I convinced my parents to purchase a used 68 Toronado when I was in High School. The car was my all time favorite car. The car was mint, white with black top. Our car must have been the performance addition as it had black interior with rare bucket seats, auto on the floor and optional 4 piston disc brakes. Was like driving a show car. It was a stiff ride as mentioned and did not like bumpy road surfaces. I took it over 125 one time on smooth road...was incredible.
My first love. I never cared about cars until I saw this car. Then I became obsessed with it. By the way, I owned a '67 Toronado and drove from Brooklyn to Upstate NY with 5 other guys and nobody complained about the room in the rear. The flat floor probably helped in that regard.
Best example I've seen in my 65 years! We test drove the sister car in either '66 or '67, the Riviera in Silver and black. Have owned an '84 Toronado. But this '66 just does it for me. Especially with the black/gold original CA plate as my '68 Mustang did.
@@tomadkins2866 I wonder if someone at Olds didn't try to make the UPP standard in Full-Size B-bodies and A bodies......Olds could have dominated the market by advertising and almost entirely front-wheel drive lineup... UPP - Unitized Power Package, longitudinal engine and divided transmission for front wheel drive. It was so well engineered GMC used it in motorhomes.
Gorgeous car! So athletic-looking and, as you said, Adam, a very pure design. Why can’t anybody design stuff like this anymore? Government regulations? Lack of imagination and talent? Bean-counter interference? Probably some of all of the above. Also love that color- both inside and out. Thanks, Adam!
I had a beautiful light blue Toro, with the wrap around rear glass and literally every option; imho the most beautiful car I've ever seen. Took a business trip to Europe, left it in the care of my brother with instructions "NOT TO TOUCH IT". His whacko wife somehow found the keys, took her friends out for a joyride and totaled it :( Talk about sad:(((((
The best comment that I ever read regarding the styling of the original Toronado came from Tom McCahill of Mechanics Illustrated magazine. He said that it was styled along the lines of a female Russian athlete. I couldn’t agree more!
McCahill - The Godfather of automotive journalism. He was witty, erudite, and unsparing of the manufacturers’ feelings, or advertising dollars. People who didn’t give a damn about cars but knew good writing when the saw it - in Mechanics Illustrated, no less - would happily polish off one of his reviews and ask for more.
My memories of the Oles Toronado are; On a rare snow day in January 1966 in metro Atlanta, with enough snow for the streets to be lightly covered and schools to be canceled. I was hanging out with some of my High School friends at a McDonald's when a New Toronado drove by with chains on, I cracked up laughing and pointed it out to my buddies, they thought I was laughing because there wasn't that much snow for chains. And I told them I was amused because the car was a front-wheel drive! I then had to convince them that there was such a thing!!! My first FWD was a 1974 FIAT 128 SL Coupe a very fun car after the engine was 'ABARTH'ed in Europe, HP went from 74ps to 89ps! I traded it in for one of the four FIAT Super Brava's 1980
Would love to see some 79-85 Toro/Riv/Eldo love. Maybe some knowledge on the right Olds 307. Alway learn something when I watch. Great balance of cool cars and industry knowledge and trivia.
Aside form the 62 Plymouth, this has to be one of the first shoulder less/fuselage American cars and they did it so well! What a beautiful car! Beautiful color in and out!
Beautiful! My neighbors had a white '66 bought new, was a very impressive car. By the way, the '71 Toro always seemed to me like a reincarnation of the '67-'70 Eldorado.
As always, Adam, your commentary is outstanding! I honestly can’t believe there was a time when I thought your videos were “dry” (they’re definitely NOT!). Thanks for always making the car the star & for sharing your wealth of knowledge. ALWAYS look forward to hearing what you have to say!
Thanks for showing us this one. That would be so awesome to cruise in. Your adding to my really wish I owned that list - time to buy one of them lottery tickets.
Love your content. In 1979 at the tender age of 16 I was given my grandmother's '73 Riviera. Burgundy with white landau and white leather interior. Console shifter and every electronic feature under the sun. I loved that car and will always have a soft spot for Buick and Oldsmobiles of that era.
I think it’s interesting to consider the styling evolutions of Toronado / Riviera / Eldorado over the 1967 to 1971 era… Toronado and Riviera, more fastback styling, kind of tracking similar macro themes despite very different drivelines… including the oddball 1970 models which looked quite different from both 67-69 and 71-up. Whereas with Eldorado, 1970 didn’t look different or out of place compared to the direct predecessors or successors. The styling evolution seemed more continuous at Cadillac, without a 1970 diversion so to speak. Then, it’s interesting that the macro 3-box shape of Toronado and Eldorado seemed to use very similar themes and proportions (to my eye anyway) in 1971, in keeping with the similar driveline architecture, while Buick became the ‘odd man out’ with the fastback roofline and boattail rear treatment.
This color is fantastic and really does the Toro's lines justice. Love the matching interior too! These are some of the coolest cars ever made... which is really saying something, when almost everything GM was building in this era was pretty nice... like that 68 DeVille beside it! And can't forget the completion, the Landau TBird Sedan on the other side is another beauty. I'd love to see a video talking about the journey of the T Bird from sports car to overstuffed luxury car (even offering four doors) by the late 60s. I'd love to get your perspective on it all from a finance POV. I think it would also be a great car to do a styling rundown with Mark.
Never noticed this before, but the opening pic of the Toronado tail light panel profile looks like it provided inspiration to the designers of the '67-'71 Thunderbird - and look what's parked right next to it... Wow, 93,000+ miles on this nearly flawless example! When did the console with floor shift become available? I remember looking into a Toronado for the first time as a little kid, and seeing the unique at the time floating shifter handle. Pretty sure it was a '66 or '67. I'd forgotten about those somewhat drastically inset headlights on the '68-'70 models.
Excellent segment. I rode in one of these in the late 1960s as a kid, and thought it came across as kind of a big Camaro. Definitely not a plushmobile. Many years later I purchased a beautiful example from a Scottsdale collector and loved every minute of it for the years that I owned it. I quickly discovered it attracted a huge amount of attention, including drivers making wild maneuvers on the freeway to get a better look, some appearing completely perplexed by what they were witnessing.
My Dad’s Citroën caused a rear-ender in our small town when an oncoming farmer in his pickup was so amazed by the DS, he stuck his head out the window to gawk at it as it went by and rear-ended the car in front of him.
One of the most fascinating cars of the decade, the '66 Toronado! Originally conceived as an American-style driver-centric grand touring coupe, the Toronado got caught outside the parameters of the "personal luxury" coupe craze. Ford understood the market and the Thunderbird was joined by the Continental Mark III - object lessons on personal luxury. Every change made to the Toronado after '66 was an attempt to redirect the car and bring it inline with the personal luxury buyers expectations. Sales numbers tell the story.
Nobody could build a Car like this today. Our Family car is a 65 Impala SS L87. Wife wanted a new car. We bought her a 68 Camaro Convertible 327 4 Speed.
Truly a magnificent machine and one of my top 5 dream cars. Just got done watching Scott and Alex, over at Coldwar Motors driving his red Citroen SM. Both cars share the same vision. Thanks for sharing
Adam, your postings from these recent car shows are my dream life. Thank you for sharing them, and as always thank you for sharing your expertise and passion for this era of the automobile in our country.
My favorite color for the 66 Tornado. It is the best looking of the first generation. The 68 is pretty cool. 67 I don't like the grill. They were hard on front tires and as I remember they had a custom designed tire for them. Maybe firmer sidewalls or rubber compunds or something. My grandfather had a 62 Starfire coupe and he wanted a 66 Tornado but my grandmother didn't like it so they kept the Starfire. Love your videos.
They were hard on front shocks, too. But who cares? The ‘66 Toronado was so beautiful. My Dad had a ‘63 Starfire convertible that gave him shoulder bursitis opening its huge driver’s door. By the late ‘60s he’d gone over to the big Citroëns and never looked back. This was in Canada, where Citroën was much better established than in the USA.
I like the style of the fwd Toronado. It's a shame that this drivetrain was never used for a spacious station wagon or van. Would've been epic family transport!
I remember when this iconic car came out. I would have been around 8 years old. The '66 Tornado was unlike any production car in fact as a kid I viewed it as being like a show-car i.e. one of those extravagant one-off cars that you saw at a car show but was never intended for production. This show-car made it into production! I love the interior of this model which appears to be just about fully-loaded with power-windows all around with beautiful chrome switchgear although as you note no automatic climate-control. What I find unusual however is that there was no center console shift lever. The shift lever was on the steering stock which seems weird for a car with front bucket seats. A longer center console extending up to the dash with center shift lever would have been more sporty looking IMO and would also help delineate the driver position negating the need for the black flooring under the driver position. Of course '66 was the best year. The Tornado became progressively pedestrian with each following model year until it just became.....blah!
Well, here you are again with one of the most incredible cars ever! I remember seeing this in my hometown when there was a dealership party introducing new cars. The price tag was $6000. and I almost fainted. Great memories. The vehicles on each side of this Toronado are the 1967 Thunderbird 4-door Landau (suicide doors) which I owned along with the 1968 Cadillac Sedan de Ville I owned in the early 70s. Mine was the hardtop. Woulda, shoulda kept them!
Thank you for this post Adam. I did not see this coming. It was informative. I have seen bucket seat models of Toronado online with the horse show floor shifter. I have never seen them with bucket seats with a column shifter. This was interesting to see. That car influenced Toronado until the end in 1992. I see it in the front and rear styling. The seat design was almost like this 1966 in 1992.
Goodday Adam, Recently a Toronado sold here in Australia with bucket seats & centre console with shifter for approx $10,000 Aussie dollars about $6,500 USD. I was seriously consider buying it just because of the buckets & centre shift. Great video as per usual. Your number 1 Fan in Australia Louis Kats from Melbourne Australia ☺ 👍 ❤
Watching blonde haired, blue eyed, stunningly beautiful Rebecca Manley drive this exact automobile into her dormitory's parking lot was a never-to-be-forgotten experience. I know this.
When I was about 5 or 6 I used to think all those GM cars with the vents on the trunk were rear engined because the Beetle had those vents in the back and my dad told me that's how the engine was cooled.😄
What a cool car. By far the better looking than later versions. Love the huge aluminum brake drums. 2 pitch stator, 2 stall speeds... wow!! Bucket seats - stunning
Thanks for the video - one thing I was surprised you didn't mention because it was a big deal back then - if it was not the first, it was one of the first, cars made by GM with front wheel drive. It had incredible acceleration and as you can see in the video, no large hump on the interior floor because of course it had no drive shaft...
You are back to 66 Tor again which has me/us reflecting yet again. This car is paradoxical. It was intended for sports luxury and yet sales almost doubled in 71' as you stated in numbers. My uncle had a 74' Tor and I was young but it was like a Cadillac to me. Very smooth and impressive. As I have previously stated, I love the 66 Charger, but this Toronado stands on its own beside it. The only difference is that the buyer at the time may have loved the Charger but this was more elegant friendly yet sporty at the same time which suited a certain market to be sure. The 1970's versions were clearly for the buyers who wanted a Cadillac feel of a car in my humble opinion, from another GM brand name. Possibly slightly more affordable than a Cadillac and in a league of it's own. GM was very astute in making each brand compete against each other and not just with other companies. It appears to have been a very progressive time. BTW..if you get a chance, can you feature a 66 Charger and a 68? Lol. Thanks man. Cheers.
This looks like a Freewheelers or Great Autos event. They have the best cars! It's sad that the Toro lost is fuselage rear quarter in 1969 the same year Chrysler Corp jumped on the bandwagon. Before '69 they toned down the beautiful roof that flowed into the quarter panels by offering a vinyl top in '67 (?) breaking the flow until they retooled in '69 to give the body a crease from the bottom of the rear window to the rear corner to the rear corner separating the roof from the body. It also looks like a rear of the '69 was extended a few inches eliminating the blunt rear. My eyes may be playing tricks on me but it looks as if the flow of the backlight and trunk resembled the Riviera's but seeing that both cars shared glass and inner body structures you never know. Thanks and keep up the good work Adam. I learn something new with every video you post.
The Riviera of that vintage did have a full frame and coil springs at all four corners giving it a better and quieter ride. The Olds definitely had the advantage of front wheel drive and a flat floor for more interior comfort. Both cars had very similar performance, but the brakes on the Buick were far better than the Olds due to the aluminum front drums on the Buick.
Beauty, that interior is top notch.
What a beauty, what a treasure!!
I convinced my parents to purchase a used 68 Toronado when I was in High School. The car was my all time favorite car. The car was mint, white with black top. Our car must have been the performance addition as it had black interior with rare bucket seats, auto on the floor and optional 4 piston disc brakes. Was like driving a show car. It was a stiff ride as mentioned and did not like bumpy road surfaces. I took it over 125 one time on smooth road...was incredible.
Olds always had something a little extra to offer...this is a really nice one too
BEAUTIFUL example there - great to see one well cared for, in such pristine shape.
The 66 Tornado is revolutionary & iconic!!! This rare version is a real treat to see!!!! Thanks Adam for sharing this exciting video!!! 👍👍🙂
1966 was the best year by far! Love that colour too! Awesome car show refreshingly free of endless hotrods...
Still a gorgeous car today! This was a fantastic car show.
The '66 Toronado's styling is still exciting to see ...57 years later!
Many of these have survived too. Still one of the best looking gm vehicles ever
My first love. I never cared about cars until I saw this car. Then I became obsessed with it. By the way, I owned a '67 Toronado and drove from Brooklyn to Upstate NY with 5 other guys and nobody complained about the room in the rear. The flat floor probably helped in that regard.
66 Toro is in my bucket list! I'd settle for a 67 if i had to, but 66 is the most beautiful for sure!
Agreed. Between the 66 and 67 toro. I prefer the 66. Too bad the 66 didn't have the disc brake option for the front.
Best example I've seen in my 65 years! We test drove the sister car in either '66 or '67, the Riviera in Silver and black. Have owned an '84 Toronado. But this '66 just does it for me. Especially with the black/gold original CA plate as my '68 Mustang did.
Wow - that Toronado is in exquisite condition…….😮
Except for the engine. It's a 455 from 70 instead of the original 425 from 66.
Except for the engine, which wasn't the original . He has a 455 1970 engine in this '66 car.
I'm a Ford guy, and I think the 66 to 68 Toronado was hands-down the most beautiful car of the entire 60s.
It really has no equal.
That interior too
Agree
Yep, I love my fords. However, I would almost sell my soul for a 66-68 Toro. Olds and Buick really had some cool things going on in those years.
@@tomadkins2866 I wonder if someone at Olds didn't try to make the UPP standard in Full-Size B-bodies and A bodies......Olds could have dominated the market by advertising and almost entirely front-wheel drive lineup...
UPP - Unitized Power Package, longitudinal engine and divided transmission for front wheel drive.
It was so well engineered GMC used it in motorhomes.
66 Riviera is cooler but to each his own
What a beautiful automobile. Your knowledge of cars is astounding, along with
your mechanical skills. Your stable of autos is a moving museum.
Adam, I'm commenting here just after having seen YOUR OWN Toronado in the same color. 😃😃😃 It lets me celebrate twice.
Beautiful car in a GREAT color!
Gorgeous car! So athletic-looking and, as you said, Adam, a very pure design. Why can’t anybody design stuff like this anymore? Government regulations? Lack of imagination and talent? Bean-counter interference? Probably some of all of the above. Also love that color- both inside and out. Thanks, Adam!
I had a beautiful light blue Toro, with the wrap around rear glass and literally every option; imho the most beautiful car I've ever seen. Took a business trip to Europe, left it in the care of my brother with instructions "NOT TO TOUCH IT". His whacko wife somehow found the keys, took her friends out for a joyride and totaled it :( Talk about sad:(((((
That ‘66 body style is the coolest!! Great video!
...and one of the first modern production cars with front wheel drive!👍
The best comment that I ever read regarding the styling of the original Toronado came from Tom McCahill of Mechanics Illustrated magazine. He said that it was styled along the lines of a female Russian athlete. I couldn’t agree more!
I never did like those Toronados. This was my first glimpse of the interior, and I did like that.
McCahill - The Godfather of automotive journalism. He was witty, erudite, and unsparing of the manufacturers’ feelings, or advertising dollars. People who didn’t give a damn about cars but knew good writing when the saw it - in Mechanics Illustrated, no less - would happily polish off one of his reviews and ask for more.
My memories of the Oles Toronado are; On a rare snow day in January 1966 in metro Atlanta, with enough snow for the streets to be lightly covered and schools to be canceled. I was hanging out with some of my High School friends at a McDonald's when a New Toronado drove by with chains on, I cracked up laughing and pointed it out to my buddies, they thought I was laughing because there wasn't that much snow for chains. And I told them I was amused because the car was a front-wheel drive! I then had to convince them that there was such a thing!!!
My first FWD was a 1974 FIAT 128 SL Coupe a very fun car after the engine was 'ABARTH'ed in Europe, HP went from 74ps to 89ps! I traded it in for one of the four FIAT Super Brava's 1980
A beautiful example, thanks Adam!
Would love to see some 79-85 Toro/Riv/Eldo love. Maybe some knowledge on the right Olds 307. Alway learn something when I watch.
Great balance of cool cars and industry knowledge and trivia.
At thirteen years old I knew this was one of the most innovative and best styling designs of the 60’s decade.
Beautiful car. Love it!
Aside form the 62 Plymouth, this has to be one of the first shoulder less/fuselage American cars and they did it so well! What a beautiful car! Beautiful color in and out!
Beautiful! My neighbors had a white '66 bought new, was a very impressive car. By the way, the '71 Toro always seemed to me like a reincarnation of the '67-'70 Eldorado.
Absolutely state of the art in 1966 first mass produced front wheel drive car since Cord, no holds barred styling.
THIS is GM at its finest.. Stunning and Gorgeous/. This car does nothing wrong
Most handsome of all the Toronados. Thanks for sharing
As always, Adam, your commentary is outstanding! I honestly can’t believe there was a time when I thought your videos were “dry” (they’re definitely NOT!). Thanks for always making the car the star & for sharing your wealth of knowledge. ALWAYS look forward to hearing what you have to say!
Thx!
My step-father bought a new '66 Toronado in Trumpet Gold.... Best color, was featured in all '66 Olds adds
Beautiful Car.
Thanks for showing us this one. That would be so awesome to cruise in. Your adding to my really wish I owned that list - time to buy one of them lottery tickets.
Love your content. In 1979 at the tender age of 16 I was given my grandmother's '73 Riviera. Burgundy with white landau and white leather interior. Console shifter and every electronic feature under the sun. I loved that car and will always have a soft spot for Buick and Oldsmobiles of that era.
Boat tail! Love that car. This 66 is magnificent. The design is of its time, while being classically timeless.
I remember being in my Great Aunts as a kid back in 1966. Her’s was Navy Blue with a white interior. I loved that mph dial and the hide away lights.
I love these cars I had a 68 Toronado wish I still had it.
Absolutely breathtaking!
I think it’s interesting to consider the styling evolutions of Toronado / Riviera / Eldorado over the 1967 to 1971 era…
Toronado and Riviera, more fastback styling, kind of tracking similar macro themes despite very different drivelines… including the oddball 1970 models which looked quite different from both 67-69 and 71-up.
Whereas with Eldorado, 1970 didn’t look different or out of place compared to the direct predecessors or successors. The styling evolution seemed more continuous at Cadillac, without a 1970 diversion so to speak.
Then, it’s interesting that the macro 3-box shape of Toronado and Eldorado seemed to use very similar themes and proportions (to my eye anyway) in 1971, in keeping with the similar driveline architecture, while Buick became the ‘odd man out’ with the fastback roofline and boattail rear treatment.
This color is fantastic and really does the Toro's lines justice. Love the matching interior too! These are some of the coolest cars ever made... which is really saying something, when almost everything GM was building in this era was pretty nice... like that 68 DeVille beside it! And can't forget the completion, the Landau TBird Sedan on the other side is another beauty. I'd love to see a video talking about the journey of the T Bird from sports car to overstuffed luxury car (even offering four doors) by the late 60s. I'd love to get your perspective on it all from a finance POV. I think it would also be a great car to do a styling rundown with Mark.
That is a beautiful color.
And the '71-'78 generation had really cramped rear seats, too, even though they were bigger.
The 66 is a stunning car, but I also really like the styling of the 71
That car is a spaceship compared to everything else that year. AWESOME 😎
Thanks for visiting LCCI's 2022 Detroit Invitational!
Never noticed this before, but the opening pic of the Toronado tail light panel profile looks like it provided inspiration to the designers of the '67-'71 Thunderbird - and look what's parked right next to it... Wow, 93,000+ miles on this nearly flawless example!
When did the console with floor shift become available? I remember looking into a Toronado for the first time as a little kid, and seeing the unique at the time floating shifter handle. Pretty sure it was a '66 or '67. I'd forgotten about those somewhat drastically inset headlights on the '68-'70 models.
With out question, the best of the Toronado years. This one is a real beauty, I don't ever recall seeing one with buckets!
Excellent segment. I rode in one of these in the late 1960s as a kid, and thought it came across as kind of a big Camaro. Definitely not a plushmobile. Many years later I purchased a beautiful example from a Scottsdale collector and loved every minute of it for the years that I owned it. I quickly discovered it attracted a huge amount of attention, including drivers making wild maneuvers on the freeway to get a better look, some appearing completely perplexed by what they were witnessing.
My Dad’s Citroën caused a rear-ender in our small town when an oncoming farmer in his pickup was so amazed by the DS, he stuck his head out the window to gawk at it as it went by and rear-ended the car in front of him.
Superb! Such a handsome car, in a stunning color. Thanks, Adam 👍
🖖🙏🇨🇦
One of the most fascinating cars of the decade, the '66 Toronado! Originally conceived as an American-style driver-centric grand touring coupe, the Toronado got caught outside the parameters of the "personal luxury" coupe craze. Ford understood the market and the Thunderbird was joined by the Continental Mark III - object lessons on personal luxury. Every change made to the Toronado after '66 was an attempt to redirect the car and bring it inline with the personal luxury buyers expectations. Sales numbers tell the story.
Nobody could build a Car like this today. Our Family car is a 65 Impala SS L87. Wife wanted a new car. We bought her a 68 Camaro Convertible 327 4 Speed.
That interior was beautiful and well put together.
Truly a magnificent machine and one of my top 5 dream cars.
Just got done watching Scott and Alex, over at Coldwar Motors driving his red Citroen SM. Both cars share the same vision.
Thanks for sharing
Oldsmobile bought a Citroën DS to help them sort out the Toro’s front-wheel drive.
@@johntechwriterThe Toronado driveline layout is totally different to the DS.
Adam, your postings from these recent car shows are my dream life. Thank you for sharing them, and as always thank you for sharing your expertise and passion for this era of the automobile in our country.
Thx!
I would say that the 1966 Olds Toronado was one of the best styled cars EVER! A magnificent design, to be sure!
One of my favorite cars of all time. I’ve never seen this color
My favorite color for the 66 Tornado. It is the best looking of the first generation. The 68 is pretty cool. 67 I don't like the grill. They were hard on front tires and as I remember they had a custom designed tire for them. Maybe firmer sidewalls or rubber compunds or something. My grandfather had a 62 Starfire coupe and he wanted a 66 Tornado but my grandmother didn't like it so they kept the Starfire. Love your videos.
They were hard on front shocks, too. But who cares? The ‘66 Toronado was so beautiful. My Dad had a ‘63 Starfire convertible that gave him shoulder bursitis opening its huge driver’s door. By the late ‘60s he’d gone over to the big Citroëns and never looked back. This was in Canada, where Citroën was much better established than in the USA.
I had a 71. Absolutely loved it! 😎
What a work of art. There was Toronado GT too that I'd like to see you do a piece on. I've actually thought this was a GT at first.
1970 GT, W-34, 455/400hp.
@@skinnerhound2660 and 510 ft lb’s of torque
I love my gold deluxe 66. Thank you David North for styling it. The best looking GM car ever imo. Followed by the 63 Corvette.
I like the style of the fwd Toronado. It's a shame that this drivetrain was never used for a spacious station wagon or van. Would've been epic family transport!
I just looked at the picture of the Pontiac toronado station wagon, and I take back my comment. It looks totally weird!
Check out the '73-'78 GMC motorhome. It utilized a slightly modified Toronado drivetrain.
@@joevincenti5807 oh yeah I love that and it's on my bucket list! Now imagine a cargo van version, and a bus. I wish!
@@joevincenti5807 oh yeah I love that and it's on my bucket list! Now imagine a cargo van version, and a bus. I wish!
Beautiful car!
Adam, thank you for your well done postings. Always very detailed packed!
interviews
I remember when this iconic car came out. I would have been around 8 years old. The '66 Tornado was unlike any production car in fact as a kid I viewed it as being like a show-car i.e. one of those extravagant one-off cars that you saw at a car show but was never intended for production. This show-car made it into production!
I love the interior of this model which appears to be just about fully-loaded with power-windows all around with beautiful chrome switchgear although as you note no automatic climate-control.
What I find unusual however is that there was no center console shift lever. The shift lever was on the steering stock which seems weird for a car with front bucket seats. A longer center console extending up to the dash with center shift lever would have been more sporty looking IMO and would also help delineate the driver position negating the need for the black flooring under the driver position.
Of course '66 was the best year. The Tornado became progressively pedestrian with each following model year until it just became.....blah!
Beautiful car 🤩 this model year, particularly this car with that interior and steering wheel is the coolest 😎 in my opinion!
Well, here you are again with one of the most incredible cars ever! I remember seeing this in my hometown when there was a dealership party introducing new cars. The price tag was $6000. and I almost fainted. Great memories. The vehicles on each side of this Toronado are the 1967 Thunderbird 4-door Landau (suicide doors) which I owned along with the 1968 Cadillac Sedan de Ville I owned in the early 70s. Mine was the hardtop. Woulda, shoulda kept them!
Thank you for this post Adam. I did not see this coming. It was informative. I have seen bucket seat models of Toronado online with the horse show floor shifter. I have never seen them with bucket seats with a column shifter. This was interesting to see. That car influenced Toronado until the end in 1992. I see it in the front and rear styling. The seat design was almost like this 1966 in 1992.
Goodday Adam,
Recently a Toronado sold here in Australia with bucket seats & centre console with shifter for approx $10,000 Aussie dollars about $6,500 USD.
I was seriously consider buying it just because of the buckets & centre shift.
Great video as per usual.
Your number 1 Fan in Australia
Louis Kats from Melbourne Australia ☺ 👍 ❤
Gorgeous car. Always loved this car.
What a cool/sexy car. Thanks for the great video!
Watching blonde haired, blue eyed, stunningly beautiful Rebecca Manley drive this exact automobile into her dormitory's parking lot was a never-to-be-forgotten experience. I know this.
Great tutorial! I’m amazed how much you know about cars, love it! Thanks for sharing.
Head and shoulders the most significant American car design of the ‘60s.
Saw an Avanti in the background, love to hear your thoughts on those. Agreed the Toronado had great styling.
Forget all those Camaros , Firebirds , Mustangs and Chargers ......THIS is a cool car !
Beautiful car
Very special vehicle! Man, I just love it.
Maybe one of the best looking American cars of all time
I'm seeing the 67/68? Cadillac next to the Toronado. Loved those pillared sedans.
My Favorite Adam! And PERFECT WOW!
I spy a four-door bird sitting next door! I've always wanted one just because on how odd they were.
Mint condition beautiful car.
I had a 67 in high school back in 1987. Had the rare high nickel clock from 30 to 90 mph that car was pretty fast for a 4400 tank
Really a stunning car
An absolutely gorgeous car! I’ve never seen a bucket-seat Toro before! Thank you for bringing us this one Adam!
When I was about 5 or 6 I used to think all those GM cars with the vents on the trunk were rear engined because the Beetle had those vents in the back and my dad told me that's how the engine was cooled.😄
What a cool car. By far the better looking than later versions.
Love the huge aluminum brake drums.
2 pitch stator, 2 stall speeds... wow!!
Bucket seats - stunning
2:57 The dashboard with the “floating” instrument panel was later used on the 1989 Buick Reatta and Riviera!
Good video Adam. Very nice car.
Thanks.
Thanks for the video - one thing I was surprised you didn't mention because it was a big deal back then - if it was not the first, it was one of the first, cars made by GM with front wheel drive. It had incredible acceleration and as you can see in the video, no large hump on the interior floor because of course it had no drive shaft...
What a beauty!
Beautiful car, styling caried over to CTS models for the wheel treatment.
I feel that the Toronado is more striking than beautiful. Same year Riviera is beautiful. And, I love Oldsmobiles, even though mine died on me.
You are back to 66 Tor again which has me/us reflecting yet again. This car is paradoxical. It was intended for sports luxury and yet sales almost doubled in 71' as you stated in numbers. My uncle had a 74' Tor and I was young but it was like a Cadillac to me. Very smooth and impressive. As I have previously stated, I love the 66 Charger, but this Toronado stands on its own beside it. The only difference is that the buyer at the time may have loved the Charger but this was more elegant friendly yet sporty at the same time which suited a certain market to be sure. The 1970's versions were clearly for the buyers who wanted a Cadillac feel of a car in my humble opinion, from another GM brand name. Possibly slightly more affordable than a Cadillac and in a league of it's own. GM was very astute in making each brand compete against each other and not just with other companies. It appears to have been a very progressive time. BTW..if you get a chance, can you feature a 66 Charger and a 68? Lol. Thanks man. Cheers.
Sure
Stunning!
What a beautiful car. Thank you for featuring it, Adam! I know the owner and he is very proud of it.
It’s an awesome car
Very handsome car, although my eye was drawn to what looks to be that white four-door 1967(?) Thunderbird sitting next to it.
This looks like a Freewheelers or Great Autos event. They have the best cars!
It's sad that the Toro lost is fuselage rear quarter in 1969 the same year Chrysler Corp jumped on the bandwagon. Before '69 they toned down the beautiful roof that flowed into the quarter panels by offering a vinyl top in '67 (?) breaking the flow until they retooled in '69 to give the body a crease from the bottom of the rear window to the rear corner to the rear corner separating the roof from the body. It also looks like a rear of the '69 was extended a few inches eliminating the blunt rear. My eyes may be playing tricks on me but it looks as if the flow of the backlight and trunk resembled the Riviera's but seeing that both cars shared glass and inner body structures you never know. Thanks and keep up the good work Adam. I learn something new with every video you post.
The Riviera of that vintage did have a full frame and coil springs at all four corners giving it a better and quieter ride. The Olds definitely had the advantage of front wheel drive and a flat floor for more interior comfort. Both cars had very similar performance, but the brakes on the Buick were far better than the Olds due to the aluminum front drums on the Buick.