While the vast majority of classic car buyers go for quarter-mile busting muscle cars, the Oldsmobile Toronado stands out as a sleek, sophisticated piece of design with some interesting history behind it.
First rolling off the line for the 1966 model year, the Oldsmobile Toronado is perhaps best known for its innovative front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. Although modern enthusiasts may not appreciate the engineering behind it, the Toronado was in fact the first U.S.-produced front-wheel-drive automobile to hit the scene in almost thirty years, and in its day, it was seen as a breakthrough piece of technology that would see adoption across the GM lineup.
GM even brought an Oldsmobile Toronado to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb to prove the layout could compete in terms of performance, managing an impressive result with the legendary Bobby Unser at the helm.
The Oldsmobile Toronado looks great as well, as evidenced by the example featured here, which presents in a two-stage Viking Blue Metallic paint, with a blue vinyl top. This particular example also comes with the original blue interior, as well as a host of power features, such as power steering, power brakes, power windows, power locks, and power seats. What’s more, this particular example is equipped with the factory A/C and the factory 8-track.
Providing the motivation is a 455 cubic-inch V8 engine, which mates to the TH-425 three-speed automatic transmission. The engine looks quite nice as well thanks to a matching blue finish.
With just 43,890 actual miles on the clock, this 1970 Oldsmobile Toronado is sure to get a fair amount of attention. Now, interested buyers will find it up for sale from Primo Classics International in Lakeland, Florida, listed at $26,500.
Does this cool blue coupe catch your eye? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Oldsmobile news and around-the-clock General Motors news coverage.
Source: Primo Classics International
This example is a former NCRS award winner.
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Wow; that's a blast from the past. I was a GM line mechanic back then, working at an Olds dealership; I worked on many of those cars. The engine/transaxle arrangement was unique, with the trans placed alongside the engine, and driven by a huge crank-to-trans chain. As I recall, all that machinery was quite reliable; most service complaints were for mundane issues similar to more-conventional Olds models---electrical problems and squeaks/rattles.
One such complaint from the owner of one new Toronado was a faint 'clunking' sound coming from the driver's door when the car rounded a turn in either direction. The cause proved to be an empty beer can rolling back and forth inside the bottom of the door, apparently placed there by a cheeky Lansing assembly line worker.
I owned a ‘67 Toronado Deluxe and wish I still owned it. It was a great highway vehicle despite the miserable gas mileage. I now own a ‘74 GMC Motorhome which by the way leveraged the Toronado engine/front wheel drive technology from 1973-78. It too was ahead of its time when introduced in 1973.
I would consider buying this car.
I would consider purchasing this car.
Now that is a keeper for sure.
I had a beautiful white 70 Toronado. When I see one like this, it makes me sad that I ever sold mine.
In a sea of 442's gto's ss396's and other muscle cars it nice to be the only one at a car meet or cruise with a tornado ,like muscle cars with high compression engines love s to drink 98high octane leaded fuel not sold any more . can you really drive them ? Drop the compression ratio down from 10.75 to 8 I still like them any way
They don't need 98 octane fuel. They are 10.25 to 1. They ping a bit on initial acceleration on 92.
The public was not that happy with the vehicle being front wheel drive, the vehicle had it's share of bearing issues !
Probably one of the more unique features of this design was the flat floor since the driveshaft tunnel was eliminated. A great selling point when the car was introduced in the 1960's and most cars large cars had bench seats. I'm sure that feature alone sold many customers on the Toronado.
I have a 1970 oldsmobile toronado that im willing to sale with 19,001 exact miles some ones gain my lost $10,000 everything wrks and is A1