1967 Oldsmobile Toronado--SOLD (Maine) - $0
Finished in Aspen Green, this is one of America's first front wheel drive cars. This superb driving car is the Deluxe version. The VIN is 396877M613145, where:
3=Oldsmobile
9687=Toronado Deluxe
7=1967
M=Lansing, MI production plan
613145=Production Sequence.
This Deluxe Model had an upgraded interior. Strato back front seats featured a unique sew pattern and side trim panels, door assist handles, full length armrests, rear door latches, a front seat center armrest and door panel courtesy lamps.
Here's some history on this groundbreaking automobile: The Oldsmobile Toronado is a personal luxury car produced by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors from 1966 to 1992. Designed to transcend Ford Thunderbird and GM's own Buick Riviera, with it's all new transaxle version of GM's Turbohydramatic transmission the Toronado is historically significant as the first U.S.-produced front-wheel drive automobile since the demise of the Cord in 1937. The Toronado placed third in the 1966 European Car of the Year contest, a distinction no other American car has achieved before or since, and won the 1966 Motor Trend Car of the Year award in the U.S. The unusual Toronado powertrain, which combined an engine and transmission into an engine bay no larger than a conventional rear-wheel drive car, was dubbed the Unitized Power Package (UPP). The name "Toronado" was chosen for the new model, which has no linguistic meaning and was originally invented for a 1963 Chevrolet show car.
As debuted, the innovative Toronado featured such GM developments as the:
Heavy-duty Turbo-Hydramatic 400 three-speed automatic transmission (named THM425 in FWD form)
Spherical shaped exhaust-manifold flange gaskets, which provided freedom of movement in the exhaust system and prevented leaks
"Draft-Free" ventilation system, which reduced wind noise considerably by eliminating conventional front-door vent windows
Firestone also designed an 8.85" x 15" tire especially for the Toronado called the TFD (Toronado-Front-Drive) tire. It had a stiffer sidewall than normal, and the tread and stylishly thin white pin-stripe were also unique.
To power the car, Oldsmobile engineers selected a conventional, although performance-boosted, Olds 425 cu in (7 L) Super Rocket V8 rated at 385 hp (287 kW) and 475 ft·lb (644 N·m) of torque. It provided an increase of 10 hp (7.5 kW) over the Starfire 425, and an increase of 20 hp (15 kW) over the standard 425 engine in the Ninety-Eight. The Toronado's intake manifold was unique and was depressed down to allow for engine hood clearance. The Turbo-Hydramatic heavy-duty three-speed automatic transmission became available during development of the Toronado. Called the TH425 in FWD form, the transmission's torque converter was separated from its planetary gearset, with the torque converter driving the gearset through a 2 in (51 mm) wide silent chain-drive called Hy-Vo, riding on two 7.5 in (19 cm) sprockets. The Toronado was GM's first subframe automobile, which means it was partly unitized, and used a subframe that ended at the forward end of the rear suspension leaf springs, serving as an attachment point for the springs. It carried the powertrain, front suspension and floorpan, allowing greater isolation of road and engine harshness (the design was conceptually similar to the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird that would debut for 1967).
Brakes were hydraulically-operated 11 in (279 mm) drums, which were generally considered the Toronado's weak link. Being a rather heavy car, after several panic stops, the brake drums would overheat, resulting in considerable fade and long stopping distances. The 1967 addition of vented front disc brakes as an option provided substantial improvement. The Toronado's UPP enabled the interior to have a completely flat floor. As with many coupes, the Toronado featured elongated doors to allow easier access for passengers entering the rear seats. Door-latch handles were even duplicated at the rear of each door enabling passengers to open the doors without having to reach over or around the front seat; this feature was also available on the other two E-bodies, continuing until 1980 on the Eldorado.
Drivers faced a highly stylized steering wheel with a double-delta shaped horn ring which framed the view of an unusual "slot-machine" speedometer, which consisted of a stationary horizontal "needle" and a vertically rotating black drum on which the numerals were printed in white. The numerals descended behind the needle as the vehicle gained speed. All other gauges, indicators and controls were grouped within fairly easy reach of the driver.
