1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Resources

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1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Facts – Body Paint Color Codes

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1966 Oldsmobile Toronado

1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Facts and Specifications

General Year Information – 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Facts

The Toronado began as a design painting by Oldsmobile stylist David North in 1962. His “Flame Red Car” was a compact sports/personal car never intended for production. A few weeks after the design was finished, however, Oldsmobile division was informed it would be permitted to build a personal car in the Riviera/Thunderbird class for the 1966 model year, and North’s design was selected. The still-unnamed car was to share GM’s E-body shell with the redesigned 1966 Buick Riviera which was substantially larger than North had envisioned.

Few know that Oldsmobile had been working on front-wheel drive since 1958, a project shepherded by engineer John Beltz who was also responsible for the originated the 4-4-2 and would later become head of the division. Although initially envisioned for the smaller F-85 line, its cost and experimental nature pushed the program towards a larger, more expensive car.

The unusual Toronado powertrain developed by Oldsmobile, called the Unitized Power Package (UPP), placed an Olds V-8 and transmission into an engine bay no larger than one for a conventional rear-wheel drive car. During its seven-year development, UPP components were driven over 1.5 million test miles to verify their strength and reliability. This package proved so well-built that the UPP was employed basically unchanged in the 1970s GMC motor homes.

Oldsmobile engineers selected a conventional, though performance-boosted, Oldsmobile 425 CID V-8 engineered to develop 385 HP and 475 ft. lbs. of torque. That was an increase of 10 HP over the Starfire 425, and an increase of 20 HP over the standard 425 engine in the Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight. To fit the 425 under the low-slung hood, the Toronado intake manifold was depressed, and a special air cleaner were designed.

The Turbo-Hydramatic heavy-duty three-speed automatic transmission became available during development of the Toronado. Called the TH425 in FWD form, the transmission’s torque converter was separated from its planetary gear set, with the torque converter driving the gear set through a 2 in (51 mm) wide silent chain-drive riding on two 7.5 inch sprockets. The chain drive was developed by GM’s Hydra-Matic Division and the Morse Chain Division of Borg-Warner. The chains were made from very strong hardened steel and required no tensioners or idler pulleys because they were pre-stretched on a special machine at the factory. Although the rotational direction of the transmission gears had to be reversed, a large number of components were shared with the conventional TH400. Use of the automatic also eliminated the need to devise a workable manual-shift linkage. No manual transmission was contemplated because performance was adequate with the automatic.

The Toronado used a sub-frame that ended at the forward end of the rear suspension leaf springs, serving as an attachment point for the springs. It carried the powertrain, front suspension and floor pan, allowing greater isolation of road and engine harshness.

At the front, and to fit into the tight space, Oldsmobile adopted torsion bars for the Toronado’s front suspension. This was the first GM passenger car application of torsion bars in the US, with conventional, unequal-length double wishbone A-arms.  Since there was no rear axle, the rear Toronado suspension was a simple beam on single leaf springs, unusual only in having dual shock absorbers, one vertical, one horizontal (allowing it to act as a radius rod to control wheel movement).

Brakes were hydraulically operated 11 inch drums and were generally considered the Toronado’s weak link. As a rather heavy car, after several panic stops the brake drums would overheat, resulting in considerable fade and long stopping distances. In1967, the addition of vented front disc brakes as an option provided substantial improvement.  The Toronado’s UPP enabled the interior to have a completely flat floor.

As with many coupes, the Toronado featured elongated doors to allow easier access for passengers entering the rear seats. Duplicate door-latch handles were added at the rear of each door enabling back seat passengers to open the doors without having to reach over or around the front seat, a feature that would also be available on the other  E-bodies, continuing until 1980 on the Eldorado.

A highly stylized steering wheel with a double-delta shaped horn ring which framed the view of an unusual vertical rolling style speedometer, consisting of a stationary horizontal “needle” and a vertically rotating black drum on which the numerals were printed in white. The numerals moved behind the needle as the vehicle gained speed. All other gauges, indicators and controls were grouped within fairly easy reach of the driver.

Despite an average weight of 4,500 pounds,  performance test data shows the 1966 Toronado was capable of accelerating from 0–60 MPH in 7.5 seconds and ran through the standing 1⁄4 mile  in 16.4 seconds at 93 MPH. It was also capable of a maximum speed of 135 MPH. Testers found the Toronado’s handling, despite its noticeable front weight bias and under steer, was not substantially different from other full-size U.S. cars when driven under normal conditions. In fact, testers felt that the Toronado was more poised and responsive than other cars, and when pushed to the limits, exhibited superior handling characteristics, although it was essentially incapable of terminal over steer. (Few know that Firestone designed an 8.85″ x 15″ tire especially for the Toronado called the TFD (Toronado-Front-Drive) tire. It had a stiffer sidewall than normal, and the tread and stylishly thin white pin-stripe were also unique).

The 1966 model was widely recognized as a step forward in design, gaining publicity for the division by winning several leading automotive awards, such as Motor Trend Magazine’s Car of the Year Award  and Car Life magazine’s Award for Engineering Excellence. It was also the second American car to ever be awarded recognition in Europe, as the third-place finisher at the European Car of the Year competition in 1966.

The Toronado sold very well at introduction, with 40,963 produced for 1966.

1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Facts – Powertrain Options

• • NONE

1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Facts – Significant Options

• • Air conditioning ($421).
  • Cruise Control ($90).
  • Floor mats ($9).
  • Door edge moldings ($5).
  • Headrests ($52).
  • Mirror, outside remote ($9).
  • Power antenna ($29).
  • Power door locks ($44).
  • Power seat ($69).
  • Radio, AM/FM ($147).
  • Radio, deluxe push button ($98).
  • Radio, deluxe signal seeking ($128).
  • Rear window defogger ($21).
  • Rear view mirror, outside remote ($10).
  • Tilt & telescope steering column ($79).
  • Tinted windows ($48).
  • Tinted windshield only ($28).
  • Tires, whitewall ($49).
  • Trunk release, power ($12).
  • Wheels, chrome ($90).

NOTE: For more information on options and accessories view or download the 1966 Oldsmobile Salesperson’s Specs Book, found HERE.