I Remember Oldsmobile Toronado's

   It is a shame that one of America's oldest car-makers went broke in the 1990's despite making some grand automobiles. I have owned three of them and as I think back I can't remember a single bad instance from any of them. My first was a 1978 Toronado and I do not have a single photo of it. It was front-wheel drive and I had serious thoughts of it going bad and costing me a ton of money, but it worked like a charm for the three years I owned it.
   My second Toro was this 1985 model.

   The distinctive features of this car are twofold. The grille is from a Cadillac El Dorado and even led servicemen at the dealership to write it up as a Cadillac instead of an Oldsmobile. The cabrolet top looks so authentic that friends would ask me to put the top down, but alas, it did not come down.

   This car had the most comfortable bucket seats I have ever felt and the air suspension was like riding on a cloud. Even the car dealer where I purchased the car wanted to buy it back from me. I had it for about three years but a sudden Spring thunderstorm produced hail stones the size of golf balls and beat my Toro to pieces. All of the flat surfaces had severe damage and the windshield was also broken.

   I also would own a 1992 Olds Toronado and while it was another super car, it would never command the attention and comments the '85 attracted. The color was called 'Sable' and the interior was dark brown velor and leather. The fake spoke wheels used to bloody my fingers each time I washed them, but then I discovered a new use for the baby bottle brushes left over when my daughter (above) outgrew them. The only addition I ever made to this car was to display a SMU sticker in the back window. It was the perfect finishing touch.