Ford created the Personal Luxury Car segment with its Thunderbird, and by the 1960s, every manufacturer wanted its slice of the fairly lucrative pie. Oldsmobile joined the fray in 1966 with its First Generation Toronado, breaking new ground in design and engineering. This 1968 example is a tidy survivor whose original owner pushes out the boat by ordering it with almost every available option. It has some minor needs but nothing that prevents its new owner from immediately enjoying all it offers. The seller has listed it here on Craigslist in Bremerton, Washington. Simply hand them $12,900, and you could drive away in the lap of luxury. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder MattR for spotting this beauty.

Personal Luxury Cars from the 1960s generally made a bold visual statement, and the Toronado was no exception. Its hardtop body looks low and sweeping, but it has the presence you would expect from a premium model. This one is stunning in Buckskin Metallic with a contrasting Black vinyl top. The seller rates both as a 9/10, which seems a fair assessment. There are no vinyl rips, and any paint imperfections are too small to show in the supplied photos. The panels are straight, and rust doesn’t appear to be a consideration. The seller doesn’t mention issues in their listing, and the images show nothing beyond the occasional spot of surface corrosion in the engine bay. The trim is excellent, including the damage-prone hubcaps. The tinted glass is flawless, and the narrow whitewalls round out a classy exterior.

Oldsmobile offered two versions of its mighty 455ci V8 to 1968 Toronado buyers, and the listing suggests this is the W-34 version churning out 400hp and 500 ft/lbs of torque. However, I can’t state that with certainty, especially considering only 124 buyers ticked that box on the Order Form. Considering how the rest of the car is equipped, I won’t rule it out. While luxury cars from this era invariably followed the front-engine/rear-drive philosophy, Oldsmobile marched to the beat of a different drama. It spent seven years and 1.5 million test miles developing the country’s first front-wheel-drive package since the demise of Cord in the 1930s. It was a marvel of design and engineering, allowing a muscular V8 to feed its power to the front wheels via a three-speed TH-425 automatic transmission. Oldsmobile dubbed it the Unitized Power Package (UPP), and it served faithfully in future models from Cadillac and other marques. This Toronado rolled off the line during the muscle car era, but at 4,515 lbs, it was anything but light. However, the W-34 version could storm the ¼-mile in 15.3 seconds. Even the less potent version with “only” 375hp could complete the journey in 15.4 seconds. Considering the weight and drivetrain layout, neither of which is conducive to trips down the local strip, it is difficult not to be impressed by those figures. Of course, so much power meant torque steer was a significant consideration. Power steering helped isolate the driver from the issue, so it was standard on all Toronados. The seller indicates the car is in sound mechanical health, running and driving well. They say there are no issues whatsoever but then suggest it would benefit from a new power steering pump, brakes, and a tune-up. It would be worth asking questions on that front, although the competitive sale price means the new owner won’t lose money by addressing the identified faults.

This Toronado’s interior is virtually impossible to fault. The upholstered surfaces are spotless, with the back seat in as-new condition. There are no cracks in the dash or pad and no crumbling plastic. Nobody has modified this classic, with a long list of intact factory options. The car features air conditioning, power windows, power locks, cruise control, a tilt wheel, a clock, a premium AM/FM radio, and an 8-track player.

Changing automotive tastes mean we will probably never see vehicles like this 1968 Oldsmobile Toronado again. The automotive world constantly evolves, and you only need to walk into a new car showroom today to gain insight. Sedans, station wagons, and hardtops are almost extinct. The SUV reigns supreme, with highly-optioned versions filling the niche created by the Personal Luxury Car. This Toronado offers a lot for the money, and its needs seem minor. Addressing them before summer sets in should be possible, allowing the new owner to bask in a glorious ownership experience. The seller’s price looks highly competitive, making me wonder whether we have any readers willing to pursue it further.