1985 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham

1985 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham 2 Door Hardtop The Oldsmobile Toronado was sold from 1966 through 1992.  It was built as a low-priced luxury car with excellent performance and a revolutionary design.  The name Toronado has no meaning; it was made up for a 1963 Chevrolet show car.  The American automobile manufacturer Cord had created a vehicle in the mid-1930's that used front-wheel drive.  Since that time most American automobiles used rear-wheel drive.  The Toronado, a full-sized American car using front wheel drive, is credited with revolutionizing and stimulating the industry to use the front-wheel design.  For the American Automotive Community, it was a risky concept.  The front-wheel design was viewed as a reason why Cord had gone bankrupt.  Many were skeptical of having the front of the vehicle handle most of the weight, be responsible for steering and braking, and drive the car. For consignment, a 1985 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham 2 door hardtop showing 32,307 miles, but the true miles are unknown. The third gen Toronado, (1979-1985), were downsized from the previous iteration, losing an incredible 1,000 pounds and 16 inches in length.  Exterior In profile, the car could be mistaken for any General Motors E-body of the time, (Eldorado and Riviera), but a look at the front reveals a unique fascia that includes a broad, body colored crown over a narrow grille flanked by dual headlights. The tail lights are unique as well as they follow the contours of the decklid's character line and present as narrow strips above the chrome bumper. A coach lamp adorns the wide C-pillars, side molding/door guards were still in vogue in '85, and the 15-inch wheels have wire wheel covers and 225/70R15 tires with a late 2018 date code. Overall the paint is faded and rough with blotches and other imperfections, especially on the hood, bumper fillers are missing or damaged, dent on left front fender, various dings, scuffs, and chips throughout, and a missing bumper guard.  Interior The inside is replete with patina as well, beginning on the door panels which were originally elegant and well equipped back in the day and other than some damage and wear on the driver's side, remnants of that former glory can be seen. Plush tan cloth bucket seats live up front and show some age but remain intact with a hole noted in the driver's side. The back seats, configured as two adjoined buckets, remain in very good condition. Liberal use of plastic wood is seen on the dashboard and spills onto the steering wheel itself. A simple, square, and easy to read instrument cluster resides in front along with an A/C panel and the ubiquitous Delco AM/FM/Cassette radio. The full dash and tan carpet below present in nice condition while the headliner shows typical sag for the make and era of the car.  Drivetrain Driver quality conditions are found on the 5.0 liter V8 under the hood. It has a 4-barrel carburetor and 140 horsepower, backed by a TH325-4 4-speed automatic transmission keeping power up front, as Toronadoes were known for, and 2.73 gears.  Undercarriage Typical surface rust and residual oil is found underneath where the single exhaust enters a stock style muffler that emits two tail pipes and terminates behind the rear bumper. Power disc brakes are found front and rear and suspension is independent at both ends with torsion bars up front and coil springs in back.  Drive-Ability The car runs and drives well with no noticeable engine issues. The power seats are not working nor is the air conditioning but all other functions do operate. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase. If you're a child of the 80's, it's likely your parents had one of these, or something very much like it. The Cutlass design may have been more common with over 200,000 units produced. The Toronado was a