Saving an Abandoned 1990 Oldsmobile Toronado Trofeo

[@markwiegand9334]

I have a 1991 bought it new and have had it every since. Garage kept, runs great, everything works and out side of normal service and minor repairs. I haven't had the first major mechanical problem, No rust, looks like new. A testament to American and Oldsmobile qulity and engineering. In 89 it was a sub compact design., it was offer as a Trofreo Toronado which is an up grade to the Toronado still offered, but without the up grades. In 90 it was re-engineered to this present mid size sport coup design, still a Toronado Trofreo, an up grade to theToronado still being offered. In 91 to 92 it was changed to a Toronado Trofreo and replaced the Toronado all together. The model was dropped after 92 due to lack of sales which was primarily due to it's high sticker price and a lack of creative finacing options, like we see today. I believe it was a combined engineering project between Maserati and Oldsmobile as a proto type design that ushered in todays modern automobile electrical features. It had a digital dash or analog instrument custer option, The first touch screen with automatic climate control, stereo, vehicle monitoring and warning systems, , primative navigation, calender with scheduling and input data features and optional phone, dash system. It also had the first back lighting of all interior switches and controls, steering wheel controls as well as manual dash switch controls, keyless entry, automatic headlights, auto dimmimg and power mirrors, 12 way power leather seats, auto leveling sport supension, ABS braking, On board diagnostics, and many more feature found in today automobiles. I drive mine all the time and the average person today doesn't even realize how old it really is, due to it's modern body design features.

[@VetteSource]

Awesome testimonial, Mark. Thanks for sharing👍.

[@markwiegand9334]

@VetteSource Your welcome, Thanks

[@topher8634]

My 89 Pontiac 6000 STE All Wheel Drive had that ABS system. I believe the RPO was JL9. Literally the only problem I had with it. When I bought it the pump motor had failed. I took one off of a LeSabre T-Type and got it to working again. The accumulator is key to these systems. If you notice the pump running too frequently or for longer than 60 seconds, you'd want to replace with a new accumulator soon or you would burn the pump motor up. I don't know how many miles the car had on it when a lady T-boned me and totalled it; the odometer would stop counting at 199,999. When I bought it it had almost 180K on it. I was a junior in high school when I discovered it. The cars were so rare the dealership would argue it being All Wheel Drive. I owned that car from 98 until 2015 and drove it all over the states. Very fun and comfortable to drive. I ended up putting 4 brake accumulators in it bit never had to replace the pump motor again. I've never driven another vehicle that would stop as abruptly as that one would--and still be able to control it. Glad you rescued a piece of history. Hope you're able to restore it.

[@VetteSource]

Thanks for the insight. It sounds like it was a great car that served you well. Properly maintained this era of GM cars are very durable and make excellent cheap long-term cruisers. This one is now inspected and registered, and I just need to take care of a few more odds and ends to bring it back online as a daily driver. Have a Merry 🎄

[@Redline1986]

I love these! I've owned over 25 of these over the years. I'm not sure if it was just the camera, but it looked like the touchscreen VIC didn't turn on when you tried to start it. If it's not I have a close friend that repairs them. It's a vital part of the car because it controls both your radio, climate control, and self diagnostic system, so you can read trouble codes without an obd1 scan tool. Can't wait to see more on this project!

[@VetteSource]

Wow, that's impressive! Like you, I always loved the look of these. I remember being at a Chevy/Olds/Buick franchise dealership in 1990 while stationed at Ft Bragg. They had a 1990 Corvette ZR-1, a 1990 Toronado Trofeo, and a 1990 Buick Reatta all in Bright Red parked in a row in the showroom. Thought it was the coolest display I have ever seen. I was quite excited to find this particular car. You're correct about the VIC being partially inoperative. It would control the radio, but the screen was blank. I sent it off to Jon in Ohio, and he got me squared away. It turned out to be a couple of bad capacitors.

[@Redline1986]

@@VetteSource Awesome to here and glad you know Jon as well, he has been a tremendous help for the whole community

[@VetteSource]

He's an awesome guy and an excellent asset to the Trofeo community. He not only repaired my VIC but also rebuilt my cluster. For anyone reading this looking for a VIC repair specialist, here is the link to his channel with lots of great information on the Toronado VIC - youtube.com/@331letmein

[@przemysawlodowski5411]

@@VetteSource hi could you please tell me how I can reach mr Morlan? I need to fix VIC and the cluster as well

[@przemysawlodowski5411]

@@Redline1986 hi could you please tell me how I can reach mr Morlan please?

[@jiggity76]

Beautiful cars that's for sure. I rescued a 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme International coupe in Dec of 2015. I found it down in Muskogee, Oklahoma. I love it to death and it's undergoing an extension restoration. Just got it running over the Winter. Great video and great save! I look forward to seeing it's progress.

[@VetteSource]

Glad to hear you liked it. I've always appreciated the Toronados. They looked futuristic when they were new and still look that way today over 30 years later. You still won't see anything else like it on the road.

[@bluecollarbuilds]

I love all these obscure oddball cars

[@VetteSource]

yea, they're super cool and so rarely seen nowadays

[@bluecollarbuilds]

Its a shame there’s just no creativity anymore

[@VetteSource]

Yea, I refer to most new cars as homogenized blobs. It's depressing to see.

[@MsMjd1985]

My very first car. The headlights used to bang up and down in the middle of the night cause the thing had major electrical problems. 😅 The exhaust had a nice little rumble, too.

[@VetteSource]

yea, that V6 sounds much tougher than it actually is with that dual exhaust growl. I can understand the electrical gremlins, these were definitely futuristic for the time.

[@mileshoffmann8642]

GREAT VIDEO! Can't wait to see it cleaned up!!!

[@VetteSource]

Hey Miles, thanks for the comments. I'll have an update on it soon👍.

[@chrisvolsicka1405]

Nice car great find👍

[@VetteSource]

Yep, this one will be fun👍.

[@ClassicRideSociety]

Need a windshield for it? One of these just hit one of my local yards in the ft Worth. On Mondays any glass at that yard is $20. I made a video of it as well if you wanna check it out. Maybe some parts you need off it

[@VetteSource]

Hey Benny, I just replaced this one a few weeks ago, but maybe I'll grab it anyway as a spare. I'll definitely check out your video right now. I'll bet there's plenty of parts I will need. What's the name of the facility?

[@ClassicRideSociety]

@@VetteSource AAA Crains in ft worth

[@VetteSource]

Excellent, I'll have to make my way up there this weekend.

[@ClassicRideSociety]

@@VetteSource unfortunately they're one of those yards that is closed on Sundays and closes earlier on Saturdays. I think it's 4pm but they stop letting letting people in at 3. At least 30 minutes before they are supposed to close they have a dude driving around blaring the horn and telling people they gotta go. You'd wanna get there as soon as they open. Also who knows if they'll be closed this weekend because of the New year. I'd call to veriy

[@VetteSource]

Yea, good point. I'll give them a call this afternoon. Don't need to make a 300 mile trip for nothing😁.

[@SwedishMeatball53]

I have completely forgotten about this car. Great find

[@VetteSource]

Yeo, I've got a few videos in the pipeline documenting some of the work I managed to get done on it this year.

[@johnbrooksjr3255]

I wish I could find something like this. Here in Pennsylvania, it’s hard to find anything that is worth saving.

[@VetteSource]

Yea, that road salt is the death blow for the Northern cars.

[@tabbott429]

I bought my wife a black 1992 Trofeo in 2011 that had 77k miles and was parked due to hitting a curb bending the left front suspension. I swapped the engine cradle, aligned it and she drove it for 4 years. She loved that car. Youre right it was a well made car overall. i had to make my own motor mount since they werent available. the 3800 Gen2 was a beast. THe comfort was great. Love the style as well.

[@VetteSource]

Definitely. I've been having trouble finding fault with this one so far. The resurrection has gone much easier than I anticipated, and it's amazing what's still functional after so many years of poor storage.

[@OLDS98]

I enjoyed this video. I smiled watching the video. I have had three Toronados:1991,1991 and 1992. One was red, one was rare canyon yellow and the last one was black. It is at the body shop in my neighborhood in the back lot. It was in an accident in 2021 in May. The body shop never finished it. It needs paint work and I had bought the body panels. I had to let it go. Right now I am looking for another 1991-1992 model. I do not want the Trofeo trim level. I want 1991-1992 Brougham/base model with option package ISB and AM6 and the digital gauges. I will work with a non Trofeo bucket seat model. I am indeed looking and I am ready to buy. I saw another Trofeo for sale this past weekend. It was in Michigan. I think something is wrong with that one. Anyway... I do so hope you get this one back on the road. I will be watching. I am so happy and glad you found this one. I wish I could locate mine and yes, they are fun to work on and they are quality cars. I drove my for work business trips across the state. I wish you all the best. Thank you for this video.

[@VetteSource]

Thanks, and I appreciate the well wishes. These are definitely great looking cars, and very comfortable cruisers to boot. I'll be sure to update my progress with this one.

[@rcairforceone]

I'd love to get my hands on one of these or a Riviera of the same vintage. I also want a late 90s Grand Prix GTP. Proof that the technology has been available for a long time, however GM refusing to innovate put it on the backburner.

[@VetteSource]

Yep, it's sad what has been abandoned in favor of assembly line cost cutting, but at least these amazing hi-tech cars exist for us gearheads to find and bring back to life👍.

[@jeremymitchell6846]

Very cool. My brother had one for a while. I still have the huge factory service manual for it and it's yours for the asking.

[@VetteSource]

Hey Jeremy, that would be great. Thanks for the offer👍. You can reach my by DM @VetteSource on FB or IG and we can work out the details.

[@Anthony-qj7qe]

What a nice find, it had a pretty high tech dash for the time and those 3800 v6 engines are bullet proof. I always liked this era of GM cars, liked the style so much that I got myself an 88 Grand Am turbo with 165 hp, not bad for the day, I still miss it, they are such cool cars. 😎

[@VetteSource]

Man, that's a car I haven't thought of in a long time. A buddy of mine in HS had a black one. Those turbo Grand Am's were pretty fast for the times and a great looking car as well👍.

[@berniefranks4876]

Always thought this was a cool car. Looking forward to you bringing her back around.

[@VetteSource]

My thoughts exactly. I remember seeing these when new and thought it looked like something out of Buck Rogers.

[@PsicosisYT]

Do you still have this car? If so are you willing to sell parts off of it

[@VetteSource]

Good morning. I do still have it, but it's being driven around so I'm not inclined to sell any parts from it😁. What kind of parts were you needing? I may have some extras laying around I can let go.

[@PsicosisYT]

@@VetteSource Im looking for all of the seats lol

[@VetteSource]

Ahh, yes. Those are not that easy to find. I'll keep my eyes open snd let you know if I see anything out there👍.

[@PsicosisYT]

@@VetteSourceGoin to pick some up at 5am tomorrow haha, though there's tons of other things I'd love to see if you have! You got an email I can correspond with?

[@VetteSource]

Sure, you can reach me at [e-mail]

[@c.g.3931]

More videos as it is returned to health

[@VetteSource]

Definitely, this one was ridiculously simple to get running again, but it has quite a few little items that need sorted that I will document for you guys.