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Price Dropped: 1977 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham

When it was launched, the original Oldsmobile Toronado was a groundbreaking American car that captured the attention of both the motoring press and the buying public. The design philosophy remained essentially unchanged throughout the badge’s production life, although the size of the vehicle changed in line with prevailing market trends. This 1978 Toronado Brougham is a 2nd Generation example, and its condition is well above what you might expect for a vehicle of this type and age. The owner has decided to part with this remarkable survivor that is located in Spokane Valley, Washington. He has listed it for sale here on Barn Finds Classified, and while he was initially seeking $16,899, he has now slashed the asking price to $12,990.

You have to give the design team at Oldsmobile credit with the 2nd Generation Toronado. Its overall length was more than 19-feet, and it tipped the scales at a whopping 4,806lbs, but they somehow managed to make the car look both smaller and lighter than those figures would otherwise suggest. This Toronado wears Dark Aqua paint, and the White landau-style vinyl top strikingly contrasts this. Its overall condition is impressive, with paint that shines beautifully, vinyl that looks crisp and clean, and panels that are as straight as an arrow. There isn’t much to be critical of here because the paint has no visible flaws, the panels show no dings or dents, and scrutinizing the photos reveals no evidence of rust. The exterior trim is just as impressive as the rest of the exterior, while the potentially damage-prone hubcaps appear to be in as-new condition. The tinted glass looks flawless, and a set of whitewall tires adds the perfect finishing touch to the exterior.

When you walked into an Oldsmobile dealership in 1977, it was hard not to be impressed with the Toronado’s interior. It offered lashings of luxury, and this was accentuated by seats that featured pillow-cloth seat upholstery. This car is equipped this trim, and it has survived remarkably well. There are some creases on the driver’s seat, but these are more than acceptable for a survivor of this vintage. There are no rips, tears, or staining, and the carpet’s condition is equally as impressive. The plastic trim hasn’t developed a dry or brittle look, while the dash looks nearly as good as the day this classic rolled off the showroom floor. Oldsmobile was determined to market the Toronado as a luxury car, so it came fitted with no end of comfort features to pamper its occupants. This car is equipped with air conditioning, power windows, power locks, power front seats, cruise control, a tilt/telescopic wheel, a rear defogger, and an AM/FM radio/8-track player with a power antenna.

As previously stated, the ’77 Toronado is a reasonably heavy beast, so Oldsmobile gave it some muscle to cope. Under the hood is a 403ci V8 that would be producing 200hp. This power finds its way to the front wheels via a 3-speed automatic transmission, while power steering and power front disc brakes were a standard part of this package. The vehicle could whip its way through the ¼ mile in around 18.6 seconds, which is a respectable number for a car of this type and size. The owner states that the Olds has 75,000 miles on the clock and has no shortage of power available under the right foot. It floats down the road, and that is as it should be with a luxury car. The Toronado was not designed to be a performance classic, but it was at home cruising down the road while maintaining its occupants in splendid isolation.

This 1977 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham was produced towards the end of the 2nd Generation’s production run. That in itself makes its survival in its present condition to be pretty remarkable. Manufacturers were poised to downsize many of their offerings in coming years, and the Toronado was not immune from such changes. Subsequent generations became progressively smaller, and these overall market changes saw many owners label the 2nd Generation cars as irrelevant dinosaurs. The result was that these people drove their Olds until it dropped, and a significant number ended their days in the scrapyard. However, times change, and many enthusiasts are keen to find good classics from that era. This Toronado is a clean survivor, and I suspect that someone will probably snap it up pretty soon. Will that person be you?

Comments

  1. Avatar Bluetec320 Member

    Wow! If someone were to buy the 78 Electra, the 79 Bonneville, and this 77 Toronado, they could start their own Malaise Era Museum. If they’re lucky they could even charge a buck or two to get in.

    Like 10
    • Avatar Dave

      Grab those Donna Summers, Bee Gees, and Fleetwood Mac tapes, and a stack of $50 bills for gas, and let’s head to Mother Fletcher’s in Myrtle Beach for the wet T-shirt contest Saturday night!

      Like 7
  2. Avatar Fred W

    I never found the GM cars with “frameless” windows to provide “splendid isolation”. Wind noise kind of spoiled the experience. These cars were engineering marvels though, especially before emissions kicked in full force.

    Like 4
  3. Avatar SebastianX1/9

    My mom had one of these when I was in elementary school and the door is so heavy she traded it for a 4 door Delta 88. Probably a better car for a housewife mom, but these giant coupes were prettier.

    Like 6
    • Avatar Will Fox

      Only coupe door I know just as heavy are the `75-`76 Coupe DeVilles and Eldorados, and the `76-`79 Mark V Lincolns.

      Like 2
  4. Avatar Dave

    This would be fun to cruise. I had a 73. So I watched this model change. The last of its kind here. They are not worth much.

    Like 2
  5. Avatar Don Eladio

    I can just imagine the thrill of hearing that Quadrajet as the massive secondaries open and the power of that massive 403 cubic-inch power plant is unleashed…whew, what an adrenaline rush it would be!

    Like 3
  6. Avatar its1969ok

    Unlike that great Hemi R/T in today’s post, this is about as awful as a Toronado gets. It was all downhill after the first year.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Miguel - Mexican Spec

    Did Oldsmobile see the future with their high mounted turn signal stop lights?

    Like 4
  8. Avatar James427

    I had a pair of these in black. One was actually produced with NO seat belt. Instead, it had airbags. There was a brochure that talked about how with an airbag, you arrive looking fresh because the seatbelt did not wrinkle your clothes. lol Nice big land yachts.

    Like 4
  9. Avatar chrlsful

    I’m w/”69″ here all the way. Go 1st gen or go home…

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Brian WEYENETH

    Love the exterior color! Does anyone know if that was standard RPO. Or special order?

    Like 1
  11. Avatar Scott

    I had forgotten about the high/low tail lights on these. But apart from that novelty, I’m still bitter about having a malaise era Olds as my first car. I’ve never owned another GM product thanks to that thing.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar Jean DESJARDINS

    In my opinion the 80’s were way more malaise than the 70’s. Every 80’s car looked budget to me back then and still now. At least, the 70’s cars had some panache left. The 80’s? Beurk …

    Like 3
  13. Avatar Phil Arnold

    It looks like a’76 to me, I thought that GM downsized in the ‘77 model year.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Lisa Lewis Ducher

      Nope. I had a 77 just like this one-but dark green with tan top.

      Like 1
  14. Avatar John Staley

    Howdy fellow enthusiast’s, Yep, that’s my ride and a really good one at that! Love this car for the shear size and the “magic carpet ride” going down the highway. Its sooo smooth and comfortable. I learned to drive in a “78” Olds 98 that my father had, so this one brings back many memories. I am pleased to be able to enjoy this car for some time and now, someone else can do the same. Thanks for all of the nice posts, its been fun to read each one. John

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Robert

    I owned a ‘74 in ‘79 which had all the bells and whistles as well. The only downside of mine was the colour. Green on green. This one is beautiful.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Ted Finkbeiners

    Sorry for you Scott, I was a Oldsmobile dealer till GM quit them. From 1960 to 1989 I sold 1000’s and owned hundreds in my Hertz Rent A Car fleet. Success was my fortune with Omega thru to Toronado and my GMC/Toronado 455 front drive motor home still own and enjoy.

    Ted Finkbeiner. 509 6629657.

    Like 1

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