Torando (60's) retrospective

[haypops]

click here

[HarleyEarl]

I love Toronados but the Leno one is so heavily modified it's really not a Toronado anymore....it's a Corvette with a different body. He had his made into a rwd.

[Flybrian]

Leno's car may be a fine custom piece, but its not a Toronado. Remember the entire point of the Toronado was for GM to show off the merits of front-wheel drive. Making it rear-wheel drive turns it into some random car with a Toronado body shell on top.

[HarleyEarl]

Exactly....it's curious why they would include this car in the retrospective.

[haypops]

although the author refers to it as the "ultimate tornado" , I thnk it is included just as a humaninterest kind of angle on the retrospective. That gold colored car featured on the first page is sweet!

[HarleyEarl]

haypops...definitely it's beautiful.

[HarleyEarl]

This one is brilliant as well.

[razoredge]

Lenos is the ultimate Corvette <_< not really its just a Corvette with a different body on it. The 66 Toro was a completely engineered car, it has a pretty interesting story too but I cant link to it because the Toronado organization or club just doesnt have their nado together. I'd also link back a picture of my ultimate Toronado but this new site will not let me :angry: Otherwize I'd have to say it would be great to see one of those modified 66's GM put into the 67 Pikes Peak hillclimb. Wonder what became of them ? There was a Emerald Green 1970 GT with black vinyl top that was absolutely awsome. I cant link to that anymore either. There was a twin engine AWD Toronado built also There has been various chopped and shortened Toronados over the years too. Id like to take a rusted up 66 or 67 and put the drivetrain midship with the Dean Jefferies body modifications done on aluminum body for weight savings. When the Shark bites

[haypops]

Lenos is the ultimate Corvette  <_< not really its just a Corvette with a different body on it.
                      <snip>
Id like to take a rusted up 66 or 67 and put the drivetrain midship with the Dean Jefferies body modifications done on aluminum body for weight savings.

[post="7905"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

click here

The ultimate toranado/or what to do with the driveline is in the eye of the beholder. These are amoung the most saught after classic motorhomes.

[capriceman]

http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars/ol...o-history.shtml

Don't make me cry i love that car so much the 66 toronado. i ve seen only one in my life and that was the one at GM Auto show at Warren tech center.

THE PIKE PEAKS HILL CLIMB!!!

I no wut happend wut the drivers dont want to hear and the reason why they dont do them is simply computers fans humidfies and Technology. Yes GOD DAMN THAT COMPUTER!! You may never heard of somthing Called a SUPERCELL its a enigne slash car dyno that can test effects of weather heat and altitude to the performance of the engine slash car realtionship. they can simulate a -40 degree day with 63.8 percent humidity at -14,000 feet or 27,000 feet altitude. Amazing isnt it!!

Gm switched to them cuz its cheaper more acurate and can contain concepts inside there own grounds (they still test cars on dirt roads at there proving grounds).

I no its sad.

I Want olds back!!!!!!

[nightcourtrules]

The Toronado was a unique vehicle. Innovative cars like this one were a big part of what Oldsmobile was. HarleyEarl, thank you for the pictures and the retrospective. Edited September 2, 2005 by nightcourtrules

[capriceman]

some pics i found





ill keep looking

[HarleyEarl]

sweet....

[capriceman]

If only the made a car kit for that car! :rolleyes:

[HarleyEarl]

Great idea, a kit car Toronado! It's amazing how well this design holds up almost 40 years later.

[Flybrian]

I wonder if you could use a V8 G-chassies (DeVille, for longest wheelbase) to build a replicar Toro...

[capriceman]

if i had the money :( that stupid piece of paper with a dead president or invetor on it <_< But we could figure it out just slap a toronado body on an 06 impala SS or monte yeah i no 40 years later were talking about a 66 olds.i like all old cars better thatn any computer built car. cuz im a part machinist and i know when they built a car back then they took a pice to the machineist and said can you build this part? now a computer builds it and just slaps it in there no hand bent metal now its just flimbsy aluminum i want steal and lots of it !! o how i wish of the 60's bbeing rich and buy every car from that era. :rolleyes: Edited September 3, 2005 by capriceman

[HarleyEarl]

....love this ad for Toronado, even the engine is a work of art here:

[capriceman]

just think That was ingenous in the 60's no we hate it because its in 90 percent of cars now! o how i wish...........

[razoredge]

Woa Harley !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where did you find that picture. How cool is that ???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its excellent photography too !!!!!!! Ya'll were talking about a modern Toronado. I would make mine like this. It would be small, 2 seater, large t-tops or even targa, yea targa. It would be aluminum body, tubular moly frame, it would have the short stroke IRL based 4.0 N* IC supercharged, mounted to the new HD 6 speed manual FWD tranny, now the cincher would be to take the Toro to the next level by placing the engine behind the tranny, longitude, yes you would be looking at the back of the engine with the hood up, four large stainless torx head screws would remove the center console, an additional eight would remove the entire center of double insulated aluminum firewall and part of the floor to access front of engine for service of belts, alt, and what ever few other items that can be serviced without dropping entire drivetrain (a problem with the N* anyhow). Entire front section would be one piece aluminum tilt nose for excellent axcess to say sparkplugs ;-). Dual tuned tubular exhaust would exit low, twin cats then right into dual stainless lake pipes that are well muffled with stamped aluminum heat shields. Now this all aluminum body, tilt nose body would be a replica of the Dean Jefferies Toronado ..... but.... fenders would be flared an extra 3 inches with a phat stance and would NOT have the 2' wide flat band seen on 66-69 Toros, 18" wheels/tires set to fill the wells and at the corners of the car to take care of the over hang that Balthy pointed out, remember the engine is behind the axel so the axel is pushed forward anyhow ;-). The header panel/bumper would detach from the aluminum tilt nose and be made like typical bumper cover with foam and bumper bar behind it. The rear choped and angled tail panel would have my favorite built into body "duck tail spoiler". Tailights would blink from inside out in sequence. Yes indeedy it would be painted Sea Foam green with gold flakes, interior - darker green but two tone leather. Did I leave any areas out? Does it sound like I just described an Aurora Bengal Cobra GTO Birdcage XKE Jefferies razor 911T '66 Toronado ? Named Toronado Blade Edited September 9, 2005 by razoredge

[balthazar]

Yer Toro sounds awesome, razor!

[razoredge]

;-) Now if I could just find some backers :-)

[HarleyEarl]

Razor, that is a great photograph of the Toro engine and car...beautifully done. I can't remember now where I got that. ....and Razor, your recipe for a Toronado is so good!...man, shouldn't you be working for GM in it's engineering department, it's design department, it's revival of Oldsmobile department?.....they need people like you. ....and you are so right, the first Toronado was such a sensation for being fwd...now it's everywhere and unpopular with many auto enthusiasts.