The pictures in the ad for this 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado look pretty respectable from the driver side but the picture from the passenger side shows the car sunk down in the mud of the field. That is not a good sign for most cars. This gold Toronado is located in Santa Paula, California. The car was said to have been purchased in the 1960’s by a lady who drove the car sparingly and then parked it because it was just too big of a car for her to drive. It is currently bid to $2,550 with 2 days remaining in the auction here on eBay.
All Toronados in 1966 were powered by a 425 cubic-inch Rocket V-8 that was rated at 385 gross horsepower and 475 pound feet of torque. The car was heavy at 4,496 pounds but could complete a dead stop to 60 mph in a time of 9.5 seconds. The car was originally designed in 1962 by David North and the produced on the E Body platform. It was similar to the Buick Riviera but the Buick was rear wheel drive. With the power and styling, it was almost a personal luxury muscle car. The Oldsmobile Toronado was voted as Motor Trend’s car of the year in its introductory year of 1966.
The interior is white with a black dash and in poor condition. There appears to be mold on the seats. The odometer shows 82,000 miles. It is doubtful that the car is in running condition but the optimistic seller states that it was running when parked. Unfortunately, we don’t know when it was parked. The engine is backed by a three speed GM turbo hydromatic transmission and the brakes provide stopping power via large drum units on each corner.
The body has faired well for being in the elements but the car has some dents and surface rust. The paint is oxidized and some of the chrome is dull and dented. The Toronado still wheres its factory wheels and is definitely a project, if you can find the parts or a donor car.
That whiskey bump on the right front looks like part of the reason she parked it, but if the underside isn’t rotted out from sitting frame-high in the mud and in the meantime it didn’t turn into a field mouse townhouse maybe there’s a project for someone who’d be into a big car rescue..
That ‘whiskey bump’ should have been fixed in the two years that she drove it. Then she could have sold it to someone who would have appreciated it more. You almost think she resented the car after the minor accident. So sad.
What is a, “Whiskey Bump”? I am not familar with the term.
A dent you get from being drunk when driving
Probably a great deal for the price. Provided the under carriage is rusted through, and it’s true that it ran when parked, it shouldn’t take more than 5-8 thousand and a month or two to get the interior redone and pretty, flush the fuel lines, tune it up etc…, and have the body work done and painted nicely. Bingo, you now have half the summer left to enjoy the heck out of it.
I did one of these in this color in my body shop about 10 years ago. No dents or rot to deal with, mainly surface rust on the top surfaces. But still an enormous prep and paint job.
These were and still are cool cars. Our neighbor brought home a new one in ‘66 when they first came out. My dad was a big Olds guy and boy was he jealous. The neighbor bragged about how sure footed the FWD was in the Chicago snow. Surprisingly prices on nice examples today have remained reasonable. Mid $20’s will get you a nice driver.
That drive train in a Corvair. Thought about it for decades. Not enough time or energy now.
Rotten parts car.
I’ll never comprehend how people can be dumb enough to park a vehicle on dirt and leave it there.
Parking a vehicle outside in the elements on a driveway is bad enough.
If you don’t have a decent place to park a vehicle, sell it before you do this to it.
Sad.
The earth is slowly devouring this car and yea its sad. Rain soaks the soil so it has year and years of sitting on a wet spounge after the rain and morning dew. Imagine how many year it took to sink like that. That car has to be rusted from the inside out.
There are a few still running around, some referred to them as a Coronado. There was one for sale recently. I’ve seen a few, it would be a riot to own one and hang out with my mid-engine Corvair.
Shame someone left this car to rot like this. I had driven one in 1980 and husband sold it for a song against my wishes. I knew THEN it would be a collectible. This car sitting in the elements that long would be a serious project and one should be a owner/mechanic or body guy to take this over.
PASS. Look for a much better one !
To bad GM was better at killing great cars snd ideas than building them.
This would have been about a half ton lighter and even better than a Toro.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2022/02/03/hurst-built-this-toronado-powered-4-4-2-to-show-gm-its-potential
We had a beater ‘69 Toronado and lived in Lake Michigan lake effect land back in the eatly 1980’s.
Put truck studded snow tires and a custom v-plow mad out of angle iron and 2x12s instead of s front bumper and shoved three feet of wet snow no problem with the beast.
Always loved the ’66 Toronado, especially this iteration when introduced that year.
It’s a shame that this one has been neglected.
9.5 seconds 0-60 from a dead stop but if you’re going 15-25 mph then you hit it down it will snap your head back
No kidding, had a 66 in high school, that thing was a terror on the interstate.Some of the guys in the hot cars about crapped when I shot by them. Passing anything on a back road was a breeze and do it with 6 in the car too boot