Oldsmobile Toronado was sort of the modern pioneer of front wheel drive cars in America, followed closely by the Cadillac Eldorado. While the Toronado came on the scene in 1966, it was the late seventies and early eighties before front wheel drive caught on in the average American cars. Here is a 1977 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham for sale here on eBay in Laporte, Colorado. Thanks to Barnfinds reader Ikey H. for letting us know about this one.
The front of the Toronado received some minor updates for 1977, including moving the parking lights from the fender tips to under the headlights. The rear design was pretty much carried over from 1976. The seller says the paint on the car will need to be buffed or possibly repainted. The vinyl landau top appears to be in good condition. The car will also soon need some new tires.
Unfortunately, here’s some of the bad news. The rear bumper is eaten up with rust, but the good news is there is no other rust on the car, the seller says. The rear bumper fillers are not in great condition and there are some cracks at the top on both sides.
If there were such as thing as a red zebra, I think these seats are what it would look like. The seventies were a time of taking risks with interior seat patterns, as this Toronado proves. The interior is in good condition except for some tears in the driver’s door panel. My son’s friend has a new Toyota Camry with a red interior (or at least the seats are red) but you don’t find many modern cars that you can get red like this.
In 1977, Toronado changed from the 455 cubic inch to the 403 cubic inch V-8. The air conditioning compressor has been removed due to needing new clutch and bearings. The seller does not know if the car will pass inspection. But for cars this age, some states probably don’t require an inspection. This Toronado has only been driven 44,000 miles. While there are a few things that need attention on this car, it is available at the Buy it Now price of $1,600 which seems quite reasonable. Is this a car you would be interested in?
Bill,
To answer your last question, YES.
What the heck, for the $1600 BIN, it seems like a lot of car. So a good set of tires, some fluid changes/maintenance, maybe brakes… A great, driveable car for total $2500? Find another bumper for a couple of hundred, and spend other cash on items like the fender ends if you want. If it were closer, I’d just flat out hit the BIN button right now. To me, this is a deal.
DayDreamBeliever, what do you think the chances are that there is no other rust besides the bumper?
The bumper is one of the hardest things to rust out on a car and one of the last to show through.
I would expect a lot more rust underneath on this one.
If this owner found a way to limit the rust to this one area, I would like to know what that was. I could use it.
Without a good look at the car, I can’t have an informed opinion, Miguel, but: I have before seen cars which had a severe rust problem that was isolated to one specific part or location.
My own experience was with an import car which developed rapidly-spreading severe rust on the bumpers. Long before they perforated, I pulled them, had them blast cleaned, did a proper job of priming and re-painting both. The rust was back only a year later. To me, that indicated a problem with the metallurgy. And there was no cure.
So for this Toro, yes I think it is possible that the bad rust might be confined to the rear bumper, and the rest of the car might be OK. Look at the engine compartment in the photos. Does that look like one that would be normally seen in a rust-bucket car?
If it were closer it would be mine by now.
I’ve never given this generation much affection-but looking@ the front-is the 5mph bumper is removed and one fitted so it is recessed and a gap in the center for a full grill-you’d have ironically a Lincoln Mark 3 clone…?
Only 1600? The deal of the day. Imagine if it was the XS model with the wrap around rear window and the sunroof? It would be the deal of the month. Plusher interior than a Cadillac or Lincoln of the time. The only thing is, this era Toronado is known to rust out in the floors and trunk which could be why the price is low. I love all Oldsmobiles.
Ditto here also on being tempted and would certainly do so if it were closer. Thinking, maybe, even with shipping costs and what little needs it has,would be cool to have a car that you don’t see anymore. Uh,oh,my wife is asking what I’m up to, lol,better look busy.
My wife calls this my porn site.
Toronado – the pioneer of front wheel drive in America, and pioneer of the 3rd brake light mounted between the trunk and rear window
Cord had front wheel drive about 30 years before Toronado started…
2 different kinds of FWD altogether, but I would give the Tornado and Eldorado the nod as pioneers as they put a lot more people behind the wheel of a FWD car than the Cord ever did. GM made hundreds of thousands of FWD E-cars before mass adoption of FWD by GM and other US manufacturers in the early 80’s.
Interestingly, neither the Cord or E-car FWD layout use the transverse FWD layout that became the norm for FWD.
I had a 73 and 76 Toronados . The catalytic converter was on the 76 and killed the 455 engine in that car. The 73 could keep up with most muscle cars of the era. My buddy’s 78 Trans Am couldn’t keep up with the 73. Parents had a 68 which I liked the styling better.
I have a friend with a bunch of these toros and he lives close to this car so if somebody buys it let me know if you want parts jetstarrfire65@ yahoo.com
No T-Top?!
Deal breaker.👎
You are thinking of the XSR prototype with the power T Tops. That was the original plan before the XS sunroof model came to be. However, GM dropped the idea just before production for 2 reasons.. First, it would have cost more than a new Eldorado and second, they could never get the T Tops to seal right, there was no way to keep the water from pouring in the car. The tops overlapped each other in the center T bar, they were so small and so low that you would have cracked your head on them everything you sat in the car plus, they would only open about 8 inches due to lack of storage space. Great idea during the end of the convertible era that never came to be. Only 2 XSR prototypes were built and they are both parked next to each other in a private automobile museum today. Priceless concept cars and the fact that both prototypes survived as GM did order the cars to be scrapped is amazing.
Nice, comfortable driving cars. Leather would be a plus.
44 k……
Or
144 k…..
Any verification…no
Needs inspection. But cheap classic