Pick of the Day: Toronado was another Olds innovation

Ah, Oldsmobile, how we miss you… Pity that when General Motors decided to pull the plug on one of its brands, you had the fewest dealers to pay off, so it didn’t matter that you also had a better fleet of vehicles across the board than any of your fellow GM divisions.

You introduced the Hydra-Matic transmission way back in 1940, and the Rocket V8 soon after World War II. In 1995, you gave us the Aurora, perhaps the last great American car design. And in 1966, you introduced the Toronado, the first full-size American car driven by its front wheels since the 1936 Cord.

The Pick of the Day is a 1969 Oldsmobile Toronado. The car got some styling updates that year and a power upgrade with an optional 455cid V8 rated at 400 horsepower.  

The Thousand Oaks, California, private seller advertising this Olds ClassicCars.com notes that the car “was kept undriven, covered and protected from the environmental elements in a garage for over 30-35 years.”

The seller notes that this is a “one-owner car with nice original fairly glossy paint, never been in an accident, original tires, original rims, original whitewalls, and a very nice original split bench seat with no tears, real wear or rips.” 

The seller also notes that the gas tank has been removed but is scheduled to be reinstalled this month. 

“The car is ready for purchase with or without the tank installation,” the seller says. “The power windows, tilt wheel, 455 v8 engine, and factory a/c, still work. Original seat belts, carpet, mirrors…. you name it!”

The photos of the car look great, but the description in the advertisement leaves us wondering. The 455cid V8 was standard for the ’69 Toronado, but there’s no photo of the engine in the advertisement, nor is there any detail about whether it’s the 375-horsepower version or the 400-horsepower W34 upgrade that came with uprated transmission and low-restriction exhaust. 

Nor do we learn any details about why the car was put in storage for three decades. 

The seller wants $28,868. To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.