1988 Olds Toronado Trofeo

[Flybrian]

Clicky

I know this evokes a reaction from most of you, but if this were a year old and black, this would be just like my father's bought-new 1987 Trofeo, the very first car I remember (and the first car I 'drove' - on my dad's lap, of course!). Same digital 'gages', same throttle shifter. Ours had a moonroof and an NEC mobile cellular car phone, though.

I've seen only a few Toronados of these hated downsized years, and most of them beaten hard with random wheels, busted antennas, and broken headlamp doors. But this? Almost perfect.

*Sigh*

[Cory Wolfe]

Heh... I would have taken it if I hadn't found the Millenia.

[cmattson]

What fond memories! My dad owned a white, 1990 Olds Tornado Trofeo. An excellent car - a combination of class/elegance and sportiness. I used to sneak the car out almost nightly. I seem to remember that the digital speedometer (just the speedo number-part) would flash when you took the car over 100 mpg.

[mute]

man that car in a primer black with white walls with the red steel wheels and the mooneye hubcaps and a little rake . . . hot $h!e

[ocnblu]

mute:

[Sixty8panther]

It's a cool car for what it is. Wonder if XP can post some photos of

his old FWD, mini-Toronado.

[mute]

mute:       

do you not understand?

a little rake that means the front end lower than the back

red steel rims meaning the stock steelies like most cars have painted red

white wall tires . . . thats a given

moon eye hubcaps . . . i hope you know im not gonna explain

black primer paint . . . again a given

that would look hot on this car

[daves87rs]

Ohhhh..I want!

*searches around house for money*

Say what you want, but those cars are a nice drive...smooth....

They're not that common around here as they used to be..

Get it Fly! It screams classic!

[Camino LS6]

My reaction to these cars is the same today as when they came out: ick.

Still, with such low miles and as clean as this one is, it's a steal at that price.

[PurdueGuy]

do you not understand?

a little rake that means the front end lower than the back

red steel rims meaning the stock steelies like most cars have painted red

white wall tires . . . thats a given

moon eye hubcaps . . . i hope you know im not gonna explain

black primer paint . . . again a given

that would look hot on this car

that sounds... absolutely gross.

[XP715]

Hah, funny to see one of these things after not thinking about them in a long time. After I wrecked my '90 Cutlass Supreme, I bought an '89 Toronado with the FE3 sport suspension to get me back on my feet before I bought my Riviera a few months later.

Wasn't a bad little car until I roasted the transmission!

[Guest YellowJacket894]

When I was six and lived in an apartment, we had a neighbor who owned a '92 Trofeo.

I don't know. I'm not that big of a fan of front-drive, but I most certainly wouldn't mind driving the last-generation Toronado. (Or the first-generation, for that matter.) They were decent looking cars, I guess.

[DetroitNut90]

My aunt had a red '92 Trofeo with the VIC and Bose audio system. Awesome car. I was 8 when she traded it in for her Seville STS. I could probably entertain mself for hours if she kept it. Had a great exhaust note too...

[ocnblu]

Yes mute, I did understand. You want to turn the Toro into a RatRod, or something like one. The smileys were congratulating you on your creativity.

[capriceman]

Buy it Fly! You want it, hell you need it! Dont let it become some punk kids first car so he can crash it into your Pontiac or Olds!!!!!

[XP715]

Wasn't my favorite of the Toronados, but I did like mine a lot in the short time that I owned it before it was replaced by my Riviera. I agree with capriceman in that you should snatch it up (or one like it) to save it from a life of 20-inch rims, stick-on window tint with giant bubbles, and some retarded stereo system in place of the weird top-loading slave tape deck mounted at a 45-degree angle in the center console. God, what a weird car. Digital everything and buttons everywhere! It's been two years since I owned mine, and I've yet to even see half a dozen out on the road. I think I've maybe seen three in all this time. Makes sense, though; sales in the Toronado dipped 62% from 1985 to 1986 when they downsized. I read somewhere a long time ago that the year I owned, 1989, was the smallest ever production year, with something like just under 10,000 units produced. Hemmings Motor News recently (February or March issue, can't remember which) picked the '88-'92 Trofeos as one of the top ten most collectible cars along with the future:

"The Trofeo (Italian for "trophy") was Oldsmobile's answer to European luxury cars. Debuted as a separate model in 1988, it was GM's attempt to add some sizzle to the slow-selling Toronado. The Trofeo offered sporty bucket seats, monochromatic paint, and a sport-tuned suspension; 1989 saw the arrival of the high-tech, touch screen Visual Information Center. Power was provided by a 3.8-liter V6 coupled to a four-speed automatic transmission, backed by capable suspension that could have handled much more oomph. The classy Trofeo is certainly one of the most handsome GM designs of its era; with good examples available for $2000, there will never be a better time to put one in your garage."

Truth be told, this thread sorta makes me want mine back!