What Makes the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado A Uniquely Strange Car? (in HD!)

[@briansilcox5720]

In 1966 I was eleven. Thought this was the most beautiful piece of automotive design I had ever seen. Still is.

[@MyHumanWreckage]

Toronado, Eldorado and Riviera from this period are stunning cars. Three of my all time favourites.

[@tombrown1898]

That car is almost 60 years old. Amazing.

[@renatoigmed]

imagine if a Tesla will last that long

[@gregt8638]

What's amazing too, is that the vinyl upholstery looks brand new! Leather would never have lasted. I sometimes wish they would bring back vinyl interiors.

[@tombrown1898]

@@gregt8638 Like leather, that 1960s GM vinyl had a aroma that lasts!

[@diegosilang4823]

The design is way ahead of its time. GM was the powerhouse of automotive design.

[@tonyelliott7734]

As was Ford with it's Futura that ultimately became the "Bat mobile".

[@johnlandacre767]

And yet, GM somehow lost its way. Little by little, with EPA rules and energy “crisis” distractions, they chose a direction that was unwise and unhealthy for survival. The rise of the well-built and practical Japanese and German brands didn’t help. Top brass seemed boxed in by past behaviors and old-fashioned, ineffective solutions to their problems and challenges, like badge engineering. It was so clear what was going on. The last noteworthy achievements were the 1977 downsized full sized cars, and perhaps the new FWD full Size V-6s of the 80s. And each of those had numerous problems in the first year or two. I know from having a ‘77 Chevy Impala with 305 V-8 and a ‘79 Malibu, both with TH 200 transmission. Very bad quality, especially the ‘77 Impala.

[@diegosilang4823]

@johnlandacre767 reliability and QC had been a long problem with big three. Notably, with Chrysler airflow and Ford Edsel. Awareness with quality issues rose up after Ralph Nader and people began apreciating Japanese reliability.

[@diegosilang4823]

@johnlandacre767 Reliability and build quality had been a long occuring issue, notably Chrysler Airflow and Edsel. 1970's cars are increasingly more complex with an attempt to improve emission, and fuel economy led to a greater decline in reliability. Also, thanks to Raplh Nader, who raised awareness with quality and safety.

[@markdc1145]

This was peak GM design. Nothing could touch it before or afterwards.

[@davidstranz438]

Always loved the styling of the ‘66/‘67 Toronado.

[@TonyKuehler]

I don't believe I've ever noticed the semi-eyebrow over the cowl vent, between the back of the hood and the bottom of the windshield. Very evocative of the eyebrows over the hidden headlights, sadly missing in 1967, who knows why?? Everything is extraordinary, I'm old enough to remember this car when I was 11 and I don't believe I've ever seen any finer.

[@charlessorrell1226]

A friend in high school, his dad had just bought a new 66 Toronado. Exact same colors as yours. I got to ride home in it. The flat floor was something I noticed. That is one beautiful car.

[@danielulz1640]

That car really is drop dead and fall over sideways gorgeous ❤!

[@fob1xxl]

Although it was a knockout and almost everyone seems to really love the Toronado, I actually thought the Buick Rivera was a sleeker, classier looking design, but I always preferred a Buick over an Olds. I wanted a 1968 Riviera when I was 22 and couldn't really afford one, so I bought a 1968 Buick GS400 convertable. Loved that car !

[@stevehentschel61]

The Buick was better looking but the front wheel drive olds was revolutionary.

[@bluecollarred6912]

You can always tell a car guy because the other 90some % of the public have no idea about the high performance buicks

[@bluecollarred6912]

Die hard Ford man here but always had a soft spot for Buicks and mopars as well

[@tomhill9445]

The '66 and '67 Rivs was about the most beautiful car ever built. The only bad thing about them was their X frame.

[@andrewaccardo5142]

One of the most beautifully designed cars ever

[@Ed_Stuckey]

Work of art.

[@Next_Cruise_Please]

I remember waxing my great aunt's dark purple 66 Toro when I was a kid. So much metal to cover. That speedometer was fascinating.

[@keepamerica2astrong280]

Absolutely love the 66 and 67 Toronado's These cars were 30 years ahead of their time

[@higgs923]

Still a gorgeous car. Back in the Sixties we lived a few blocks from where John Smelser kept his twin-engine Terrifying Tornado drag machine.

[@hailstorm1986]

It's an absolutely beautiful Toronado.😇

[@randyfitz8310]

T3 headlamps, too (they last very well even if not especially bright)!

[@tomrogers9467]

I wish all vehicles would return to them. I get blinded by the super - bright lights these days. I hate driving at night because of that. I’m also old, so that doesn’t help, either.

[@randyfitz8310]

Such a revolutionary automobile!

[@tombrown1898]

That car is almost 60 years old. Amazing.

[@mnoliberal7335]

I lived in Indiana where Cord and Auburn cars were not uncommon and to my young eyes, the '66 Toranado was as if the Cord had been updated for the '60s. It was groovy, man!!

[@Chitwn81]

Man i love that color on the Toronado. The rollimg drum speedometer and the interior is my favorite part of the car. Also love how you got the 69 Mark III and 72 Mark IV next to each other then the Eldorado and last space for the Toronado.

[@jetsons101]

Open up the hood on any new car today, "no ground to be seen." Also with new cars, drop a tool in the engine compartment and you might as well go to the store and buy a new one, the tool ends up in tool purgatory and will never be seen again. Love your car, ever the color.

[@jorgehuerta9593]

I'm a transmission shop mechanic I know all about that....

[@jorgehuerta9593]

Bro I bet you are talking about 2017 Ford escape eco boost....NO ROOM!!!😂😂😂😂❤❤❤

[@landiahillfarm6590]

IMHO you could start an entire CHANNEL dedicated just to the '66-'67 model Toronados, they are that beautiful. Truly a bucket lister.

[@sergioleone3583]

Those last few seconds, where you accelerate from the corner are pure audio bliss. That Olds sounds lovely!!!

[@jefffixesit60]

Having lived in Texas for 50 years, I always find it odd that such an upscale car would have ever been offered without A/C. I turned wrenches on a lot of cars of this era: I don't think I ever saw a Lincoln, Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, or Chrysler/Imperial full size car without A/C. Even my '65 Mercury Comet Caliente had factory air. I love your collection, and the videos you share with us! Happy Trails 😁

[@RareClassicCars]

Same to you. No ac cars were common up here in the north back then.

[@61rampy65]

When I lived near Chicago, I had a customer with a 68 Cadillac with the 472 that had no A/C, just a big open space where the compressor would go.

[@gregt8638]

Actually a lot of luxury cars that were sold in California coastal towns like Santa Barbara San Francisco or up in Marin County did not have air conditioning because they did not need it. Summer temperatures rarely went above the 80s.

[@johnlandacre767]

As I recall in the 60s up until maybe ‘69, non AC cars were the rule. Now they are the rare exception, if any model of any brand is still even available without AC. I guess most aren’t in 2024. I can remember some miserable travel in our non-AC cars until our ‘69 Dodge came to our garage. What a difference when temps were in the 90s in our neck of the woods…western WV. (not western VA) :)

[@OceanJoe-cy8rx]

Or power windows

[@marks-the-spot]

This takes me back to 1966 when I was a kid and my father went to visit one of his old SoCal hot rod buddies who had a new '66 Toronado in this exact color. I was very impressed with the design and technology. This was the first time I ever saw under the hood of a front wheel drive car and was amazed at how an engine AND transmission could fit under the hood! Just a beautiful car.

[@AlexanderWaylon]

I appreciate that you accept refinishing, that means a lot to me. 😊

[@forterierocks]

The Toronado and the boat tail Buick are my 2 favorite cars👌

[@desertmodern7638]

Stunning car. I'd be curious to know the percentage of Deluxe-interior cars with manual windows, as I've not seen one in person. Ditto the no A/C.

[@jeffstonecipher1594]

Yeah, this was the right one to re-show in "HD"🙂 Makes me look forward to spring with all the green grass!!

[@Jerry-ok8gj]

Beautiful Oldsmobile! Thanks Adam. I love and miss Oldsmobile so much!

[@opietwoep1247]

This is the first car I fell in love with. Pure work of art.

[@robbleblanc]

Beautiful car, however I didn’t realize a/c and pwr windows were an extra on a Toronado.

[@DisabilityExams]

This was the car you drove up to the Playboy Club in '66.

[@xrmerkur]

off the top the longitudinal front drive layout is the most interesting quark to me.

[@gr7485]

Beautiful color. Beautiful car. Thanks for the tour.

[@justpassnthru]

One of the most beautiful cars ever made!

[@Flies2FLL]

A rear distributor is good when you want to drop a supercharger on the engine. This is one of the reasons why the Chever-Lay small-block is so popular...

[@brianwilson6403]

The 66 Toro' was one of the coolest rides ever!!!

[@darrenforest1492]

I just love the HD. I almost never comment but feel this is worth it. Cheers from Australia and keep up the great work

[@DanEBoyd]

Hah, I never realized that the TH425 had a conventional differential cover like that!

[@bobvires9650]

A road trip in that car would be so much fun! In the mid 70’s early 80’s my grandpa would come home with a car just like this. He would drive them for as long as I could remember.. miss those days!

[@scottybrowndotca]

Thanks Adam .. Definitely one of my dream cars .. And I love seeing some of the weird engineering quirks of these old cars, along with possible explanations of why they happened

[@efandmk3382]

Wasn't the Toronado one of the first with front wheel drive? Corvette introduced fuel injection. GM rocked back in the day.

[@RareClassicCars]

Yes. And you could get a fuel injection regular old Chevy too

[@waltschmerz]

Since Buick was expected by GM to contribute something to the E-body development effort, Buick designed the final-drive "pumpkin," despite the fact that the Riviera didn't use it.

[@mimelio]

Nice clear picture and as always enjoyed your video!

[@edwinmassie]

What a stunning car! The one year only interior is beautiful and more sporting looking than the next year!

[@user-fu1bh3dt2c]

What a gorgeous car! One option worth mentioning in the "uniquely strange" category, that your car does not appear to have, is cruise control. Where most early cruise controls used a vacuum motor to hold a speed these things had this big heavy electric motor setup in its place. The cruise control functions, according to the owners manual, in two user-selectable ways. One, the cruise acts just like what we have become used to, select a speed, engage, then hold that speed until disabled. (A bit more on this in a minute.) The second way the cruise control could work was as a speed limiter. That is, the driver selects a speed and retains full manual gas pedal control over the vehicle's speed until the set limit speed is reached. If the driver tries to accelerate beyond the set speed, the cruise control pushes the gas pedal back against the driver's foot. This poses a minor conundrum in that, how does the driver set the limit speed? The method chosen by the Olds engineers was to add a thumb wheel on the dash, roughly calibrated in MPH, which you rotated until the desired speed was lined up with the mark, then a button was pushed to engage the cruise control for either cruise function selected. I'm not so sure how well this all worked when new but one day I set the limiting cruise for some speed then mashed the gas pedal to the floor just to see what would happen. That big 425 roared and the car took off, the cruise control motor holding the gas pedal firmly to the floor. Fortunately I had the room to shut the thing off. So, tip, if you own one of these things, don't do what I did! I've owned my '66 for nearly 40 years and I learned something from you. I always thought the antenna was vacuum actuated and that it did not work. I'll have to see if I can raise it manually.

[@jayweiss4378]

You really did get value for money back in those days!

[@thegoldendog7991]

Think about all of the government legislation forcing auto makers to add safety features. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it ads to the cost. To your point though, I’m less impressed with vehicle design and interior quality today, especially the so called luxury brands.

[@jayweiss4378]

@@thegoldendog7991 also each make year to year was so different and unique! The tooling had to be changed each year so you got a unique car what ever year you bought

[@thegoldendog7991]

@@jayweiss4378 Yes, very true!

[@cardo1111]

She's a beauty, among the best in your collection. Interesting about the drains in the flow through vent. I imagine you periodically clean them, even though it's garaged. A lot of modern Lexus/Toyota vehicles particularly SUV's suffer extensive water damage when their sunroof drain hoses are not periodically cleaned out, primarily those that are not garaged.

[@stephenlang8156]

Fusick sells the factory- style tailpipe tips with the angle cut. Beautiful car!

[@rogergoodman8665]

I am impressed beyond belief of your collection and love your videos! The video quality and sound have always been great I think but you've outdone yourself lately. You produce the best classic car videos on KZbin "PERIOD"! 👍👍

[@markbehr88]

One of my favourite cars. I have a gold 66 with blue interior deluxe model.

[@dukeallen432]

Incredible color. Great automobile.

[@richgreene7043]

A beautiful, well engineered vehicle. Thanks for sharing. Rich

[@dustin_4501]

One of the most amazing 60's GM Cars along side the Buick Riviera especially the 1963-1965 Riviera.

[@oldman-zr2ru]

Very nice looking car. You mentioned the car had a 425 motor. Your engine has "E" casting heads on it, those were 1970 production only heads. The motor also has a 1968 and up oil filler tube and cap. The 1966 oil filler tube was straight sided and had a "top hat" look to it. It seems like the motor in your car has been replaced at some point.

[@RareClassicCars]

You’re correct. It was replaced with a 1970 Olds service block replacement. Good eye. It’s actually a 455.

[@61rampy65]

@@RareClassicCars When you took off for the test drive, it sounded Very Nice!

[@DanEBoyd]

Interesting to see that there's gold paint under the light blue paint on the valve covers and air filter assembly! I'm guessing that's how Oldsmobile sent it out the door.

[@GratefulFed]

Missed out on one of these in iowa for 11k. White with black interior and 65k miles all original. So freaking cool!!! Dreaming of a 68 eldorado in the meantime.

[@brianhdueck3372]

Great video! The hi-def sure brings out the lines and colour of this lovely car. Truly a beautiful car.

[@jack002tuber]

I love this car. I rode in a new one once, I was six. I still remember it. Check out the one Jay Leno did, its a mild restomod of this car

[@kc9scott]

It’s actually a pretty extreme restomod, with the conversion from FWD to RWD, all the chassis work that entailed, and the huge HP the replacement engine makes. Just visually subtle. And it’s my favorite among the cars that Jay has shown on his channel.

[@pcno2832]

One very strange feature for 1966: no vent windows! I assume that's the reason for the extra dashboard vents.

[@blitzedburgh090]

Adam you’re videos rule man! You’re knowledge is next to none! My first car was an olds cutlass sedan (91 GM10 car) silver with red interior. Had so much fun in that car as a 20 year old. Great vid!

[@Brian-bg2cb]

I love the Toronado, Eldorado and Rivieras 66-67! Very bold aesthetic designs.

[@mikeross801]

I can't believe you own a car with bad bushings! I never thought you would have a car with parts that are old and worn (like my cars get) :) It's a really nice car and it's one of my favorite in your collection!

[@johndavey72]

Definitely one of my all time favourites . Jay has one , highly tuned 1000hp !! Thankyou .

[@mattlauer3323]

beautiful car always liked the blade style front fenders

[@jimbo5728]

Missing the water valve screwed into the manifold that would go to that red hose? Or perhaps thats only on AC cars. Mine has AC, power windows, cruise control, power antenna, deluxe interior, and wonderbar radio. Those T3 headlights last forever. The lights are pulled down by springs. Vacuum is only needed to initially release the locks. Your body an paint is a lot better than mine. Mines Dubonnet. I do not have cornering lights. Love the 66 toro!

[@raffaelenegroni5888]

Thanks for the HD Adam. You're going on better and better as always.

[@Plhmel561]

The 1966 Toronado is one of the most beautiful cars ever designed and built.

[@arthuradderley5872]

Great camera work and fascinating facts. I love these and the Eldorado. So different to anything else. 🇬🇧

[@domenicoonorati566]

What a Beautiful Car

[@damianbowyer2018]

A Gr8 Car, Adam...Olds nailed-it with this beauty...Cheers fm Damo😎👏

[@MeadowFarmer]

They were great in the snow. My uncle had one back in the early 70s. He lived in Vermont and came down to Massachusetts to buy it. He wanted it specifically for the front-wheel-drive There weren't any all-wheel-drive cars back then.

[@LocomotiveBreth]

I own an original black on black 66'. Glad to see they are starting to get the respect they deserve

[@jorgehuerta9593]

Every car today is strange this is beautiful ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@nathanlind4509]

That car is stunning. Thanks for sharing Adam.

[@loualiberti4781]

Super Nice Car !! Thank U for the historical data !!

[@robertburns9138]

Perfect choice for your Valentine's Day post! Thanks Adam.

[@OLDS98]

Thank you Adam. It is interesting hearing about your 1966 Toronado. The influence of this car carried on for many years. I am sure you knew there was a music group from the 1960's name after this car. The group was called TSU Toronadoes. You should look them up when you have time.

[@gooney0]

Great car, great video. Picture quality is great. You need to open a museum and share these beautiful, and often strange, cars with the world. Many of your cars are before my time, and never made it to car shows. I haven't seen a Toronado earlier than 1980's before.

[@randyc8171]

I worked at an Oldsmobile dealer in 1969 and 1970 and lot's of these early Toronados were traded in on new rear wheel drive Oldsmobiles.

[@kroge007]

Gorgeous car. I loved my Great Aunt’s Navy Blue one back in the day.

[@sergioleone3583]

Excellent, entertainingly informative video. Your knowledge of so many facets of automotive history is amazing, from styling to the minutiae of production and engineering, costs, etc. ALWAYS presented in a way that makes the time fly! The Toronado looks even better now that you've had it detailed and the little items sorted like the Olds logo, wheel covers painted, etc. I love that you take care of so many over looked cars as well. But on the Toronado front, this video reminded me of a post a friend made on our little Ferrari/racing/old school forum. Apparently Bill Mitchell had a 2-seater version of the Toronado created for himself. Could you do your magic treatment on presenting more on that car's story to us? Thanks a million for all you do for automobile history, and the cars themselves!!!

[@smileychavez8093]

Awesome love those cars!

[@SummitHill79]

It’s really green in Michigan in February

[@n779pt]

I bought a running 66 for $250 to rebuild in our shop class at high school. We completely overhauled the the engine but elected to not do the tranny as it was too complicated. Instead, our instructor took it to his day job at a Olds dealership and it was returned as a rebuild by them. Later drove it as my only car for three years and it was very reliable but insane gas mileage at 9 mpg. I was also disappointed at the throttle response as it was sheepishly sluggish. There was so much weight on the front end that it bounced up and down like a pogo stick even with new shocks. Years later I bought a 1970 Eldorado with the front drive and 500ci 400hp monster engine. That car would smoke the front tires as though they were on fire- a really strange sight!! It was so front end heavy that tires would actually warp and bend the metal belts just from normal driving. The tread would wobble visibly after a few miles. The later Toros and Eldos were greatly underpowered due to lowering compressions and were horribly styled.

[@SummitHill79]

Wow, I had a ‘67 Delta 88 when I was in college back in the ‘80’s. I got 8 miles to the gallon with the 4bbl 425. I can’t imagine how bad the mileage would be if it didn’t have a switch-pitch converter. Although I had a friend with a ‘71 Toronado that got 5-6 mpg, so that may be my answer!

[@jimbo5728]

Just when idling my 66 burns gas like crazy 😂😂

[@stevenvanheel3932]

That’s insane! There had to be something wrong with the carb or something. Every 460 ford I’ve driven averaged more than that no matter if it was a truck or a motorhome.

[@Mr.Higginbotham]

I love your cars, you are Blessed. Shalom

[@motomuso]

Wow, it's looking amazingly good! Too bad the plates have to be so bright white. Black or blue with gold would 'sit back' further.

[@NofaceCat]

I was 13 years old with those came out and I’m telling you they didn’t look like anything that was ever out. The kid a couple houses down his dad got one. I believe it was copper color but it was it was cool. They also got a Volkswagen Thing. I grew up at a good time for the automotive industry. I bought a neighbors 1966 Ford GT fastback custom Thunderbird blue paint job from the factory with the custom interior with the tag and clock on the steering wheel. It was a beautiful car, but it rusted out around Chicago

[@WinterInTheForest]

I cannot get enough of this car

[@Al-thecarhistorian]

I was not a fan when these were introduced in 1966. No vent windows. Too rounded for me at the time. However, I see their beauty now, especially the front and rear styling. The interior is beautiful. I especially like the steering wheel! The headlights look weird when they are opened. They should've mounted them in the grille (like the '68 Charger or '70 Ford LTD).

[@61rampy65]

One interesting feature used by the Toronado and Eldorado is the final drive unit used a planetary gear set instead of the normal spider gear set-up. Not entirely sure how it worked, but it did allow for a narrower diff assy, which helped each halfshaft be just a bit longer. The ratio was 3.21:1. I think in 71, they went with a more conventional diff, and the ratio was changed to 3.07:1. Fun Fact: The original name everyone thought Olds would use for this car was "Holiday". When it was changed to "Toronado", everybody went 'WTF is a Toronado? Kind of like the name 'Camaro'.

[@ilkiwi]

Beautiful interiors!

[@thomaslamb8337]

Looks perfect ❤

[@TriggerArizona]

The most beautiful car ever made.

[@martentrudeau6948]

Fifty-eight years ago, the 66 Toronado was an amazing car, gas was cheap, engines didn't have computers and catalytic converters, carbon dioxide wasn't a dangerous greenhouse gas, we ate lots of red meat, and no one noticed the cows farting and burping methane gas. Life was good fifty-eight years ago.

[@brianbonilla4830]

Gorgeous ride.

[@jamessharp9790]

Mom had a dark plum with deluxe interior 66 , A/C car from 70-75. It was in first 20 produced. Shame we didn’t know the collectibility of it at the time.

[@donfredette5189]

What a gorgeous car

[@orwellknew9112]

This car is so gorgeous inside and out, it deserves the engine bay brought to the same level as the rest of the car. Have the engine rebuilt if needed, otherwise just clean it up and put a fresh coat of paint on it. Then just clean the rest, replace all the hoses and belts with OE. This is a very nice example. Driven on nice days and stored in a heated garage, this car could look just as good 20 years from now. I wasn’t a fan of these in the day, but nowadays these have to be totally rare and unique cars. 😢