Oldsmobile rolled out a new kind of personal luxury automobile in 1966, the Toronado. What made it different was that it was the first U.S. production front-wheel-drive car since the Cord 810/812 of 1936 and 1937. Across four generations, the Toronado would remain in the Olds lineup through 1992. The seller has a 1976 edition, a barn dweller that was parked in 2000 and left to fend for itself. We don’t know much about the auto other than it looks like a restoration challenge.
The second generation of the Toronado was around from 1971 to 1978, after which it would become the next General Motors product to undergo downsizing (in the name of better fuel economy). This gen was bigger than the one before it, so the seller’s 1976 is probably the longest Toronado to ever hit the road. Initially a 455 cubic inch V8 was under the hood to get the job done, replaced later by a 403 which probably found it difficult to propel the vehicle which approached 5,000 lbs. in weight.
Besides having FWD (the Cadillac Eldorado would also go that way in 1967), the Toronado had its own version of the Turbo-Hydramatic transmission, a 3-speed automatic called the TH-425. These cars would be noted for being a dry run for driver and passenger-side airbags, which would soon become an industry standard. Oldsmobile built about 24,000 Toronados in 1976, a typical production figure for the car that decade.
After 24 years in hiding, it’s doubtful this Olds will run with any minimal amount of effort. And there’s no telling whether rust has become an issue over the years. We can’t gauge the condition of the interior, either, with stuff piled inside. Located in Eugene, Oregon, this land yacht will need to be pulled out of its dwelling. It can be found here on Facebook Marketplace, and the seller’s ante is $4,500. We’re told it’s a one-owner car and has been posted on behalf of the owner, so the lister is not the seller.
The good Dr Olds.. doesn’t approve. 😒
This bloated and oversized body style never appealed to me when compared to the body style of the earlier versions. GM and the Olds division should have left this platform to the Eldorado and stayed with the sportier theme. And what a slug from a performance perspective compared to the 66 thru 69 versions that were rather spunky.
This has a weak engine, ugly 5mph bumpers, over weight, fragil bumper fillers, a catalytic converter and the list goes on.
A pass vote from me.
Maybe not as exciting as the Gen 1 but uniquely interesting just the same. This is the car that introduced the eye level brake/turn indicator with the ’71 model. Headline says ’76 but the colors say ’75.
Expensive for a demolition derby car but you would have the winter to get it prepped for next summer
parts car at this point or scrap it for 8.00 per hundred lbs
To my eye, the first car with the high mount stop-turn signal lights. Isn’t that the purpose of the lenses just below the backlight?
They may have been big and heavy but they were bullet-proof. A great highway cruiser and not underpowered like the 77 and 78 with the 403.
Had a ’75 with 46k miles. big block V-8. What a dreamboat, going down the highway! Had a vacuum gauge labeled ‘economy’ so you could tell how far your foot was in the quadrajet!