I think anyone with gasoline in their veins was a little sad when Oldsmobile closed its doors for the last time. It doesn’t make any difference that General Motors’ sales couldn’t really support so many brands as their market penetration diminished; when a badge is around for 107 years, people are going to feel the sting when it goes away. A big part of that is the cars…ah, those big luxurious cars, such as this baroque 1973 Toronado that Barn Finds reader Barney sent our way from here on craigslist in Hesperia, California. With just over 60,000 miles and a reasonable price tag of $9,200, I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody discovered that this is just the car to soothe those Oldsmobile blues.
I do appreciate when a seller posts a shot of the odometer, although in this case, the general condition of the car seems to verify the mileage claim (I’d like if the pictures, however, were a little less grainy).
The seller doesn’t mention it, but the upholstery pattern matches the “Brougham” package in the factory literature. The paint color seems to be a Toronado-exclusive shade of “Honey Beige,” which fits the car’s 1970s idiom better than almost any other hue on the palette—it was the era of the Harvest Gold appliance, after all. The seller says that everything works except for…you guessed it…the air conditioning.
The powertrain was the long-running Oldsmobile “Rocket 455,” which was rated at a still-potent 250 horsepower and 375 lb./ft. of torque. This one’s been treated to a recent tune-up and exhaust system, and it “drives and runs like a dream.” It also has a new set of tires, as you might have gathered by the “blue walls” that show up in the car’s pictures.
By 1973, the Toronado’s front-wheel-drive powertrain was a known quantity, and it was strong enough that GMC used it lock, stock, and barrel in its big, aerodynamic motor homes.
Perhaps the best thing about the early 1970s Toronados was the rear view. With unique, twin high-mounted signal lamps and a deeply chiseled trunk lid, the Toronado didn’t look like anything else on the road. Sure, it wasn’t quite as bold as the first Toronado of 1966, and few went ga-ga over its styling like they did in that inaugural year; still, this Toronado is a nice-looking picture of its place and time. And considering its nice, original condition and period styling (and colors), it’s almost a no-brainer for those who miss that good old nameplate from Lansing.
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