Buick had its own 455 engine!...I had a 72 Electra with that engine...of course, it had been detuned a little due to the emissions deal, but would still move that barge of a car very quickly down the road.
While in high school auto mechanics (1977) , we often worked on students cars. A girl in my school had a 1970 Toronado that would come in the shop occasionally. I was impressed looking up in our Motors Manual's the horsepower of these Oldsmobiles. I took a compression test of this engine and the gauge registered over 220 PSI. Interestingly I lost a socket my junior year only to find it in my senior year on the intake manifold of that Toronado!
As a longtime (30 years) Collectible Automobile magazine reader, this is video automotive journalism every bit as worthy to follow closely. A real service to the automotive community. My parents had the 1967 Tornado in white with burgundy red interior. I have a few very hazy memories now of this car in real time. These days, my strongest memories are the few memories of the few pictures where this Tornado was seen; not as the focus of the picture, but as an unremarkable thing in the background of a family picture. Great feature, thank you.
1966 and 67 Toronados were the best looking of the bunch, although the back window of the 1977 Toronado XSR is wicked cool. Thanks Adam for keeping American automotive alive.....
I used to own a 1966 Dynamic. I knew of a 66 Toronado in the parking lot of an old folks home, white with the checkerboard crap in it and the weird speedometer. I always said to myself, "you've got to find out who owns this car." Anyway, years later I'm at my friend's house and this dude drives up with THE car and my jaw drops. Turns out he bought it for $1500. Very nice, all original, a little tired, but that sounds like your aunt Lucy, doesn't it? I was so jealous. All I had to do was go ask someone who owned it and I was worried about coming up with four times the price (mind blown). She could have been mine.
Totally agree, mike marin. 66 & 67 are the best looking. I also prefer the 425 over the 455. I also liked the 79-85 run, although they were unreliable.
Oldsmobiles were really special cars, especially up until 1970. They were the innovator division of the General, the 303 was the first factory hot rod. I have owned an original rust free documented 1970 442 for years. 455 with 342 gears is a unique torque monster ride and surprisingly nimble. I realize the division was in decline, however, its demise is an unfortunate footnote in GM history.
Nobody said Oldsmobiles were for old people in 1953 or 1957. $$2 was the icing on the cake. It's too bad GM killed them, I will shed a tear, but what they did to Pontiac makes me want to launch nuclear missiles at random countries. I had a 1966 Dynamic 88, one of the best cars I've ever owned. You had to judge your distance when braking but passing was a breeze. It was like driving your living room on the highway. It always started in sub-zero weather, never let me down. 425 inches of cubic goodness.
@@tiki_trash GM killed BOP in an effort to get the prices seen on specialty European cars which were sold in small quantities. No doubt their Wall Street masters call. At the end the sales figures on Pontiacs were astounding, mainly to GM owned rental fleets. Incredible.
@tiki_trash Those 425's were awesome for sure ... I'd take a 425 over a 455 all day long ! Sadly the real reason oldsmobile died was when they released the Aurora in 95 and changed their logo to 1 their long time customers didnt recognize. . The Aurora's list price was more than a Cadillac at the time and most people would just rather buy the caddy. I'm still mad 20 years later and I'm 1 of those people who bought 2 Auroras( 96 + a 2003 which I still own ) because I loved oldsmobile so much. Wish they woulda got rid of Buick instead of olds + pontiac
I remember seeing a 68 tornado in a demolition derby back in the early '80s. I couldn't believe it! I've seen so many cars that should have been restored demolished . This is one of the reasons why I hate demolition derbies..
I worked for a man who had a 68 Toranado, the front end was so heavy the tires only lasted 6000 miles no matter what brand or type of tire. He would leave the car at work for me and took a cab home. He would say to me just remember to pick me up in the morning and give me gas and spend money. I was 18 at the time. He treated me so well. I never did any thing to disappoint him. God rest his soul.
Uncle came back from Vietnam in late 1969 after saving since 1965 and paid cash for a 1970 deep green/green Toro GT with the W34 from Bob Brown Oldsmobile in Portland Oregon. That car was the rage for years for looks and performance. His Toro always took my dad's 1972 Lincoln 2 door Continental.
My parents bought a 1966 Toronado new. Two years later, my dad decided to trade it on a 1968 Toronado. I much preferred the 1966. Though the 1968 had beautiful metallic brownish/copper paint, and cruise control. In 1968, they also bought a 1968 442 convertible. At that time, I hadn't bought my first car, and was still dependent on borrowing one of theirs, if I wanted to go somewhere. My dad used to play this game with me, asking which one I wanted to take. I'd always say I don't care. And he would generally say, take the convertible, I don't want you driving that expensive Toronado. I'm sure he knew I wanted to take the 442.
Adam, After much deliberation, I have come to the inescapable conclusion that you need to add more classic Oldsmobiles (60s and early 70s) to your collection.🤩🤩
Agreed, one of my grandfather's was an Olds man so I got my fill of late eighties mid and full sized Oldsmobiles. Left me wanting more, but by the time I could drive the end had been announced.
@@DinsdalePiranha67 An Uncle had a 71 or 72 gold colored one with richly simulated wood paneling when I was young. The Vista Cruiser would be my top choice of the great Oldsmobiles but wagons are probably the hardest body style to find in the pristine state Adam seeks.
I had a '69 Toronado briefly. It was a monster of an auto with a huge hood long nose and acres of sheetmetal between the front wheels. and burnt valve. Later a diesel '84 diesel Toronado which kept for years and years Loved that long hood coupe and plush front seats
My favorite is the '66 Toronado. In 1968 I drove in one from Chicago to Milwaukee. Gold with black interior. Still remember that car vividly including the beautiful drum speedometer
I had a buddy in high school who’s dad had a brand new 66 Toronado in the red with matching interior. Such a beautiful car. I got to ride in it one time
Oldsmobile is my all time favorite automaker, and the 70 Tornado is my all time favorite car. I've had 2, one of them a GT. Amazing automobiles, love them!
Oldsmobile is my 2nd favorite car maker next to Pontiac. I’ve never owned a muscle car era car. They were all malaise era cars. One of my favorites was a 76 Toronado. I bought it as a winter beater to preserve my 89 Firebird Formula 350 from the rust belt winters. Even though it was a 76 model (the last year of the 455 and rated at a putrid 215 HP) it would lay black marks on the ground from just stomping on the gas from a standing stop with ease. It was by far the most comfortable car I ever rode in. It handled very poorly as sometimes a tractor trailer could take bends faster than it could. I kept that car for about 13 years and only sold it to the junkyard when the frame rusted out in the most odd place at the top of the rear wheel hump on the passenger side. I had it repaired and it lasted a few more years but rusted out again. The oddest part was the floors and trunk floor were spotless. I could never figure out why this happened. If not for that I’d still have it to this day. I bought it in 92 and got rid of it in 05 and still miss it to this day. My brother was a mechanic and said that 455 was the smoothest running engine he’d ever seen even though he hated that car for some reason. You could fill a cup to the brim and place it on the air cleaner and not only would it not spill a drop, the water didn’t move. Hopefully I’ll own another from 68-76 with the 455.
Had a 455cid 1969 Tornado. It was a monster. Front wheel drive felt like it was pulling you along. Also was a very comfortable car to be in for long trips.
My filks had a green '68 Toronado with the 455. That was the coolest car we ever had and they went through a lot of different cars over rhe years. It had power, great traction (important since we lived in a very snowy and hilly area), the flat rear floor where us young ones could sleep on long road trips, the cool rotating cylinder speedometer, the hidden headlights, a great grill, a large trunk, swooping lines, and a unique horn switch that was actuated simply by squeezing the steering wheel with your finger tips. It was just an awesome car!
GMs E-body, specifically the Toronado were beautiful cars. I wasn't aware that it was Olds most powerful vehicle at that time. It was my understanding that the idea behind the E-body was to eliminate the transmission hump from the interior of the car. It was cool to get inside such a beautiful car and enjoy that roomy interior. I got to overhaul a TH425 transmission many years ago. Although I was working at a Ford dealership at the time, we had a customer who was restoring a Riviera and asked me to go through the transmission for him. I was really impressed with the design of that transmission. It was simple but effective.
The GT model Toronado with 400 hp was a W-34 option and had a turbo-hydromatic 425. The W-34 engine had a different cam, E series heads, a different stall speed converter and some other goodies related to drivetrain. I had one, wish I still did.
Cool video. Takes me back to the days of 1983-87 when I had a '66 425 in a 77 442. THM400 with an 11" converter and a 3.55 10bolt. I now have a 86 442 with a 68 Olds 350 that runs 12.60s but the torque of that 425 in a bigger,heavier 77 442 felt quicker, especially when I'd drop it in 1st gear around 20mph and punch it. The 425 really pressed ya back in the seat. That 425 in my 1986 would be a monster since it weights about 300-400 pounds less.
I just sold a 1967 Toronado parts car with a complete 425 motor and TH 425 trans to a local that owns a Toronado. It was rusted and needed a hood but he needed a lot of interior parts and exterior trim parts. I knew I should have pulled the motor and sold it separately.
Owned both a 68 and a 69. 68 was my favorite car, even to this day. It was a long, wide, low, road-hugging cruising land yacht. J70's tires gripped the tarmac in the corners, the wind sliding over the body keeping it shined, you sit in comfort and listen to the tunes as you eat up the miles.
Who would care that the 68 Toronado wasn’t the fastest car. A car that beautiful is perfect for driving to be noticed. I had no idea such a beautifully designed car existed!
I owned a tornado with the 455...This thing would just smoke the tires forever..I even had a 455 rocket in my Sidewinder jetboat..I love those torque monsters
Had a 70' in the early 80's, it was very powerful! We'd be cruising at 70 mph and punch it, and it would throw your heads back! The front wheel drive burn outs were effortless.
When I was a teenager there was a guy that drove past my school in a blue Oldsmobile 442. The chrome bumper on the back and the overall shape of the car really made me a car fan . I blame that car and a few others for my addiction to all things auto. Thank you for your content.
I was in sixth grade when the Toronado came out and a neighbor of ours bought a maroon one just like the ads. People in our small city just stared at it when it drove past. The mother of my best friend bought a '68 in aqua with white interior and it was equally impressive. Great info!
These were like nothing that came before, even as a kid I understood that this was a V-8 with front drive, very unorthodox. My neighbor had a burgundy '69 and he would roast the front tires once in a while for a show! Beautiful cars.
The very first Oldsmobile I ever drove , was a 1961 Dynamic 88 . They were wonderful road cars and well suited for traveling long distances . It's truly a shame that General Motors discontinued both Pontiac and Oldsmobile .
Man what awesome, high style and content cars these were. A '70 GT has been on my bucket/lottery list for years. While this Gen is most folk's fav Toro, a high school friend's father had a near new '74 Toro, gorgeous in white over dark red, and I got to drive it a couple times and it blew my mind how cool it was...the original OG lol
I had a 1973 Toronado back when I was in high school in the early 1990's. The smooth 455 with the front wheel drive was the snow king in the Midwest Winters.
Back in the seventies one of the girls I went to high school with drove a 70 Toronado with the high horsepower engine!! It was fun to drive & get the front wheels to peel out!!! Merry Christmas 🎄⛄🤶
I had a ‘67 Delta 88 with the 425 4bbl when I was in college in the 80’s. I went to school 65 miles from home. The mileage was so bad that is cheaper for me to take the Greyhound to school than it was to drive. It was fast though. It also was great in towing my friend’s constantly broken Triumph Spitfire home.
i am a retired transmission rebuilder. i have rebuilt many of those transmissions in the Tornados. they had a turbo 425 transmission, they were simply a turbo 400 in a Sidways case. they were driven by a heavy-duty chain,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
My step brother had a 68 Toronado back in the early 70's. At the same time I had a 68 Cutlass S. It had the 330 CI 4bbl carburetor. Not as fast as the Toronado, but still pretty quick. Ironically, both were the same color, Silver, which was uncommon at the time.
Found an archived Car and Driver article and road test for the '68 Toronado with the 455 ci 400 hp engine. Listed: 0-60 in 7.7 sec. 1/4 mile in 15.7 sec. Top speed 129 mph. Curb weight 4655 lbs. I was looking for gas mileage, and listed figures of 10 - 13 mpg observed were higher than I anticipated.
Look at the market position of the Toronado. From it's magnificent 1966 debut, the car quickly found itself between the 1967 Eldorado on one side and the spectacular 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix on the other side. No one today talks about the ground breaking popularity of that 1969 Grand Prix. It was the GP that touched off the personal luxury craze of the '70's - while the Toronado became an "Eldorado-wannabe".
Although the original '66 Toronado is a design icon today, I actually prefer the more squared-off '70 model. It was a surprisingly good facelift. The '71 Toronado looked like anything else in the GM lineup with the exception of the front.
I was always interested in cars as a kid of the 50's. When the Tornado was introduced I was mesmerized by it's style and clean design. FWD was new for American cars and people debated whether it would holdup. Having spent North Country winters in a FWD Saab 96, I knew the Olds would be great in the snow. I remember car magazines featuring a gold metallic Toronado on the cover when it was introduced and I was hooked.
@tom Belgrade My first car when 17 yrs old was a gold ‘68, it was superb car in the snow, with the weight of the 455 over the front wheels you could drive thru 6-8” of snow with no problem. The only downside was you couldn’t do doughnuts in the snow for fun, the only choice was to throw it in reverse and do backwards doughnuts! Good times, good times 😀
Thanks, Adam. The original generation Toronado was such a special car; with incredible design to back up the special engineering. The massive 425 and 455 V8's with their "factory hot-rodding" were just the icing on the cake! Watching your video made me remember how sporty and elegant the Cutlass coupes were as well. Those designs were a high point for Oldsmobile - if not all of General Motors. I know many will argue that the "coke bottle" Pontiac GTO was better, but the "baby Toronado" wheel-centric designs of the Cutlass and 442 just never get old!
Thanks, Adam, for another great video. Love those original Toro's. The drivetrain was tough as nails, that massive drive chain from the torque converter to the transmission almost never needed attention or replacement. GM used the Toronado drive train in their motor homes of the time, as well as some other RV competitors. They were bullet proof and handled criss-crossing the Continental Divide's highest mountain passes with ease. Beautiful cars in every way (except the '69 and up). Merry Christmas !!!
Bulletproof. Olds and Cadillac shared a lot of info on development of new technology. Chevy V8s would become the choice later on for street performance but nobody called the Super 88 an old fogey's car in 1953 or 57.
Great segment Adam!!! How I'd LOVE one of these. Been intimately familiar with 2 of them. A 1966 with the 425 a coworker purchased about 2006 and my grandfather's 1969 bought about 1980. Even in 1980, I remember gramps referring to it as a "collector's item". What a beautiful machine in gold paint and black vinyl roof. Three distinct memories of the car: the rotating barrel speedometer; the morning gramps pulled a stuck Jeep out of a snowbank and the phone call telling us grandpa was in an accident. No injuries, but the Toro was mangled. My heart sank, and then, I was no more than 11 or 12 years old. Had discovered through the Toro my love of automobiles! I wish I could post photos here. I have some good photos of what a wrecked Toro looks like; both incredibly sad but fascinating to see how such a large car can crumple and kink! Keep up the great videos and preservation of these timepieces. LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!!
In 1994 our high school security "guard" drove a jet black 67 Toronado. Dude was a yoked meathead named Cal who just hung out in the parking lot smoking cigarettes with us and mocked our "ricer cars"! We al thought he was all talk, but we did admire his very clean and loved Oldsmobile. Then, one day he proved his worth by breaking up a knife fight with his bare hands, pinning one guy to the ground and basically scaring the other into just sitting there and waiting to be apprehended.....turns out he had been practicing Judo for like 20 years!
Love your videos Adam, your like a brother from another mother. I beg to differ with you though about the Toronado being the most powerful Olds. On paper it was rated higher than the 68-70 442 W-30, but when you look at the engine specs (compression ratio, camshaft lift/exhaust, etc.) the Toronado even with the W-32 package was nowhere near the power of the W-30 Cutlass (rated at approx. 370hp). The 442s were rated lower for insurance , GM corporate edicts, etc.). Still love your videos, only ones i can't wait when you post new ones. Thanks
For sure, G.M. had a 10 horsepower per 1 hundred pound rating policy for most of their cars back then. For example a 3700 lb 4-4-2 rated at 370 HP. A manual trans W30 455 had a combustion chamber of 69ccs compared to 80 and a 328 duration cam vs around 286 .
My first car, 1969 Toronado. A real neck-snapper, but with all drum brakes, you really had to plan ahead. Handling was terrible, but in a straight line, it was real fun. This was our second family Toro, first one was a 1967. Awesome cars, great video.
While you are correct about rated horsepower of the Toro 455 it was a bit of smoke and mirrors. In reality the 375 Toro 455 was really the identical engine mechanically as the 365 455 in the 98 and optional in the 88. The extra ten horses was just pecking order stuff. Similarly the 400 horse Toro engine was the same engine as the optional 390 horse option in the 88. Additionally these engines were identical to the basic 365 horse 442 455 with auto transmission. The three different ratings were really just pecking order again. That is why the W34 option was so inexpensive, really all that changed in the engine was a minor upgrade in the camshaft specs. If you deduct the value of the dual exhaust (about 30 odd dollars) the 400 horse engine was maybe a $20 up cost. All those 4bbl high compression 455’s were great engines though!
For 1971, the Toronado had inherited the body style of the 67 - 70 Eldorado. Oldsmobile is my favorite GM brand and the Toronado is my overall favorite car. 68 - 70 are the most powerful ever, with the 1969 model being the rarest one.
Your channel is literally a creation of my minds ultimate preoccupied thoughts. I always dreamed of an information source for vintage and classic GM automobiles such as this, dreams do come true
Merry Christmas and a Thumbs Up. I wish I had the RPO package. For 1968 Just 118 Toronados were ordered with the W-34 option, which included a cold air intake for the carburetor, special camshaft, heat-treated valve springs, a modified distributor, and a low-restriction dual exhaust system with notches in the rear bumper for the tailpipes.
I remember putting an exhaust pipe and muffler on a 67 Toro back in 71 and it really strained the jack to lift it, If I remember right I got 20 bucks for the repair, or 60 gallons of gas back then. prices have changed.
It never ceases to amaze me how many of these 60's 70's American cars I never seen before? Modelslike these, did they sell in the hundreds of thousands or?
No… they weren’t huge sellers as they were priced as luxury cars targeted at specific demographics, especially the two door “luxury coupes” of the time.
Seeing the cars back in the day really depended on where a person lived at the time. I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area in that era, where Olds, Buicks, and Caddys were prolifically seen. But in other parts of the US? Maybe not so much.
I've had a '66 & a '74, they were both great cars. The 425 had a steel crank & if you put that motor in a light car, built, you can get impressive results. 'B' casting 66 toro-only heads are underrated. My fav motor of all-time. Pushrods to the grave.
My aunt had a 66 tornado.. Very fast. I once raced an " old lady". I had a big block Chevelle. She had a Hurst Olds. She smoked me twice. She laughed and I gave her a thumbs up. Too cool 😎
Good day Adam, Firstly Merry Christmas hope you are well & staying warm. Here in Melbourne, Australia we are cooking from the hot weather. Today 32, tomorrow 34 & Tuesday 38 degree finally some stinking hot summer weather. As Australia’s biggest Oldsmobile fan it is absolutely awesome to do a video on the W34. If you remember I mentioned the W34 months ago to you & if you can do a video on them. Thank you so much greatly appreciate your effort. Extremely unique you never hear about them at all or ever see them come up for sale at any of the auction houses. All the best for the New Year & plan a visit to Australia sometime soon. Your number 1 Fan in Melbourne, Australia. Louis Kats 👍🇦🇺🇺🇸🇬🇷😊
My 66 Toronado was a beast! First car I ever drove over 100 mph! 145 to be exact on I-35 between Waco and Austin, TX. I don’t recall the stated horsepower but it was a 455 c.i. engine and a single 4 barrel carb. The old drum brakes were crap so hauling it down from speed was a thrill! The rest of the car was generally crap but oh, that engine!!
I love the Toronado’s our family had a 1970 I remember the original owner telling about being stuck and his dad yelled at him and said can’t you make the back wheels spin ?
Adam. I’m going to be brutally honest here. (When am I not?) In my youth, when these cars were new, I thought Toronados were just about the ugliest cars on the road. Thunderbirds were so much prettier. 55 years later, my tastes have matured. I can now appreciate the uniqueness of the design and the craftsmanship and quality and innovation of the car. I’m still struggling to call it pretty, but I appreciate it now. Great video. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!
I got the same impression; it looked more like a thing that happened to be on wheels than a car. But it was smoother and probably more aerodynamic than most other cars, and the ones I've driven had more poise, if not capability, than most other cars on the road in those days.
Well done Adam. More Toronado information indeed. You put it polietly to say they got bulky. The 1971-1972 models looked bulky indeed. I used to not like them, but I have come to look them now. It got cleaned up by 1973 and nice looking by 1974-1975. I like the Toronados myself. The only one I am not fond of is 1986-1989 downsized Toronado. I owned a 1991 and a 1992, but I am looking for a 1991-1992 model myself right now. Oldsmobile was the tech leader at GM and an innovator. They should have played that role. It was what happened after 1985 that did them in and things started going wrong and the market was changing among other things. The Aurora was supposed to repeat what the Toronado did in 1966 all over again, but it did not happen. Thank you again Adam.
I bought a 1986 Toronado with Touring Package in 1987 and I love it. It has honeycomb aluminum wheels and has plenty of power surprisingly. It has a special steering box and I believe a different Camshaft. With the all digital readout it has built in OBD scanner for reading all the trouble codes and some changeable test modes. True, it wasn't as heavy and luxurious as the older models but it has always been my favorite car even though I don't use it much anymore
@@hinspect I appreciate you sharing and your experience. The reason why I was not fond of the 1986-1989 models is the size. I was not a fan of the downsied era at GM 1985-1989 for all brands. They hurt so many models. Some did have some outstanding features, but the size and a few other things were a downfall. I did like the fact the 1986-1989 were all digital.
To me 65, 66, 67 and 68 are the pinnacle of GM styling. 67 is the best of the best. 69 and 70 are ok, depending on the make and model but after that we see a long slow decline. Bulky is a great term....I often say bloated. Detroit started to think that making it bigger was all you needed to do to charge more. Japan eventually taught them otherwise.
For me, an American car must have a V8, period. So I would go for a GM Car around 1980. But the prices for these cars I have seen lately are ridiculously high.
In my "dream collection" resides a '66 Toronado [too bad it's just that, a dream]. I was not a big fan of the grill changes from 68-70, although as time passes they are growing on me. But what it hardest was the redesign of the rear end to that squared off look, that and the interior - the bat wing steering wheel of the '66 is still the BEST!
The Toronado was the most powerful front wheel drive car period. The front drive system had almost zero torque steer. These cars were drag raced and also raced off road and at Pikes Peak.
