GTP Cool Wall: 1966-1970 Oldsmobile Toronado

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1966-1970 Oldsmobile Toronado

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  • Poll closed .
Wiegert

Wiegert

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1966-1970 Oldsmobile Toronado nominated by @titleguy1

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Body Style: 2-door coupé
Engine: 7.0L "Rocket" V8
Power: 385 hp
Torque: 475 ft-lbs
Weight: 2039 kg
Transmission: 3-speed automatic
Drivetrain: Front-engine, front-wheel drive​

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1970 Toronado GT rear.jpg
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Thought the Tornado has always been quite a good looker, especially in the guise we're voting on, and have always liked for being different and unusual to it's typical muscle car rivals (which I'm not really a muscle car person usually) being FWD, so it get's my vote, as I like the unusual and less obvious when it comes to muscle cars.

Comfortable cool.
 
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If they had sold it with the original styling for the entire first generation, it would have been nearly as cool/cooler than the Riviera; which itself was one of the coolest, most stylish cars of the decade. The Cord 812 of the 1960s, which was pretty much the intent.


They didn't, though. Uncool.
 
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It would have been a better luxo-cruiser if it was RWD. But it isn't and even for the late 60s, nearly 400hp through the front wheels just doesn't work.

Uncool.
 
TexRex
But it's FWD, so you can't drift it. :rolleyes:
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I'm sure you could drift it if you chuck it hard enough, definitely if you pull some e-brake skids on snow (as challenging as it is with a pedal).

A grunty 385hp V8 spinning the front wheels is still just about the worst idea next to the Dymaxion Car. But a 4500lbs. boat with a chest-thumping V8 and three-speed automatic is uncool anyway. RWD wouldn't really help.

Stunning exterior, though.
 
Oh, this thing. Looks amazing right about up until 1969... and falls like a brick.
Drivetrain doesn't matter too much in this case, I would give it points for uniqueness among muscle cars except;
a) it weighs over 2000 kilos
b) the size of the car itself
c) hurr durr muscle cars are rwd only

Going to assume that all that power is necessary to move all that weight.

Uncool, mainly on the styling change, which is unfortunate, as it'd be fine otherwise.
 
Tornado
If they had sold it with the original styling for the entire first generation, it would have been nearly as cool/cooler than the Riviera; which itself was one of the coolest, most stylish cars of the decade. The Cord 812 of the 1960s, which was pretty much the intent.


They didn't, though. Uncool.
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Traitor. :D

This one's my favorite article on the Pikes Peak winning Toronado, from its development prior to its first official race. Took me a while to find, as I don't recall where I first read it online.

http://wildaboutcarsonline.com/memb..._CD_Oldsmobile_Toronado_At_Pikes_Peak_1-5.pdf

Do note they had to soften it for the climb as it was too stiff out of the box, but on loose gravel, FWD gave it superior traction to rear drivers, especially in tighter corners.

A front driver sucks at drag strip launches, but on slippery surfaces, having the engine push down on the drive wheels is a big bonus.

Only reason it didn't break the record of the time is because it had over a hundred horses less than the record holder.
 
Cool because it's FWD, unlike most of the American family cars of the era that I know of.
 
I feel like the Eldorado did it better. Uncool.



I don't think a single person who was in the market for this kind of car is concerned with it being FWD. If anything it was an advantage to them.
 
niky
This one's my favorite article on the Pikes Peak winning Toronado, from its development prior to its first official race. Took me a while to find, as I don't recall where I first read it online.

http://wildaboutcarsonline.com/memb..._CD_Oldsmobile_Toronado_At_Pikes_Peak_1-5.pdf

Do note they had to soften it for the climb as it was too stiff out of the box, but on loose gravel, FWD gave it superior traction to rear drivers, especially in tighter corners.

A front driver sucks at drag strip launches, but on slippery surfaces, having the engine push down on the drive wheels is a big bonus.

Only reason it didn't break the record of the time is because it had over a hundred horses less than the record holder.
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I wonder how much of this had to do with tire technology of the era and/or the cars that were running on Pikes Peak at the time. In a contest of Detroit-iron elephants on 1960s tires, the advantage of being able to point your driven wheels to pull you out of those switchbacks makes sense. Based on the account in your link, I think the Toronado's success had more to do with that than having the engine weight over the drivewheels.

Both this and the original Mini's oft-cited success story are from a different time. I know firsthand how abysmal it can be to drive a newer large nose-heavy FWD car with a less powerful V6 on modern radial tires, and I'm under no illusion that a large 1960s RWD boat is much better. But small FWD cars are still great. ;)
 
Wolfe
I wonder how much of this had to do with tire technology of the era and/or the cars that were running on Pikes Peak at the time. In a contest of Detroit-iron elephants on 1960s tires, the advantage of being able to point your driven wheels to pull you out of those switchbacks makes sense. Based on the account in your link, I think the Toronado's success had more to do with that than having the engine weight over the drivewheels.

Both this and the original Mini's oft-cited success story are from a different time. I know firsthand how abysmal it can be to drive a newer large nose-heavy FWD car with a less powerful V6 on modern radial tires, and I'm under no illusion that a large 1960s RWD boat is much better. But small FWD cars are still great. ;)
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True enough, but rearward weight transfer is often given as a reason FWD can't work on slopes or slippery surfaces. In my experience, it's the opposite. FR vehicles are at a disadvantage on a slope when grip is low because that weight transfer simply doesn't happen. This is also why FR competitors are at a disadvantage to RR Porsches in terms of acceleration. But then, when you have bags of grip, FR cars lord it all over FF cars in terms of off-the-line acceleration.

The weight over the drive-wheels definitely helped the Toronado power out of those turns. This is why they worked more on taking weight out of the rear of the car, to get a more favorable weight balance for the climb.

The Mini win was partially FWD, partially the ultra-light and narrow footprint (which meant not getting bogged in snow drifts while threading through the narrow furrows left by road clearing equipment), partially special new Goodyear tires, and partially the fact that a brief global cooling trend meant the mountain passes the Monaco Rally were run on were experiencing record snowfalls at the time.
 
Rear-drive or not, I can't get over how the front of this thing looks. Which is a shame, because I think the rest of the car looks good. Automatic only doesn't help either.

Uncool.
 
I have a limited knowledge of (but interested in) 60/70 US cars...

Is there any link between Oldsmobile and Buick? This car reminds me of a Buick Riviera build I saw on a Fast and Loud episode.
 
Stotty
Is there any link between Oldsmobile and Buick? This car reminds me of a Buick Riviera build I saw on a Fast and Loud episode.
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Yes - the Tornado, the 2nd generation Riviera and the 6th generation Cadillac Eldorado shared the E-body platform.
 
Out of the various different generations of the Toronado's 26-year lifespan, the first generation is unquestionably the most stylish. Toronados after this generation were usually generic and uninspiring, in typical post-fuel-crisis Oldsmobile fashion.

1975-1978 model:



1979-1985 model



1986-1992 model



And how can we refrain from mentioning the obscure Jetway 707, one of the most peculiar limousines to come from the States.

 
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