Oldsmobile Toronado

Oldsmobile Toronado
Production period:	1965-1992
Class :	Upper class
Body versions :	Coupe

The Oldsmobile Toronado was a luxury front-wheel drive coupé offered by the American automobile manufacturer General Motors under the Oldsmobile brand from autumn 1965 to mid-1992. The model was one of the personal luxury cars , it was produced in four different series. The model name is an artificial word derived from the term tornado .

Toronado (1965-1970)

Toronado '66
Oldsmobile Toronado (1967)
Production period:	1965-1970
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Gasoline engines : 7.0–7.5 liters (283–294 kW)
Length:	5359-5443 mm
Width:	2007 mm
Height:	1378 mm
Wheelbase :
Empty weight :	1939-2041 kg

When the Toronado was introduced in the fall of 1965, it differed in many ways from what was then available on the US market. On the one hand, there was the body shape of this large luxury coupé . In addition, the car was equipped with front-wheel drive . It was the largest front-wheel drive car to date, and the first front-wheel drive car in America for almost 30 years (the last was the Cord 810 and 812 , with which Cord went bankrupt in 1937).

With the 7.0-liter V8, it reached an exceptional top speed of 217 km / h at the time. Skeptics doubted whether front-wheel drive made sense for such a large car, but the tests proved that the Toronado also had above-average road holding compared to other American cars of the time. The technology of the big old was also unusual, the torque converter and transmission were connected to a unique chain drive. However, the space in the rear and the view to the rear were somewhat limited by the sloping coupé shape.

The car was initially very popular with American automobile buyers. In 1966 more than 40,000 toronados were sold. At the time, it was technically one of the most impressive vehicles on the American market.

The Toronado was introduced in the 1966 model year in the Basic and Deluxe versions. The hallmark of the first version was the front with a flat radiator grille, pop-up headlights and a hatchback. It was powered by a seven-liter V8 with 385 hp, the power was transmitted by a turbo-hydramatic automatic with three gears.

Oldsmobile Toronado (1970)

At the end of 1967 there was a facelift that brought the shape of the Toronado with a notchback and pop-up headlights integrated into the greatly enlarged radiator grille closer to the mainstream design. The seven-liter was replaced by a new 7.5-liter V8 with 375 or 400 hp. The deluxe model has been renamed Toronado Custom.

The Toronado remained in production in this form until the summer of 1970. A total of 143,134 copies were made.

The Toronado shared the drive technology with the Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado, which was introduced in late summer 1966 .

Toronado (1970–1978)

Toronado '71
Oldsmobile Toronado (1972)
Production period:	1970-1988
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Gasoline engines : 6.6–7.5 liters (142–257 kW)
Length:	5603-5778 mm
Width:	2032 mm
Height:	1351 mm
Wheelbase :
Empty weight :	2053-2142 kg

The second Toronado, presented in the autumn of 1970, wore a conventionally shaped sheet metal body with a notchback and exposed headlights, but retained front-wheel drive. It was initially offered as the basic model and the luxury version Toronado Brougham. The drive was still taken over by the 7.5-liter V8 with an output reduced to 350 hp.

In 1972, after the introduction of power measurement according to the SAE Netto standard, the engine was specified with 253 hp. In 1973 the Toronado was given a front safety bumper in accordance with US legal requirements. From model year 1974, the rear bumper was also designed to be impact-absorbing; the length of the car increased by 17 cm to 578 cm due to the modified bumpers. The Brougham received a Landau - vinyl roof behind the B-pillar . The engine power sank to 233 hp. In 1975 the base model was called the Toronado Custom, the Brougham kept its name. The round double headlights were replaced by rectangular ones.

In 1976, the output of the 7.5-liter V8 fell further, to 218 hp. From model year 1977, only a 6.6-liter V8 with an initial 203 hp was used, again coupled with a three-speed automatic. The basic model was deleted from the offer. In 1978 the power of the 6.6 liter was reduced to 193 hp. In the model years 1977 and 1978, the Toronado was also available as a special model XSR (later called XS); Its features were a panoramic rear window that stretched all the way to the B-pillars and two electrically retractable glass inserts in the roof above the driver and front passenger.

From the autumn of 1970 to the late summer of 1978, Oldsmobile produced a total of around 267,000 pieces of the second generation Toronado, of which 5166 were in the XS / XSR variants.

Toronado (1978–1985)

Toronado '79
Oldsmobile Toronado Coupe (1980)
Production period:	1978-1985
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Otto engines : 4.1–5.7 liters (93–119 kW) Diesel engines : 5.7 liters (78–93 kW)
Length:	5232 mm
Width:	1814 mm
Height:	1334 mm
Wheelbase :	2895 mm
Empty weight :	1616-1719 kg

In the fall of 1978, Toronado, Cadillac Eldorado and Buick Riviera were put on a common technical and body basis for the 1979 model year, the so-called E-platform from General Motors . Compared to its predecessor, the new Toronado was almost half a meter shorter, 20 centimeters narrower and a good 400 kilograms lighter. The Toronado was offered in a single version called Brougham; The coupé was powered by a 5.7-liter V8; a diesel V8 of the same displacement was available at an additional cost.

The radiator grille was changed for the 1980 model year, the chrome-plated cross struts of which now ran through to the corners of the vehicle. The base engine was now a five-liter V8, the larger eight-cylinder and the diesel remained available for an extra charge, the latter reduced in output to 106 hp.

In 1981, a 4.1-liter V6 replaced the five-liter as the base engine, the 5.7-liter was dropped.

For the 1984 model year, the Toronado appeared as a luxury variant with the Caliente package, which offered a Landau vinyl roof with a wide chrome trim strip, spoked wheel caps, leather seats and an electronic dashboard for an additional charge of $ 2,195 . In 1985 the V6 engine was discontinued, but the Caliente package was still offered.

A total of 300,000 pieces of the third generation Toronado were made between autumn 1978 and summer 1985.

Toronado (1985-1992)

Toronado '86
Oldsmobile Toronado (1987)
Production period:	1985-1992
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Petrol engines : 3.8 liters (104–126 kW)
Length:	4773-5088 mm
Width:	1796-1849 mm
Height:	1344 mm
Wheelbase :	2745 mm
Empty weight :	1457-1612 kg

In the late summer of 1985, the last Toronado made its debut, again significantly reduced to a length of 4.80 meters. It was based on the new E / C platform, which the Buick Riviera , Cadillac Eldorado and Cadillac Seville also used .

The program featured a single model, the Toronado Brougham, powered by a 3.8-liter V6 injection engine that delivered its power to the front wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission.

In the spring of 1986, a one-off special model was added for the 20th birthday of the Toronado, which stood out from the regular model with its special paintwork and more extensive equipment. Typical of the Toronado of this generation were the reintroduced pop-up headlights and, in the first two years, the bumpers and rocker panels in contrasting colors.

In the 1987 model year, the V6 gained 10 hp and then developed 152 hp. In the spring of 1987, the Toronado Trofeo was another special model that had a sporty look with a black radiator grille, fog lights and rocker panels. From model year 1988, the Trofeo even became part of the regular Toronado range. At the same time, the power of the six-cylinder was increased to 167 hp.

Oldsmobile Toronado (1990)

For the 1990 model year, the Toronado received a newly developed body, with the exception of the bonnet, which stretched to a length of 509 centimeters. The reason for this measure was the significantly reduced sales of the Toronado compared to its predecessor, which was generally attributed to its stature, which is too thin for the upper class. The sister models, which had not fared better on the market, were enlarged again at this time.

In 1991 the output of the 3.8 liter engine increased to 172 hp, in 1992 ABS and a passenger airbag were added to the standard equipment.

Of the last Toronado, 86,700 copies were made until production was stopped in May 1992.

In the movie "Death Wish 4 - The Crackdown" the main actor (Charles Bronson) drives a Toronado of the last series.

( Death Wish 4: The Crackdown )

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Commons : Oldsmobile Toronado - collection of images, videos and audio files

Gunnell, John: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. Krause Publications, Iola 2002. ISBN 0-87349-461-X .
Flammang, James M./Kowalke, Ron: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1976-1999. Krause Publications, Iola 1999. ISBN 0-87341-755-0 .