We all know the celebrities that plastic surgery didn’t work for. All that money spent to look like a permanent Halloween costume. Same thing happens in the automotive world. So many Pontiac Sunfire Botox injections, AMC Matador nose jobs, and Studebaker Lark full body lifts. But sometimes all that stretching, nipping, and tucking works out with a vehicle more beautiful than what it started out as. This 1990 Olds Toronado’s, here on craigslist, is proof not all surgeries have to be botched.
When GM downsized the personal luxury triplets, Riviera, Eldorado, and Toronado, for 1986, buyers stayed away in droves from the neutered E-bodies. A few years into their life cycles, all 3 models would go under the knife to try and reclaim their youth and popularity. Last to receive a Kardashian-like upgrade was the Oldsmobile Toronado, getting a new body, mainly from the doors on back. Of the 3 sisters, the Olds wore it best, taking the stubby 1986-89 model and giving it stunning, edgy styling that still stands out. Like the Eldorado with the Touring Coupe, Olds had a sporty model for the Toro in the form of the Trofeo, with obligatory suspension upgrade and sporty trim details.
This particular example lives in Dallas, a town not shy to the wonders of plastic enhancements. Some wrinkles show in the leather, the steering wheel wrap is potentially covering up some scarring, but thankfully the problematic Visual Information Center, CRT system is absent on this loaded model. 27 years ago the VIC seemed like the wave of the future, and history shows GM was onto something, but the likelihood of it surviving the Texas heat is unlikely.
Though not exotic, the tried and true 3800 V6 has a nice burble from the Euro tuned exhaust, and this example looks clean and tidy underhood. The wheels have been painted silver, probably to cover up failing clear coat, but the paint still shines and all badges are present.
An added bonus for this find is all the original paperwork and remote controls and keys. Mechanical parts should be easy to come by, but trim won’t be. The spruced up 1990-92 Toro’s did not stem the downward sales spiral that all personal luxury coupes were experiencing in this era and most can now be seen in salvage yards. Spending a little extra and buying a clean original is much better bet than trying to do a little restorative surgery on a rougher model. Just ask Hollywood how that usually turns out.
Always liked these, and as I remember, they were pretty good cars.
I had a neighbour with one – I don’t remember the exact figure now but the mileage was insanely high, like 500k+ … At least his, was indeed, a good car.
Many years ago, my father-in-law bought a Trofeo. It was one of the most comfortable cars to drive. It had the VIC System, which was advanced technology back then. I felt sorry for the poor soul who would have to deal with that system failure and repairs later on. Fast forward 8 years, he gave the car to my son to drive while in college. PS, shortly after that, the VIC and the whole dashboard went dark, Olds service had no idea what to do with it. After 2 weeks at the dealership it was repaired and guess who spent $1200 to have it repaired?
I had one of these in the 90’s. I always referred to it as the “Flying Brick”. Great car, solid as a rock. Mine was silver with red guts. It’s one of the cars I regret selling….
Bought a black one of these new off the lot in 1990 and ran it up over 200K. Spent a lot of time behind that wheel. I didn’t get the VIC system. I figured it would fail eventually and I thought all the buttons were cooler anyway. It was a nice car for its time. It got replaced with a Lincoln Mark VIII (black) and then a Jaguar XJ6 after that (black again). Now I’m married with kids, no more black two door luxury sport coupes for a while (sad face).
Wow. The engine compartment looks…mint!
I am a big fan of these cars and am on the FB pages/ Forums for these cars. I hesitate buying one though because parts are scarce and they are plagued with electrical problems.
Very beautiful design for the time and holds up well. These were 50k cars new and the top of the mark for Olds.
However this guy is way overpriced. It is a 1990 model but the best ones are the 92 models as they are much improved. 4k tops for this machine.
not too badly priced for a well optioned, nice condition Olds high end model. With a bullet proof 3800, you won’t win any stop light battles – but it will be a pretty dependable car that will deliver decent mpg and a nice ride.
I bought this Toronado from the daughter of the original owner a couple of years ago and put it back together. I sold it to the individual who is selling now, it truly is a clean example. There is a video of it on YouTube, search cleanest Toronado.
bah, I want the CRT, it’s a color touch screen
I have 4 Trofeos, 2 with the VIC. Both VIC’s died. Can’t find anyone who can repair them and none available, new or used or in a salvage yard. Love these vCard. If anyone knows of a ssource to buy or repair, please rreply.
I sold a spare box to a guy who sold the car and didn’t use it. I’ll ask him if he still has it tomorrow.
An eBay guy repaired the digital dash on my 92 Blazer…they are out there…unless that’s different technology
Boy, those seats sure do look comfy.
Never cared to much for this generation. It looked boring and no curves like on the 1970’s Tornadoes which were my favorites..
I actually prefer the looks of the ’86 to ’89 models. These cars were excellent drivers back in their day, but I can’t remember the last time I saw one. I’m not sure what you do about parts for a car whose manufacturer has been out of business for two decades.
Had a Lumina with that engine, believe it shared this chassis. Dead reliable, a tank that just kept going and going and going. Last I’d heard, it was a a shuttle for too many teenagers going back and forth to the ski hill.
I still have two of them. I love these cars and I have had them forever. Very reliable. And the Vic was a TV and the Sony parts failed in them.it was the technology available at the time. Remember bank teller machines where using touch screen technology and it was relatively new. So Olds took a chance to incorporate this type of technology in cars.