1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Deluxe Coupe
American automotive conventional wisdom held that front-wheel drive was impractical for cars with engines larger than two liters. Oldsmobile shattered this belief in 1966 with the Toronado, earning Motor Trend’s Car of the Year award and proving wrong the old limitations by 350 percent.
The styling featured clean, flat surfaces with enlarged wheel arches and pop-up headlights flanked by tall fenders that pointed forward like aerodynamic knives.
The wide grille extended from side to side below the headlights, positioned above the integrated chrome bumper. Its dramatic greenhouse and sloped roofline created a distinctly modern profile.
Engineer John Beltz and his team developed the innovative drivetrain layout, placing the transmission beside the engine rather than ahead or behind it, connected by a Hy-Vo drive chain. This compact arrangement allowed the massive 425 cubic-inch V8 to produce 385 horsepower while maintaining reasonable packaging.
Despite weighing 4,500 pounds (2,041 kg), the car could accelerate from 0-60 mph in 7.5 seconds.
The Toronado’s unique speedometer featured a “slot-machine” style design with a stationary horizontal needle and a vertically rotating drum displaying white numerals on black.
More than 40,000 Toronados were produced in the inaugural 1966 model year.
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