The year 1977 is generally considered the year cars started downsizing in response to the oil embargo. But even the mighty General Motors could not afford to downsize all their cars at the same time, so the Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado had to wait until 1979 for their weight reduction (the Buick Riviera temporarily moved over to the B platform for 1977 and 1978). At 227.5 inches long with a wheelbase of 122 inches, this is a massive car. This 1977 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham is for sale here on Craigslist in Morristown, New Jersey for $6,000. Thanks to Barnfinds reader Nick for bringing it to our attention.
This car has a unique one-piece bent rear glass, that makes a bend at about 90 degrees. The seller advertised this car as a Brougham, but I think it’s an XS, or maybe a Brougham XS. For 1977, Oldsmobile intended to offer the XSR which would have the same rear window as this one but with self-storing electrically sliding T-tops. Apparently, there were too many problems making it work well, so even though it is listed in the 1977 brochure, it apparently was never built. The 1977-1979 Impala and Caprice 2 doors also included a bent rear glass as standard, but the side area of the glass was much smaller than the Toronado’s. Oldsmobile was also ahead of other manufacturers by making standard the “eye-level lamps” to indicate stopping and turning on all years of this body style (Thunderbird offered a vertical eye-level lamp as an option from 1968-1970).
This is a very clean Toronado, with the only negative being the bodyside molding is missing on the passenger front fender. It is all original, rust free, drives flawlessly, and all accessories work including the clock. The interior is in top-notch condition. You’ve got to give it to some of the seventies cars, they had some unique and interesting interiors.
Toronados had previously benefited from a 455 CID engine, but in 1977, with the downsizing of General Motors’ full-size cars, it didn’t make much sense to keep it for the Toronado only, so a 403 CID V-8 was standard, producing 185 horsepower. This car has been driven slightly under 42,000 miles in 41 years.
There were 31,371 Broughams and 2,713 XS’s built in 1977, and therefore this is a rare car. The unique bent rear glass was also offered in 1978 as well. Its value could increase somewhat in years to come. If you like unique, this could be the car for you.
It…looks comfortable?
I don’t recall ever seeing one. Perhaps there might have been a demand issue?
Never saw a Toronado I didn’t like ! But BOY would I HATE to have to source and PAY for that rear glass !!
If you could even find one it would probably cost as much as the car.
I had one that would be a twin to this one. Same colors and interior. Very nice car while I owned it. The person I sold it to let it fall into disrepair. He let it set outside for years ruining it. He pulled the engine and scrapped the rest. Sad.
This one has the relatively rare factory CB radio included in the AM/FM head unit.
All the ballers in my neighborhood had either this Toronado (my uncle)…The Electra 225 (my dad)…or the Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham (the preacher and/or the numbers racket boss)
What…no T-Top?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxLCIsbmnUU
The first aerocoupe!!! LOL Looks better than those stupid Monte’s! LOL
I like it but like my ’66 Toronado better…..
Pete, I’ve always thought that the ’66/’67 were, by far, the best looking Toronados.
I will always remember how the back end of the 77 Toronados was so beautiful…and the front, eh, not so much
And GM was ahead of the times with upper brake lights that probably prevented many an accident.
I guess they learned their lesson from the 19656 Riviera.
Gotta LOVE that interior! Those seats look SO Comfy!! I hope it finds a good home.
I really wanted to like GM’s bent-glass rear windows. Kept waiting for them to grow on me, but they never did. If you like them, this Tornado definitely has it in spades! Looks like a nice example.
Been a longtime since I have seen a “Toronado XS”
I had one of these two years ago from 1976 that was one of the first cars to come with airbags. When you ordered the airbags they deleted the shoulder belts. It was advertised as a way to keep your clothes from getting wrinkled by the pesky shoulder belt. I got pulled over in it and the cop was going to write me a ticket for not wearing my seat belt until I showed him it didn’t have one. He still could not believe it and was going to write me the ticket until I asked him to find where any seat belt had ever been attached. Of course he could not.
It was a black on black car with all of this weird silver scroll work on the doors and black velour. My kids thought it was like riding around in a casket.
Always liked the 77 Toronado. And it is nearby in Jersey.
Sorry. No raves from me. I despised these when they were new. Ridiculous waste of space and the advantages of FWD
The 71 was so perfect, [ almost an Olds version of the 68 Eldorado]
By the time those hideous bumpers and plastic caps had their way they were hundreds of pounds heavier and longer as well as cluttered and even more gas hungry [6.6 mpg at one point according to the [yes useless, for comparison purposes only] EPA.
All that size and weight and gluttony and rear seat room on the order of an Omega.
For me, a tacky symbol of mindless consumption.
Not personal y’all. If you like it fine. Except for the 71 I never have and that hasn’t changed in 40 years or so.
I remember seeing these at the dealer when they first came out. I always liked that rear glass. I thought that the dash was somewhat uninspired when you think of what the first Toros had.
Nice looking Bronco in the background 👍😎
Pretty much sale-proof when they were new, makes ’em hyper-rare now. This may be the best one left!
Not a bad price.
Oldsmobile sold these at the tail end of the LARGE cars of General Motors. 1977-1978. Just over 2000 each year. They were very expensive (21k) and therefore sat on the car lots well in to 1979 and even 1980. I remember working at Clark Oldsmobile after I graduated high school in West Palm Beach, Florida (1978-1981) and they had a ’78 sitting in the back lot cause no one bought it. It was white with white leather seats and red dash and carpet. It eventually sold (don’t know the amount). While working there a beautiful dark red/carman colored one came in for service. My father ended up buying it when it was three years old. I just retrieved it from my parents carport last year and sold it to a man in New Mexico who got it back on the road. See the following link for the story:
https://journal.classiccars.com/2017/04/30/classic-car-marks-1978-oldsmobile-toronado/
Never knew till I sold it to him that it was the 5th on made in 1978, serial number 00005.