1966 Oldsmobile Toronado

Motor Trend’s car of the year, The 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado debuted under GM design chief William L. Mitchell. The first year ’66 Olds’ Toronado sold exceptionally well and received lots of publicity as it led the way in automotive awards for excellence. Exquisite to the eye, featuring more sculptured front fenders and muscularly flared wheel arches with hidden headlamps and a smooth fastback roofline, the new Toronado was the largest front wheel drive car yet produced in America, riding on a 119 inch wheelbase and weighing in at 4,366 pounds, the Toronado was no sports car. Packing a standard 425 V8 engine the ’66 Toronado was rated with 385 hp. For a better weight distribution the drive train featured a split transmission with the torque converter located behind the V8 engine and the gearbox located remotely under its left cylinder bank, thus allowing the motor to sit over the front wheels.