With the Toronado, Oldsmobile had engineered a complex front-wheel-drive car that raised eyebrows among enthusiasts who wondered how well it would handle. To show that Olds did indeed know and care about their new FWD baby’s abilities when the going got tough, Rocket Division engineers specially prepared a Toronado for a timed run up Pikes Peak. Car And Driver tagged along, and covered the test in the March 1966 issue.
Great article! Always knew about the Pikes Peak run with the Toro, but had no idea the car was that heavily modified.
Awesome article! Like many people, I’ve heard of Pikes Peak, but I’ve never visited. Pikes Peak is an awesome place, not only to race, but also to test the endurance of any vehicle being produced.
There was a reason Saabs and Minis were doing so well in rally racing well before the Toronado showed up. FWD is very effective on gravel, snow and ice, and in tight corners.
That’s why I’ve never been a fan of RWD cars here in Minnesota. I drive on the street year round, not on a race track. For dedicated performance cars that aren’t driven year round, fine, but in a family sedan like the Charger forget it.
I found with my 83 Skyhawk and 86 Electra T-type that FWD had advantages over RWD in the winter and on rainy highways. However, beginning with my 1995 Riviera the front overhang and air dam made it impossible to avoid scraping the front end on the pavement. My RWD CTS is not as good as the SRX was, but with a little bit of care on steeper driveways I have yet to scrape the front end.
AWD is better than FWD in snow, although slippery roads are a toss up. I should experiment more with the snow mode.
Was this the only Toronado to have a floor mounted shifter or was that offered at some point on customer cars?
I drove a 67 Toronado once, on a rainy night in the fall of 68. The car really held the twisting road, BUT…..the very minimal feedback from the tires made it seem like you were playing a video game.
The 1968 model year appears to offer a bucket seat option with an operating console. Olds did make a big deal out of the flat floors, so this was not standard.
So much better when it was unpaved.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve seen the first shot a million times from the ad that featured it but never heard anything about the car until now.
Pikes Peak is a great ride. I say ride because I’ve never driven it, but if you are ever in the area do it!
This project was obviously great fun for everyone – but the breathless revelations, of how the car’s setup contributed to the result, are technically incoherent. ‘Maximum traction is obtained by transferring as much weight as possible to the outside wheels’ ? Not according to most suspension theories. And softening the suspension, which the article credits with achieving this, actually has the opposite effect.
Also, though, since the car was lightened by 1000 lbs, as well as the springs and the anti roll bar being softened – it may have been marginal as to whether the effective spring rates were higher, or lower than standard, or about the same.
A great achievement, of course, and owing lots to Bobby Unser’s know-how, and his champion-grade driving…. just saying that on the technical aspects, the journalism fell a bit short.
GN, thank you for an entertaining article. Well done.
Interesting article, and the period advertisements are really neat.
Good thing that Pike Peak races go up.
Imagine taking that beast down on its four wheel drum brakes.