Two of my favorite cars at the Houston Mecum spring auction were Oldsmobiles, not surprising since I have always had a soft spot in my heart for those great cars from Lansing. That other car was a 77 Cutlass, one of the biggest selling cars of the 70’s. The Toronado was the opposite, a relatively expensive specialty luxury car that during its first generation was never a huge seller. That obscurity just makes it a more special discovery in my book and a delight to find in the fine condition seen here. Click through to check out this pale beauty.
I am not old enough to have been around when these were new or late model used cars, so I don’t remember them being on the streets. At car shows or auctions, I’ve seen a couple 1970’s, at least one 67, I think a 68 and, of course, numerous 66’s. I’m not sure I’ve ever laid eyes on a 1969 model in the metal, and that fact had never occurred to me until I happened upon this one. That’s obscurity for you!
The Toronado was big news when it came out for 1966, mainly because of its front wheel drive. No American car had offered it since the short-lived Cords of the 1930’s. The Toronado was huge for a personal car, however the styling was quite tasteful and unique. The 1966 model’s horizontal bar grille and hidden headlights were a subtle tribute to the Cord 810/812, but by 1969 the grille and bumper had morphed into a busy, more ornate proboscis.
Besides the grille for 1968, the biggest change on the 1969 from the original design was on the roofline where it meets the rear fenders. The 66-68 had a smooth transition from the roof pillars to the sloping rear end for an integrated look that had not been done on a American car before. The change for 1969 gave it a more conventional ledge and level fenders, and the fender ends even sprouted tiny tailfins. You could say that Oldsmobile toned down the Toronado, though it’s hard to look at the front end and think “subtle”. Ironically, by becoming more garish, the car stood out less from its fellow Detroit dreamboats.
Though seldom seen, it was still available with the open steel wheels that were the only choice in 1966. These wheels also were reminiscent of the Cord. This picture is of another car that sold at a different auction.
Like the 77 Cutlass I found, this Toro was said to have only traveled a little over 10,000 miles since new. The claim was believable when I saw the pristine cloth upholstery and lots of other evidence of light use. It did not slap me in the face with its overwhelming pristine preservation the way the Cutlass did. It certainly was nice, but it was probably not treated as a museum piece from day one like that unbelievable car.
The interior had been revised somewhat since 1966 but still had the same general look including the unique barrel speedometer, mainly exchanging the space age steering wheel for a more generic late sixties style and GM discovering some “wood” under the previous metal trim on the dash, much as you sometimes find beautiful hardwood floors hiding under carpet in an old house. Was the woodgrain making a T for Toronado on the wheel intentional? One thing maintained from 1966: a flat floor and the largest gas pedal this side of a Greyhound bus.
The funny thing about the Toronado (and Eldorado) was that to a casual observer, the view underhood revealed no indication of its unique drivetrain layout. Closer examination would reveal that the engine sat slightly higher and farther forward than in its rear wheel drive brethren. The late sixties were peak engine in Detroit, seen in the 455 c.i. V8 resting in the engine bay. The standard engine had gained 30 c.i. since 1966, but somehow lost 10hp to a still-generous 375 gross h.p. Being the sixties, there was an optional W34 high performance package that increased horsepower to 400. It needed the power, weighing in at 4,500lb.
I call the car obscure not because it was slow seller. At 28,494 built for the model year, it was pretty close to the average for Toros through 1978 (72-73 were higher for some reason, the whole 79-85 generation sold better and naturally the 86-92 brings up the rear, saleswise). I think it’s obscure because if you asked any car guy who didn’t happen to be a huge Toronado or Oldsmobile fan to picture a 69 Toronado in his head, he probably couldn’t come up with more than a vague first generation shape. The post 1966 changes were not the least bit memorable and most people would consider them to have blemished the very nice original design.
I would agree, but that’s not to say I don’t like this car. I would welcome any well-preserved 66-72 Toronado in my driveway. Early Toros have loads of charisma, even in 1969 form.
The profitability of this car was not so much for Oldsmobile (though is was their most expensive car) as for the recent previous owner. The car was sold at Mecum’s Kissimmee, FL auction in January this year for $18,700. It was then sold again at the Houston auction in April for $30,800. If it had any significant work done in that time, the seller doesn’t mention it. Over 50% profit in 3 months, good work if you can get it! It appears there’s money to be made in obscurity.
It’s a decent-looking car on its own, but a sad watering down of the original groundbreaking 1966 model. The front bumper/grille looks plastered on, and the dramatic integration of the C-pillars into the quarter panels along with the sloping, short rear deck were lost.
Shades of coming to work a bit early (as usual) one Friday morn, and finding a pair of braced legs sticking out of the open driver’s door of a fully loaded ’69 W-34 Toro demo on the showroom floor. A little over 3.5 hours later the gentleman had been moved up from his rather tired ’67 Toro to this “new” Lansing beauty.
Given my generous$ nature I even threw in, at NO charge, a set of gen-U-whine Olds Toro rear floor mats ($5.27) to make for one extra HAPPY camper!! Dangling visions of pulling up to the SNCO club out at MCB 29 Palms, CA. helped me close the full pop deal. I had been stationed there, and the red base stickers on his ’67 had caught my eye earlier in the week while making one of my regular tours of the service dept.
The leg braces combined with hand controls in the ’67 had instantly put 2+2 together and I did not let go. The dark metallic green (Glade Green) with white vinyl top and interior, plus a full load of option$ combined to create the LUXURY car with bumper to bumper “prestige” this customer really WANTED. Of course, I demo’d the car for the fellow and a friend by SMOKINN the bias ply front rubber pulling away from a red light on Crenshaw Blv’d in L.A. Both pairs of eyes went WIDE open at that! IMPRE$$IVE…..smoke curling up the front fenders was very unusual in 1969.
So the only Toro I ever sold went to its HAPPY new owner; the hand controls were changed over so he and his bud could leave with the HUGE gas guzzlinn FWD, luxo-barge that day. I later realized it was the only FWD car I had ever driven, plu$ went over a whopping $7000.00 li$t price…WOW!!! DFO
I sold cars briefly after college from 1984-1986.
In 1985 a shabby looking fellow was out looking at the raised roof conversion vans on our lot. Since I was the junior salesperson, I was told to go see what he wants. Turns out that he won $100,000 the year before and he paid cash for a $35,000 van. I felt guilty and threw in the free floor mats . Total commission was over $2,200. Not too bad coin for 1985.
Cool to hear from someone who was there! Thanks!
You know, now that you mention it I’m not even sure I pictured this a 69 in my head and my greatest parlor trick is knowing these things. The rear fender change is something I associate to the 1970 since it came with a revised front end as well, and in my head I group the 68-69s together from that big anteater bumper grille thing. And yes, I just don’t like them compared to the predecessors, I don’t get too hung up on restyles marring “purity” but they are a prime example of those that do. Conversely I actually think the additional changes for the 1970 improve the looks and make it much more cohesive.
What annoys me about this front end besides it’s arguable hideousness is the Riviera was marred by a very similar snout the same year. It’s very easy to mistake them from a distance or glance, which would never happen with the 1966s.
Totally agree about the hideous front end on these and the Riv of the same year. How could Bill Mitchell have allowed this to happen to his masterpieces? Akin to putting a moustache on the Mona Lisa just to have something different.
Oldsmobile at this time was between trying to be as sporty as the other GM brands, yet luxurious enough to warrant the extra cost. So the Brougham age was perfect for Oldsmobile. The Toronado benefited with Broughamification. That era fit the bigger GM luxury cars. The look of Rococo worked. Olds, as with Mercury, had good years, thanks to the Brougham age.
But Toronado’s first generation wasn’t as successful. Too bad, too! It was a terrific, interesting and beautiful car. The refreshes after 1966 doesn’t help. The 1969 front end is a bad cliche common that year among many auto makers. If Oldsmobile didn’t put a “wrap-around” bumper on the Toronado that year, the car would have looked dated compared to the competition. Thankfully, only Chrysler held onto that forgettable styling gimmick after 1969, giving the Toronado and other full size badges a chance to refine their front ends in 1970.
I was smitten with the 66 Toro as a kid, a love I never lost. Then I was very familiar with the 72 the year my mother was Olds shopping. The 68-70 generation sort of got lost in the fog for me.
I stopped paying attention to Oldsmobiles in general during those years, mainly because I had liked the elegant models in the style of our 64 Cutlass and did not like the full hips and full wheel cutouts on other models. I would take this car now, though, even if it is not my favorite.
The reason rated horsepower was down a bit in ’68–69 is that Olds was trying to apply the principles of the ’67 Cutlass Turnpike Cruiser: valve timing sacrificing peak power for torque; tall axle ratios for better cruising efficiency and unflustered response.
The big engines got stroked to 4.25 inches for ’68 to facilitate the torque side of the equation. In the high-compression 2V Super Rocket engine, gross torque output went from 450 lb-ft to 500 lb-ft at 2,400 rpm, mated with a standard 2.56 axle!
In the Toronado, the longer stroke boosted gross torque output from 480 lb-ft @ 3,200 rpm in ’67 to 510 lb-ft @ 3,000 rpm in ’68. At the same time, axle ratio was changed from 3.21 to 3.07, again reflecting the “Turnpike Cruising” thesis. The W34 engine had to sacrifice 10 lb-ft of torque for its 25 hp bump, which gives you a sense of the standard tuning.
The top end power didn’t matter much on these cars anyway. It was all about having gobs of torque available right off of idle. If there was any real power loss, I doubt the customers ever noticed it. They might notice the extra torque, though.
The horsepower figures tossed about in this era could be used in advertising I suppose, but they mean zippola to what actually happened to meet the road. That 375 hp engine was probably no no more than 270 at the front wheels.
I just love these cars for the pure excess. Look at the tiny interior!
The top end power didn’t matter much on these cars anyway. It was all about having gobs of torque available right off of idle. If there was any real power loss, I doubt the customers ever noticed it. They might notice the extra torque, though.
Absolutely. The whole ethos of the Turnpike Cruiser package was that most people didn’t and didn’t want to rev beyond about 3,000 rpm except maybe while towing, and fuel economy benefited from low revs and big throttle openings. So, Olds optimized the whole powertrain for that scenario.
With the Toronado, the change in axle ratio and slightly greater weight probably pretty much canceled out the increase in torque.
Actually, were you ever inside a Toronado? The interior is quite large!
Good info, thanks! It is funny how car companies put so much effort into getting just the right type of power and optimizing performance when just a few years later conditions mandated them to drop power into the basement and they would be doing all they could to maintain ANY level of reasonable performance (and often failing).
What a gorgeous car! I can overlook the front bumper issues. Why would somebody have purchased this and then not driven it? If you invested the money in the stock market instead you would have made a fortune. 18k was a steal.
Love old gm cars hade 71 olds 98 81 olds 98 85 toranado could work on them not no meh. 455 motor was great for cruising. Lots of iron in front of you and room good in snow with snow tires have a 2014 challenger now 6 cylinder. 305hp nice ride its a summer car only. Lots of fun miss old gm cars. Also hade 2 buick electras mint cond 455 motors.
The 66-70 Toronado was the prettiest Oldsmobile ever designed. The original Toronado and Eldorado was a crowning excellence in innovation, style, design and quality that General Motors was once famous for. I once owned a 66 and a 70 Toronado GT which were lovely automobiles. They were the epitome of fine highway cruisers and very reliable too. The 425 and 455 were marvelous engines; smooth, quiet and lots of pulling power. I sure miss the days when automobiles like my Toronado’s had thickly padded, wide comfortable seats and a serene comfortable ride. Those were Oldsmobile’s glory days
Great find and post. Love the 66 Toronado – as has been mentioned, Olds just uglied it up in succeeding years. But I;d take this one in a second given its condition.
Can remember seeing a new 67 Toro with a vinyl roof and thinking what desecration.
Having had a 69 Delta 88 with the 455 in the early 70s, I can assure you the accelerator pedal is indeed bus-size…
The watering down of the styling for 1968-’69 did little for sales and lessen the initial appeal of the 1966-’67, which are the best imho. I enjoyed a well-used ’67 Toronado around 1980. It one of the few cars I’ve owned I would again like to have another copy.
My first car back in 1979 was a 1968 Toronado, a very stupid car for a 17 y/o to buy when gas prices were running over $3 a gallon (adjusted) – I was lucky to get 10 mpg. I didn’t know it at the time but my Toronado was one of less than 200 with the W-34 package, my car also had bucket seats and console with a wooden ball as a gear shift knob similar to 442s. I loved the rolling drum speedometer.
While the 1968-69 loop bumper was likely just a way to keep the Toronado current, it also had a unique headlight grill, a design shared with the 1966-69 Riviera. I disagree that 1968-69 Rivieras looked too much like a Toronado. I like the ‘69 Riviera (the first Riv to outsell the T-Bird). My favorite first generation Toronado was the 1967 due to the flush headlights, I also liked how the egg crate grill design was carried over to the taillights. I like the 1970 Toronado – it’s a nice transition to the Eldorado looking 1971-78 Toronados. The 1970 model also looks a lot like the 1967 George Barris Manix roadster. While I know there are people who like the 1970 Riviera, I will never be one of them.