In 1966, Oldsmobile added a personal luxury car to its lineup, the Toronado. And it would be the first U.S. production automobile since the 1930s Cord to have that set-up. The transaxle worked so well that GM borrowed it for its then motor home business. The 1967 Toronado’s were minimally changed, including this one which is said to have been in the barn for 40 years. You must assume it needs everything by this point, but the $3,000 asking price reflects that. Available here on craigslist, the Oldsmobile currently resides in Apache Junction, Arizona. A nod to Gunter Kramer for this tip!
Oldsmobile had a hit on its hands in 1966 as more than 40,000 copies of the Toronado were sold. But output dropped by 50% the next year as Cadillac’s new-for-1967 stole a lot of its thunder as did the all-new Thunderbird at Ford which outsold sold them both combined. Changes to the big Olds for 1967 were minor in the cosmetics department and were accompanied by a few safety updates like warning flashers as standard equipment.
The seller does not mention the drivetrain in this car, so we surmise it’s there and is the reason the car was parked four decades ago. What should be under the hood is a 425 cubic-inch Rocket V8 that output 385 horses along with 480 lb.-ft. of torque. The transmission would be a special version of the Turbo Hydramatic with a variable-vane torque converter. We’re told this is a rust-free car because of its Arizona heritage, but a lot of grey primer covers the passenger side of the big auto.
Fortunately, the Olds was raised off the ground after the tires were removed from the wheels (or rotted away), allowing some air to circulate under the chassis. The interior is a mixed bag as the upholstery on the front seat looks to be coming apart in places, while the back seems fine (although if you sat on it, it might start to follow suit). Having been off the road for ages and its requirements unspecified, this restoration will surely cost more than you might think.
This looks to be a better deal than the 68 a couple days ago. This one seems nicely appointed with power locks, windows, A/C and a AM/FM radio. Not sure if the interior fabric could be found to reupholster the seats but it would be nice if you could. My guess would be the tires succumbed to rats. I hear they are as large as cats and have big fangs in New Mexico:)
SMS Auto Fabrics has this cloth (and most others from the 50s to the 90s).
Have to agree with Alpha this is more like it and car will probably require what the newer stripper model did plus paint. Even disposed of the old tires for you. You can get a bunch of parts for the price difference plus get that wonderful 425 in the deal.
The primer tells me this car once had a vinyl roof. Nice that it’s already been dealt with, one less thing for the next owner to do.
Don’t forget that GM put a transaxle in Pontiac Tempest back in ’63…
Let’s not forget Olds “…added a personal luxury car to its lineup…” in 1961, the Starfire. The ’66-’67 models are my favorites, although the ’62 gets a nod, too. This Toro appears to have the chrome wheels, rare option?
This is a Toronado Deluxe which came with these wheels as well as this upgraded interior. The Toronado ‘standard’ did not have the chrome trim rings and had a regular bench seat and simpler door panels.
one thing the early Toronados and Eldos did well was eating front tires. From being the drive axle and all the weight on the front end. Still neat cars worth the $$ and effort to fix up to show and drive.
Do the interior in leather, nice paint and some nice tires, be a nice car