. Mix the two together and you get teal, “ocean mist.”
    The first thing I noticed when I saw this car was the color. And I absolutely love it on this car. Fits the Toroando perfectly.
    Maybe I’m just tired of all the black, gray, silver and white cars being painted today, but back then cars had color!

    Like 6
  16. Avatar Ron

    It’s a beautiful and very clean car. The only thing I noticed for true a 18k mile vehicle was all the pitting along the chrome trim along the rear of the vehicle.

    Like 1
  17. Avatar stephan

    Had a 66 with a 425 the Rochester was a bear to set the secondary.Would smoke the big 15 inch wheels . Drum breaks will get you killed,front-wheel bearings were double row ball bearings which I found in hemmings ad..made of unobtainium. I think a 67 front end will swap out with taper bearings and disk breaks..Miss the Beast..what a car..smoooooth!

    Like 1
  18. Avatar Chuck Dickinson

    Just a note to the author, this car does NOT have a pwr. antenna. The manual one is plainly visible. The black antenna ‘cap’ was only on manuals. Electrics collapsed fully into the fender and there was only a chrome bezel on the fender.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Jcs

      Chuck Dickinson, you are both right and wrong.

      This particular car is not equipped with the power antenna, it is a fixed mast.

      On the power antenna equipped cars the antenna does not retract fully into the fender, but very close. Mine functions as designed and only 2 and three quarters inches remain above the fenderline when fully down. You are also correct that the trim ring does sit relatively flush with the fender top.

      Like 2
  19. Avatar Kenneth Carney

    Not worth your time or money. Had a ’66 and what a POS it was too! That car
    was more trouble than it was worth. I
    must have spent over a grand in 1970s
    money to keep it running. Wound up
    trading it for a ’62 Buick ragtop after six
    months of ownership. And to think I
    traded a perfectly good ’66 Cadillac Calais to get one of the worst cars ever
    built. Gotta tell ya’ I had a big smile on
    my face when my sister and I left the
    car lot with that Buick. That meant the
    Olds could be someone else’s problem
    and not mine. To this day, I hate front
    drive vehicles and would like to see them outlawed.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Steve Clinton

      If every car that was bought by a disgruntled owner was outlawed, there’d be no cars left. Just sayin’. ;-)

      Like 1
  20. Avatar Jcs

    Beautiful Tornado. Price will likely be compromised by the decision somewhere along the line to paint the entire engine the wrong color. Seems odd for what is being presented as an 18K mile car.

    Incredibly nice cars to drive, none better on the open road. With the flat floor six full size adults can ride in supreme comfort.

    Time for a nap? Also comfortably sleeps a family of four in a pinch, and that is not even including the trunk, have recently done it in mine on a road trip. Two on the seats, two on the floor.

    And yes, the door hinges are among the beefiest that you will ever see.

    Like 5
  21. Avatar Angel Cadillac Diva Member

    Dave, everything now has bucket seats and a console so the flat floor vs. tunnel is moot.

    Like 0
  22. Avatar 1-MAC

    I had one a 66. he best road car I ever drove. Rock steady at 85 in snow, rain did not matter.That was before radials. Wonder what they would do with a good set or radials. This car is a good buy. Will last someone a long time with proper care and premium gas. I miss mine.

    Like 0
  23. Avatar Whynot Member

    Gorgeous car ! I’m buying it site unseen. After shippers deliver and I find out I’ve been scammed. Will park in neighbors barn. Reverse shop vac cover it in dust shake a bale of hay over it. Stack a bunch of crap on and around it. List it back here on Barn Finds . 12,000 original miles stored 50 years. Non – negotiable $28,000 . You all will be fighting over it!

    Like 1

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