Man Pays $2,000 for 1966 Toronado Survivor, Rolls Over 140-Mph Speedo Doing 155 Flat-Out

93 photos

Photo: YouTube/The Story Behind The Car

The man used to drive to and fro by a large property outside town, and he always enjoyed the landscape – mostly for the trio of Toronados and a solo Mercury parked out front in the yard. Until one day, when the cars were no more. The gearhead spirit in him immediately overrode all other systems; he pulled over and went to ask about the cars. The owner of the property informed the curious inquirer that the cars were his father’s, who had passed away several years before.

However, the lucky leprechaun was sitting on Patrick’s shoulder that day, making V8 noises and taunting him with high-speed hints. The Toronado curator smiled and jabbed this sentence at Patrick’s big-block heart: “I saved the best one for you.” Granted, it was covered in weeds and overwhelmed by vegetation, but it was still a solid 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado.

That was strike one, but the owner wasn’t done yet. Naturally, Patrick asked the most down-to-earth question any car nut must face sooner or later. ‘How much do you want for it?’ ‘Two thousand. But don’t come back and tell me you flipped it for thirty!’

The engine wasn’t running, but what’s the fun in buying an old car that sat outside for a decade or so if it’s a turnkey ride with no issues whatsoever? A handy wrencher at heart, Patrick Kellenberger had the big V8 running in a snap once the big Olds got towed to his shop. The tow truck driver made him an offer for five large in exchange for the Toronado but got fended off without too much ceremony.

’Thanks, but no thanks!’ countered the fresh owner, who didn’t waste any time getting the car back on the road. Ever the Fix-A-Lot tinkerer, Patrick threw in new fuel lines, got the fuel tank nice and clean, righted a few other minor wrongs, and drove the car the day after he bought it. It wasn’t in the best of shapes, but it was in one piece, and it moved under its own power—two critical points in favor of the legendary automobile.

Later on, he discovered the inherent hidden flaws of the classic Oldsmobile: rotten floorboards, sketchy body, shoddy interior - the usual headaches. A buddy of his got the sheet metal mended and put a new coat of brilliant white paint on it (scroll through the gallery to see some of the photos from the restoration).

With a fresh-out-of-the-oven first-year Toronado in hand, Patrick got back in touch with his ancestral roots in the ancient ‘Tribe LeadFoot .’ He gave the 425-cubic-inch big-block free rein – with the right pedal firmly locked to the freshly repaired floorboard. He stood on the gas until the barrel-style speedometer wrapped around its 140-mph max reading by ‘around ten or fifteen past that.’

Let’s look at this from another angle: the 4,500-lb personal luxury 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado casually drove at 155 mph (250 kph). ‘But it’s very hard to stop,’ openly admits the owner in front of Tom Gallaher’s camera, literally recalling The Story Behind The Car for the eponymous YouTube channel. The Olds wasn’t just a posh full-size two-door wonder from General Motors, launched to battle against the Thunderbird, the Grand Prix, and the Riviera flagships of the day.

With seven liters, eight cylinders, 385 horses, and 475 lb-ft of torque (390 PS, 644 Nm), the big automobile was a rocket in a white-jacket, black-tie attire. The three-speed Turbo Hydramatic was the only transmission available, but it did not flinch when the driver stepped on it. There are accounts of certain Toronados that cranked it all the way up on the interstate, blasting past the state trooper’s radar at 166 mph (267 kph).

The Toronado was introduced in 1966, and it sparked a revolution with its perfectly flat floors and superior legroom for all six occupants. Due to its front-wheel-drive architecture, the car lacked a transmission tunnel, leaving all the inside space for accommodation. With a 119-inch wheelbase (3,023 mm), the sleek Toronado has all the bells and whistles a classics enthusiast like Patrick Kellenberger would appreciate.

’I love the lines, and I really like the headlights. And the horsepower is amazing. But it’s very hard to stop, ‘cause it’s all drum brake, so it’s a little scary at that speed.’ With two tons of full-throttle Oldsmobile on them, the four cast iron finned drums were not an ideal stopping solution, even with the assistance of a brake booster.

The Toronados came with power steering and power brakes as standard. This particular example is the Deluxe variant, with a Strato Seat (a bench with a folding center armrest, giving the impression of bucket seats), factory air conditioning, or dual door handles for both the front and rear occupants. The former was a neat feature that allowed the back seat passengers to open the door easily without climbing over the front seats.

Since he bought the car (some seven years ago), Patrick replaced the air conditioning compressor and switched the headlights from vacuum to electric (he installed and wired the actuators himself). The vacuum tanks were rusty and kept failing, so the owner opted for a more reliable (and elegant) solution. The electric motors are wired to the low beams, so when the driver flicks the lights switch, the concealed lamps turn on and pop up (see a demo in the video below).

The car had around 47,000 miles on the clock (75,640 km or thereabout), and the current owner added some 4,444 to that, for a grand total of 51,442 statute miles (82,788 km), all original. Unlike the speed indicator, the milometer has not rolled over yet.

Due to the precarious condition of the interior, Patrick had the upholstery redone with a period-correct replacement to go with the new paint. Although it’s not the identical Porcelain White hue that the car received at the assembly plant, it’s close enough.

Oldsmobile sold 40,963 Toronados when the nameplate made landfall in 1966 – with most of them (34,630) being the one-up Deluxe trim. Contrary to the division’s expectations, the big luxo-boat lingered below 30,000 units for the following five model years despite being the only Oldsmobile product to be decorated with the Car of the Year distinction (in 1966).