Special Feels: 1986 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham

The Oldsmobile corporate slogan in early 1986 was "There's a special feel in an Oldsmobile"...which is ironic because that "special feel" wasn't necessarily a good thing...but the corporate goons at Olds changed it in late 1986 to "Oldsmobile Quality. Feel it!"...also...funny in an ironic sorta way...but I have to admit that this Toronado has a certain charm to the entire hearing aide beige package...from the hidden headlights to the odd proportions of the truncated rear window..it's almost nostalgic.  Find this 1986 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham here on eBay bidding for $4150 with a few hours to go, located in Palm Harbor, FL.

Seller Submission: 1988 Oldsmobile Toronado Troféo

Few cars elicit that "wow, you never see these on the road anymore" like an 80s Oldsmobile, particularly something that wasn't commonplace when new, like an Toronado Trofeo. The fourth and final generation Toronado was introduced in 1986 on a smaller unibody E-body platform shared with the Buick Riviera and Cadillac Eldorado.  The switch to transverse engine layout without any available V8 did not go unnoticed by the old guys in the room...but the fact that you'd be the only one in your car club with one of these makes it sorta interesting. Find this 1988 Oldsmobile Toronado Troféo offered for $3000 in Milwaukee, WI via craigslist. Seller submission from Jesse.

Twisted or Twister? 1971 Porsche 911 Olds V8

The original Porsche 911 has seen incredible price appreciation in the past decade, to the point that you've got to own a software company or be a rap star to own one of these things and the worst part is that even the cleanest museum quality version is dangerously slow in the modern world of minivans that hit 60 mph in 5 seconds and family sedans with 700 horsepower.  But you can fix that with a simple injection of V8 power from an Oldsmobile Toronado.  Find this 1971 Porsche 911 Olds V8 offered for $12,000 in Long Beach, CA via craigslist. Tip from Lars.

Poor Little Fool: 1981 Cadillac Eldorado

Sometimes you see a custom car and think "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to make of this..." and other times you think "I'm not even sure what this was made from...".  This next car fits slightly into the latter category with a small dose of the former, because the seller lists it as a Cadillac Deville, but it looks like an Eldorado to me or maybe an Oldsmobile Toronado.  Whatever the original source, this thing does appear well loved, very customized, but oddly named.  Find this 1981 Cadillac DeVille offered for $12,000 in Marion, IN via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Golden Oldie: 1968 Oldsmobile Toronado

The Oldsmobile Toronado was a groundbreaking car for a number of reasons -- but it wasn't the first front wheel drive 'Murican car there was a Cord 810 back in 1936...nor was it the first car with a rotating drum style speedo, (although the Toronado and Riviera both used the drum with the miles/hr written on the drum, but look at all those old speedos that use a 'sliding bar' display, like the 1957 Buick etc. It is actually a painted drum as wide as the display with a diagonally split red/white surface.  As the drum rotates and the 'window' is a slit, the display appears as  a bar/ribbon which grows from left to right).  It also wasn't the first car with side marker lights, or shoulder harness for safety belts.. see every 1968 GM product as well as those pesky FMVSS Regs....BUT the Toronado did have a sweet hidden headlamps and a body shape that is wicked, so this car still gets three thumbs up.  Find this 1968 Oldsmobile Toronado offered for $7000 in Austin, TX via craigslist. Tip from Jeff.

In a Glass of its Own: 1977 Oldsmobile Toronado XS

Sometimes its just two letters that make the car. The Mustang GT, the Cobalt SS, and the Spirit R/T, for example, tacked on a bit more driving involvement with two extra majuscules.  In the case of the Oldsmobile Toronado, however, this gets you a back glass that looks like it was constructed by a team of workers who normally do upscale bathroom renovations. Find this 1977 Oldsmobile Toronado XS here for sale in Tempe, AZ for $8,000 via craigslist.

Don't Call It Oldsmoboat: 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado

Production of the Oldsmobile Toronado started in 1966 with a revolutionary (for the time) front-wheel-drive architecture that put a massive V8 engine over the front wheels.  The car was comfortable, easy to drive in the snow, and free from the typical driveshaft / transmission hump that was usually present in the full sized cars of the day.  You might not be able to do donuts or get your drift on, but for the typical personal luxury car buyer this wasn't a problem, and so the same basic setup lasted through 1992.  Find this 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado here on eBay bidding for $3,050 reserve-not-met located in Elizabethtown, PA with 1 day to go.

Auction Watch: 1971 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham

Find this 1971 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham here on eBay bidding for $4,750 reserve-not-met with auction ending today (Tuesday) at 12:54PM Pacific.

5k: Goldschläger: 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado

Ever since I read about Jay Leno's 1067 horsepower twin turbocharged rear-drive Oldsmobile Toronado, I've been obsessed with building my own.  That was a few years ago and I've been building a fighting force of extraordinary magnitude website and a family in the meantime, so my Lenoronado is still in early procurement phase (along with my rocketship and volcano lair..etc).  However, if you are ready to pull the trigger on a starting point for an insane project, you can pickup this 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado offered for $5,500 in Santa Clara, CA via craigslist.

10k: This Is Your Grandpa's Oldsmobile: 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado

Happy Pi Day to all -- a one in a hundred 3.14.15 Pi day.  Enjoy this slice of American apple pie.  With the 1966 launch of the Oldsmobile Toronado, GM started a love affair with full sized front wheel drive luxury cars that almost ended in 2011 with the death of the G-platform (Cadillac DTS, Buick Lucerne) but was kept on life support with Epsilon II based Buick LaCrosse (Cadillac XTS died in 2014).  As everybody moves to rear-drive sport sedans with monster-inspired front grills (What is up with Lexus's latest front ends?? Who or what traumatized those designers when they were children??) the fact is that most aging luxury drivers just want a car they can leisurely putt around in, and will trade power oversteer capabilities for cabin space each and every time.  Find this 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado here on eBay currently bidding for $3,837 reserve-not-met located in San Andreas, CA.

Gold: 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado

The Three Magi followed the Diamond Star Motors in the sky for hours and finally arrive at the roadside service station, head to the shed out back to deliver their gifts to the newborn baby Jesus.  First up was Balthasar who delivered this gift of a gold 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado currently bidding here on eBay for $2,000 reserve-not-met with $6,995 buy-it-now located in Rock Island, TN.  This feature is part of DT's Epiphany Special.

5k: 3 for 5: 1968 AH Sprite, 1965 Spitfire, 1970 Olds Toronado 455

As promised, we continue Thrifty Thursday by bringing another truck load of cheap classics...but this time we figure a package deal is in order.  Instead of throwing all of your money into one rusty pile, imagine picking up 3 classics for less than $5k.  Find this SoCal trio in the form of a 1968 Austin-Healey Sprite for $1200 in Ventura, CA, a 1965 Triumph Spitfire for $1350 in Santa Clarita Valley, CA and a 1970 Oldsmobile Toronado 455 for $1600 in Burbank, CA via craigslist.

5k: 1977 Oldsmobile Toronado

The Oldsmobile Toronado was originally conceived as a front wheel drive sedan back in 1963 to compete with Ford since they already had a patent on front wheel drive designs - not from today's hyper focus on cost that leads to driving the wrong wheels. This 1977 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham is for sale in Lakeland, FL - currently bidding at $6200 reserve not met on ebay.