Oldsmobile Toronado Deluxe
Oldsmobile asked two front tires to steer a giant coupe and pull nearly seven liters of V8 power—then hid the trick under one of the boldest shapes of the 1960s.
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Deluxe cover · Doug Fawley · CC BY 3.0
More than a set of wheels.
Oldsmobile launched the Toronado for 1966 after years of front-drive development. Its engineers folded a huge V8, a three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic and a differential into a compact Unitized Power Package, linking the torque converter to the gearbox with a wide silent chain. The Deluxe was the better-trimmed and much more popular of two launch versions, adding bright exterior details and a center armrest to the flat-floor cabin. It became the first American production car with front-wheel drive since the Cord 810/812 era.
Look a little closer.
Back-seat passengers got a second door handle near the rear of each long door, so they did not have to reach past the front seat to get out.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
A chain made a big V8 fit sideways
The Toronado did not simply rotate an ordinary drivetrain ninety degrees. Its TH425 transaxle separated the torque converter from the planetary gears and connected them with a two-inch silent chain running on matched sprockets. The layout kept the engine longitudinal while packaging the transmission beside it, the core idea documented by Oldsmobile engineers in SAE paper 660154.
Source: SAE International · Toronado—A New Breed ↗What made a Deluxe
The 39687 Deluxe shared the same drivetrain and body shell as the base 39487 car. Its identity lives in the details: a Strato-Bench front seat with folding center armrest, Deluxe armrests, bright moldings around the windows and chrome wheel trim rings. Period-data transcription lists 34,630 Deluxes versus 6,333 base cars, so most surviving launch-year Toronados people remember are the richer version.
Source: Over-Drive Magazine · 1966 Toronado fact sheet and factory-data archive ↗Where these facts come from
- SAE International · Toronado—A New Breed (paper 660154)
- 1966 Oldsmobile Dealer Data Book scan
- Over-Drive Magazine · 1966 Toronado fact sheet and factory-data archive
- Motor Trend Classic · 1966 Toronado drive and history
- R.E. Olds Transportation Museum · collection record
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.