In the mid-1960s, American luxury cars generally followed a familiar formula: a large V8 engine up front, a driveshaft running beneath the passenger compartment, and power delivered to the rear wheels. Then Oldsmobile introduced the 1966 Toronado, a dramatic two-door coupe that looked toward the future while putting its power to the pavement in an entirely different way.
Unveiled in October 1965 for the 1966 model year, the Toronado was the first American-built production car with front-wheel drive since the Cord automobiles of the 1930s. That was a remarkable decision for a vehicle measuring more than 17 feet long and carrying a powerful V8. Oldsmobile was not trying to create an economy car. It was bringing an unconventional engineering idea into the personal-luxury market.
Built in Lansing, Michigan, the Toronado combined a long, sculpted hood with a low roof, a fastback-style rear window and concealed headlights. Its wide horizontal grille and muscular wheel openings gave it a presence unlike anything else in Oldsmobile showrooms. The car's bold shape originated with design work led by stylist David North and evolved under General Motors styling leadership.
The real surprise was beneath that hood. Every 1966 Toronado used a 425-cubic-inch, or roughly 7.0-liter, Rocket V8 rated at 385 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque under the measurement standards of its day. A three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic automatic transmission was standard. Unlike most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles, which position their engines sideways, the Toronado mounted its V8 lengthwise.
Engineers devised a compact drivetrain that used a heavy-duty chain to transfer power to the transmission and then to the front wheels. The arrangement helped eliminate the long driveshaft tunnel normally found in rear-wheel-drive cars, creating a flatter passenger-compartment floor. It also showed that front-wheel drive could handle far more power than many Americans associated with the layout.
The Toronado was certainly no lightweight sports car. Its substantial size and nearly 4,500-pound factory curb weight reflected its luxury mission. Even so, contemporary testing showed acceleration that was impressive for such a large coupe. Motor Trend recorded a 0-to-60-mph time of about 9.5 seconds, while praising the automobile's ambitious engineering. Its horsepower figures, like most ratings from the period, used the older SAE gross system and should not be compared directly with today's ratings.
Inside, the Toronado offered a distinctly 1960s vision of modern comfort. The dashboard featured a rotating, drum-style speedometer, while buyers could add equipment such as air conditioning, power windows, cruise control and a tilt-and-telescoping steering column. Standard and Deluxe versions were available. Published base pricing began at about $4,585, with options adding to the final cost. The original four-wheel drum brakes, however, were criticized in period road tests; optional front disc brakes arrived for 1967.
The car's ambitions were recognized almost immediately. Motor Trend selected the Toronado as its 1966 Car of the Year, and Oldsmobile produced 40,963 examples for that model year. Its front-wheel-drive approach also helped establish a path that Cadillac would follow with the 1967 Eldorado. The Toronado name itself remained in production through the 1992 model year.
For collectors today, the original 1966 Toronado offers something different from the familiar muscle-car formula. It has the engine, proportions and confidence of a big American V8 coupe, paired with a drivetrain that challenged conventional thinking. It is a reminder that the automotive industry's most interesting advances do not always arrive in small, futuristic-looking vehicles. Sometimes they arrive in a magnificent, full-size Oldsmobile that dares to pull instead of push.
