(first posted 7/25/2017) I’ve driven from San Francisco to Bakersfield, from Los Angeles to San Diego, I’ve even done the Pacific Coast Highway. For years, I’ve dreamt of doing a Great American Road Trip, sketching routes in my free moments. And yet, if you told me I could only explore one state, I’d still pick California. There are so many places I’ve yet to see: Joshua Tree, Yosemite, Mount Tamalpais. Exquisite desert scenery, breathtaking coastlines, awe-inspiring national parks. Dreaming of traversing these wide open spaces makes me appreciate personal luxury coupes like this 1977 Oldsmobile Toronado XS even more. These cars were built for the American landscape, designed to lope along highways and devour miles.
I spotted the featured Toronado while Brandon and I passed through Palm Springs last fall. There’s something resolutely charming about that town, with its cacti and palm trees and wonderfully preserved mid-century modern architecture. The town became a haven in the 20th century for stars seeking some fresh desert air and has now become somewhat of a gay Mecca.
Sadly, we were only passing through on our way to San Diego and therefore didn’t get to explore too much. Well, we have to save something for that road trip…
I’m not sure I could live in Palm Springs. While a dry heat is always more palatable than a hot, humid climate, 108-degree days in the summer are not something I could deal with. And while the featured Toronado XS undoubtedly has air-conditioning, black is hardly an ideal paint color for this climate. I’d rather the Buckskin Metallic, or maybe the attractive Mandarin Orange. Perhaps a beige car in a desert town is too Pueblo-esque so a Light Blue Metallic would look best—a little contrast is nice.
Imagine spending a relaxing weekend in Palm Springs before returning to reality in Los Angeles or San Diego. Cruising along I-10 as you luxuriate in that industrial-strength GM air-conditioning and sink into the soft, loose-cushion seats. The rocky desert peaks and barren expanses gently blur past as you loaf along. Maybe Tom Petty’s “Running Down The Dream” is playing on the stereo, or “Gold” by John Stewart.
If you had purchased a Toronado XS instead of the cheaper Brougham, your rear-seat passengers would still have a surprising lack of rear seat room – especially considering the sheer size of the vehicle – but they would have greater visibility thanks to the wraparound, bent-glass rear window.
The aesthetic merits of the XS’ window treatment are, shall we say, dubious. This isn’t the beauty queen a ’77 Impala or Caprice coupe is, their bent-glass rear windows blending more elegantly with the crisp Sheer Look lines. But the Toronado design otherwise wore well during the 1970s, the peculiar ’71-72 façade making way for a more conventional look once the larger bumpers were added in 1973 and 1974. XS window aside, the Toronado had a rather clean and elegant visage, bereft of fussy detailing and with styling cues inspired by the stunning ’67-70 Cadillac Eldorado. While the ’71-78 Eldorado screamed new money, the Toronado gently suggested old money.
Those old money buyers were often loyal to the Toronado, with Popular Mechanics’ Owners Reports revealing many Toronado owners were repeat buyers and over a third purchased the Toronado because of its front-wheel-drive. That front-wheel-drive traction comes in handy if you’re going out to Tahoe for some skiing.
For ’77, one of the Toronado’s E-Body cousins – the Buick Riviera – was moved to the new, downsized B-Body platform. It was more efficient and maneuverable and yet, despite this fresh new internal competition – not to mention the enticing new C-Body Ninety-Eight in Oldsmobile’s own showrooms – Toronado sales actually shot up by around 10,000 units to just over 33,000 units for ’77. That was still down from the beginning of this generation but an impressive showing for a pricey, full-size coupe in a market flooded with cheaper personal luxury coupes.
The wind turbines you pass in Cabazon will remind you that your Toronado was hardly an eco-friendly choice, even if the ’77 did receive a smaller 403 cubic-inch V8—blame that 4600-pound curb weight.
You would be lucky to get 15 mpg on the highway so if you forget to fill up in Palm Springs, you’d better hope there’s a Chevron coming up soon—you don’t want to be stranded in the night, chilled by the frosty desert air and the howls of coyotes.
If you wanted to let some fresh air into the cabin, the XS came standard with a power sunroof. Well, Oldsmobile had to provide more than just a fancy rear window to justify a price tag a whopping $2500 higher than the regular Toronado Brougham. They had experimented with power t-tops and produced a prototype, badged XSR, but recurring technical glitches caused GM to shelve the project. Embarrassingly, this occurred after they had already printed brochures and advertisements.
Sure, t-tops would be delightful for a cruise on a sunny day but a sunroof is nice, too. It wasn’t quite enough for buyers at the time, though, with only 9% of Toronados sold during 1977-78 being the pricey XS model. Lest you think Toronado buyers were frugal, the base Brougham was still over $1k more than a top-line Ninety-Eight Regency coupe.
I love modern cars. I love the progress automakers have made in driveability, handling, fuel economy and safety. But even a stone-cold pragmatist such as myself can see the romance of cruising through the Mojave in a gigantic personal luxury aircraft carrier. There’s nothing built today that resembles the Toronado XS, so while you may find a splendid desert road trip experience can be had in a new full-size coupe like a Mercedes S-Class or a Dodge Challenger, it’s not the same as sitting in loose-cushion seats and staring down the long, long hood of a Toronado XS.
Yes, a 4600-pound front-wheel-drive coupe with a tight rear seat is rather daft, if you think about it, but it has a distinctive character of its own. Does it make sense to live in the middle of a hot desert, hundreds of miles from a major city? Not really, but over 40,000 Palm Springs residents do. You don’t always have to be sensible.
You’re not going to want to take one of these onto the winding roads of Pinyon Crest—that goes without saying. But one doesn’t take their sailing yacht through rapids, or attempt acrobatic maneuvers in their private jet. The Toronado XS is a car for the American highway, so fill up the tank and let’s go for a drive.
Related Reading:
Curbside Capsule: 1977-78 Buick Riviera – The Placeholder
Curbside Classic: 1972 Oldsmobile Toronado – Reading The Tea Leaves Near Stage Left
Besides the technical issues, the other reason the XSR didn’t make production is cost: it would have been more expensive than an Eldorado.
And it’s true that the Caprice/Impala coupe looked better, too. In fact, I’d go so far as to suggest that the hot-wire, bent-glass Impala 2-door holds the potential of a future classic. It’s certainly the version I’d want to have.
At the time I considered this roof as an ungainly way to squeeze a little extra life out of a body that had passed its expiration date. It still doesn’t work for me. This body did not age as well as some others. What began as a bold, clean look became a muddy mess by the end. I am surprised that these sold as well as they did.
+1 to all of that.
Yup. That wraparound window was full-on ugly. The wide B pillar was awful.
That rear window was made in Rossford Ohio. Libbey Owens Ford plant #6.. We used high voltage current to get that sharp corner bent.I worked at LOF from 1969 to 1988. If I remember right the side windows were almost a 1/4 inch thick! That back light was a pain in the ass to bend!
As a side note Plant six tried bending blue glass (ICE) to be used in Corvettes that also failed big time. I’m not sure what year that was. I’m guessing 1980’s..
Ah, Mr. Stopford, you have basked in the essence of the Toronado and have become one with its mission in life.
You’ve hit the nail on the head. Who cares if this Olds drinks fuel and doesn’t handle that great? It’s built neither for economy nor handling – it’s for swaddling its passengers (or at least those in the front seat) with the ultimate in comfort.
Great find and a great piece!
Just so. Whilst I dislike the car – it looks like it was designed by a committee that didn’t even have the courtesy to meet – he has captured the appeal. Slouching for miles across vast spaces on a ’70’s velour couch, ensconced in a machine that seems to have expanded proportionate to that landscape.
It’s an interesting, if not really attractive car but just how comfortable are these ’70’s cars with puffy chairs on a long trip? For a short drive I’m sure they are wonderful, but wouldn’t soft seats with minimal ergonomics lead to discomfort and a sore back after a few hours at the wheel? I’m asking a genuine question, not making any form of judgement a I have never driven one of these.
I’ve ridden many a mile on soft pillow top seats and never experienced anything but exquisite comfort.
Such seats often (but not always) have surprisingly good ergonomic support. My 1975 Thunderbird had some of the best seats I’ve ever had in a car.
In a sense, it’s like comparing a park bench to a nice recliner. You can sit in both for a long time, but one does tend to be better.
Thanks for the kind words, Jason. I had completely forgotten you owned that T-Bird, too! I’ll have to read your COAL series again, it’s been a while.
I love black cars, and I love Palm Springs. But not at the same time!
Great find, great writeup, and great scenery! Despite being very opposite of my taste in cars, I do have a soft spot for this generation Toronado, especially the later models and the XS!
I’m with you there with California and wanting to explore it a lot more. Having only been to California once before a few years back (Northern), my two short trips to SoCal this year really ignited my excitement for the location. I love the Northeast, but I could get used to life in California.
I relocated from Pennsylvania to Southern California in 2013. I will not be leaving SoCal any time soon.
I liked Oldsmobile in the 1970s and 1980s.
It said, “I have money, but I’m not pretentious.”
My mom had a 1977 Ninety Eight Regency sedan.
So experience has taught me.
I love these 1975-78 Olds Toronados, especially the rare, Skydome rear glassed, XS.
My friend’s grandad has 5 XS models on his vast acres of land, here in MA.
He won’t sell any, hoping they’ll be collectible…I dunno what he’s waiting for, the guy is 96.
Sucks, because they could be enjoyed or in the process of restoration, instead of just wasting away.
Here is a nice black one, the condition opposite twin, of the featured car in the article…Gathering moss next to an 82 Audi 4000. 🙂
Pic 2
When the price of junk was up a few years ago would have been the time to move them.
I thought it was only Studebaker and International fans that “collected” cars this way. 🙂
These guys have nothing on Edsel hoarders…
Speaking of Studebaker, I thought I’ve seen something for a back window like that before
Yep, that and ’59-’60 GM Flat top sedans!
JP, he has acres with tons of CCs, for sale, he is a rare breed…the only used car dealer who sells “driver quality” cars on his lot, ranging from the 60’s-90’s.
He has an 87 Nissan Pulsar NX with only 4,000 original miles.
A 72 Ford Pinto Mini Mark(with Continental kit and grille, from Florida).
He.also has an 83 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham ragtop, with only 60,000 miles, he wants $1200, for it, runs like a top…I tried to offer him $700, since it needs a complete paint job.
He just ignores me… Yet, two years later, it still sits. 🙁
Fine article, William, thank you. When these cars were new, I too was an automotive pragmatist who thought the answer to all car questions was efficiency. But now, forty years on, I definitely get the romance of a big brougham pointed “down a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair”. Thanks for making my morning.
Except for the horrible guard rail like bumpers, The XS was great looking, I think. I especially like the silver one with the t-tops. That back window treatment in its day, was as cool looking as the 64-66 Barracudas back glass.
“When the lights go down in that California town, people are in for the evening”
Definitely John Stewart’s “Gold” for this ride!
Besides, it has Lindsey Buckingham on guitar and Stevie Nicks on backing vocals…
Don’t really care much about the car, but never knew Buckingham and Nicks performed on that album. I was a fan of those two pre-Fleetwood Mac. As always, CC comes through with new learnings. Thanks!
“Gold” was released while Fleetwood Mac were taking their time (and spending gobs of money) working on their follow-up to the monster hit album Rumours, so in the meantime radio jumped at the chance to play a new song that sounded like a Fleetwood Mac song with a guest lead vocalist, giving John Stewart his only big hit as a solo artist. But let’s not forget that he was also a key member of the Kingston Trio in the early to mid ’60s. Oh, and he also wrote the chart-topping Monkees hit “Daydream Believer”.
Yes, there was that one pre-Mac Buckingham/Nicks album that inexplicably has been out of print for decades but is very good. Plus, Stevie Nicks is topless on the album cover!
Wow. Didn’t know that about “Gold.” The amazing thing about Rumours was that it even got made – all of the members were experiencing turmoil in their personal relationships at the time. The McVies had just divorced, Mick Fleetwood’s wife was having an affair with his best friend, and Buckingham & Nicks were also blowing hot and cold with each other too.
I can’t help but wonder, if in a parallel universe, the Toro kept it’s ’66 body and benefited
from 10 years worth of safety and engineering upgrades (and emissions, inevitably), brought up to 1976. What would it be like or look like?
Not like the front of the ’68, I hope!
Even though I love the ’66, I also like 3-point belts, collapsible columns, headrests etc too.
Yes, I know that keeping a body for 10 years was not the Detroit business model then.
Yes, I also know that the later square ones vastly outsold the swoopy originals. I know they were simply catering to market demands, but what does that say about the market, and it’s collective taste?
I remember this parallel universe well – particularly the rivalry with the Citroen SM for front-wheel-drive class honours in the 72hours of Daytona, Le Mans and Spa.
?
google Pontiac Phantom. You will have you answer. The Phantom is in the Sloan Museum of Flint, MI if you want a closer look.
These were meant for the driver and (possibly) a passenger, and the back seat was only a suggestion. The scions of business used them to shuttle between cities that were too close for considering flying, often alone, but in glorious comfort. One could shuttle the wife (or mistress?) to dinner without complaints, but never kids (or grandkids) sullying the pristine velour on the back seats.
As to the styling, it was the late 70s, and it is very much a product of that time. Angles ruled, and that rear window was (and still is) polarizing, but it worked with the rest of the theme of this car. We see mid-century modern being fully appreciated 50+ years on, so we should just be nearing the point where disco-era sensibilities are regarded more highly. Hard to believe, but it will happen….
Right on! I was 10 years old in 1977, and while the fashion and popular hues of the time are laughable to me today, as I reach middle age I’m increasingly nostalgic for all things related to the era. My prediction is that as the Baby Boomers age out of the majority of the collectibles marketplace, the ’65 Mustangs, muscle cars, etc. will fall solightly out of favor and my generation will begin to want to scoop up cars like this one more and more. This is what we grew up with, and what we knew our parents aspired to, what we rode in as kids and what we were impressed by when they appeared new in our neighbors’ driveways. If I was in the market for a collectible car today (or if I find myself to be in the future) a ’74-’76 DeVille, a Toro of this generation, or some other similarly absurd calamity of a vehicle would probably find me throwing my money at it. I’m weird, but I’m not so sure I’m so weird as to be totally unique.
You are better off now buying whatever you fancy, especially as it is ahead of the curve. The price for the collector vehicles of boomers is going to drop off, slowly but surely, with only a few retaining current values. We saw this with brass era cars, with the classics of the 20s and 30s, and cars of the 40s and 50s are being forgotten and ignored again. The cars owned by 80 year olds do not interest 60 year old guys, and those under 40 have totally different tastes. Do yourself a favor, take about $2K and buy what interests you. Cost for upkeep and insurance will be minimal, drive it as much as you want, and you can almost guarantee to have at least $2k in value in 10 years.
There’s probably a “wretched XS” quip somewhere under those loose cushions, in amongst the pocket change and bric a brac.
This is the first XS to make it to CC. There was one sitting on a front rural lot near Eugene when I started CCing, but it left before I could get to it.
I loved SoCal during my years there, but I’m afraid it’s just way too crowded for me now.
I didn’t like these cars when they were new, and I really don’t like them now. Even when I was a teenager, I saw them as huge, grotesque things.
A few years back, I drove the Grand Lady, a 1978 Sedan deVille, over the Rockies. All my nostalgic love of old cars, and my desire to have one, evaporated.
These cars were built for a specific demographic: the World War II generation. When that generation passed, GM didn’t have any customers left for such contrivances.
Canuck,
Could you elaborate on your comment:
“A few years back, I drove the Grand Lady, a 1978 Sedan deVille, over the Rockies. All my nostalgic love of old cars, and my desire to have one, evaporated.”
What happened during your trip to sour you on old cars?
Look at that degrading bumper filler, a 70s GM hallmark.
I was just a kid when my Mom had her ’72 Toro. I can attest to the back seat being small for such a big car. But these cars had presence, unlike nearly anything you can find on the roads today. In fact, a good friend of mine just appeared at my house the other day after a five year absence and moving to Florida. In my driveway was his mint condition 1973 Riviera that was still up here in R.I. I hadn’t seen that car in over 15 years as it was in storage and had been covered up. His grandmother left it to him after she passed over 30 years ago with only 34k miles on the odometer. Well just sitting in that vinyl cushioned driver’s seat was a treat. The smell of an old GM car. The long front hood in front of you – the thin soft cushioned steering wheel – a total blast from the past. And then he asked if I wanted to drive her. Ummmm yes??!!!! That powerful 455 driving the rear wheels of that behemoth is nothing like driving the cars of today. Some may say great – the newer cars are better, safer, faster etc…..But you really have to experience driving an older car to believe it.
I drove an older car over the Rocky Mountains. I would have much preferred a newer car.
I’ve never actually sat in a Toro or other huge personal-luxury coupe from this era and am quite curious to just how roomy (or not roomy) the rear seats were. At the time there were lots of complaints that there wasn’t much space back there, especially given the external dimensions. But whenever I peered through the window (usually an opera window) to have a look, the back seat seemed pretty huge. Legroom seemed tight compared to the full size sedans of the day, but I’m wondering how the back seat of a ’77 Toro compares to the rear seat of a modern small car, say, a Mazda 3 or Subaru Impreza, or the even tighter back seats of the few remaining modern coupes, or the third row of crossovers and SUVs. Also, wasn’t the almost completely flat floor a boon to whoever was sitting in the middle of the back seat? I did lots of time in the rear center position of ’70s RWD cars (youngest of three siblings) and I would have gladly traded some legroom for not having a driveline hump. The downsized ’79 Toro and its relatives had plenty of rear seat headroom and legroom and maintained the flat floor, but the car was substantially narrower which made sitting in the center rear position less pleasant. The disastrously shrunken-again ’86 models had near adequate rear legroom nor a flat floor.
The size of the rear seat itself was never the problem in PLCs, the problem was there was no more space between it and the front seat backs as you’d find in ponycars.
I’ve lived in SoCal since 1972 and can’t recall ever seeing an XS. It appears that GM sold only 2713 in 1977 so they must have been pretty thin on the ground anywhere. European luxury cars were the craze here by that time – perhaps the XS appealed to some of the vanishing steakhouse crowd in other parts of the country where I’m guessing most were sold.
BTW Palm Springs is not “hundreds of miles” from LA and the coast – it’s only a little over 100 miles – but it does seem that way today because it takes so many hours to drive due to the dense traffic caused by the huge population increase in recent decades mentioned by Paul above. I once drove from Palm Springs all the way to the coast in Santa Monica where I live in 90 minutes late at night in my 99 Maxima, a more practical driver than this oddly styled tank from the 70’s. At least Lincoln got the styling right with the Mark V – even SoCal embraced it in fairly significant numbers.
I recall them coming into our garage driven by WWII vets. Many of these gents didn’t live that long, as what they had seen caused them a lot health issues. When they were gone, so were ENORMOUS cars.
Now we have ENORMOUS “trucks.”
You know, its funny when you talk about “grotesque” proportions… when I was growing up I always remember big long hoods when you looked out from beyond the driver or passenger seat. Nowadays you look out and generally a hood doesn’t get in the way of your vision much at all. Even an “old” car like my 1991 Olds has a ‘short’ nose on it.
Not my kind of car, then or now, but as always a great read from William. How does a guy from another country halfway around the world have such a knowledge of (and interest in) American cars? But of course this is CC. I will gently suggest, however, as a native and lifelong Californian, that these aren’t really the right kind of car in which to truly explore and discover California as a physical place, not just a state of mind. Ditto for the Harley’s that are so often touted by European bike magazines as providing the true western US experience. For every straight road through the desert, there are many twisty goat trails and unpaved roads through mountain and forest (and desert as well) that are better suited to a smaller, better handling car with ore ground clearance. From the ’70’s, I’d pick a Peugeot 504 or a Mercedes, or a Datsun 510 Not really anything American 🙁
To be fair, I wouldn’t make this Toro my first choice for a Great Californian Road Trip. That’s partly because I’d want to tackle the twisty roads of Tamalpais and return to Mulholland Drive. The first (and so far, only) time I drove Mulholland, it was in a 2014 CTS. It was perfect, and that car also made a splendid highway cruiser too. So, a CTS would be an excellent choice for a Great Californian Road Trip.
You’re right about the many unpaved roads and such that are worth exploring, though. So, if I want something 1) American 2) with sufficient ground clearance and 3) a smooth highway ride and 4) capable handling, maybe a first-generation SRX? Open the UltraView and let some sunlight in the cabin.
That’s if we weren’t sticking to 1970s cars, obviously.
All these “Ewww, gross!” comments about the bumpers. Meh, whatever. That’s what car bumpers looked like when I learned the word for them. They’re not fashion accessories like the useless pre-’73 items; they’re functional items with a job to do (and under the regulations in force at that time, they did it well)
Anyhow, these on the Toro sure as hell aren’t anywhere near as ugly as numerous others.
I loved the 5 mph bumpers. We had them in practically all our taxis, as the last year of car we had was 1990. They didn’t get damaged by mere nicks and could take a heck of a whack. Perfect for taxi use.
To be fair my ewww gross comment above about the bumpers had to do with the flimsy bumper filler caps GM used on these and Cadillac’s. Whatever good 5mph bumpers did to protect it ultimately were undone by them crumbling apart like the ones n this car.
Total agreement.
About 20 years ago I was visiting a friend in Los Angeles when we drove to Vegas for a weekend. Wafting along I-15 at 80 mph through the desert in a black BMW 528i, with air-conditioning on high and Cole Porter on the CD player, I decided that this was what the 20th century had been invented for. It’s one of my great memories.
XS-ive.
Actually, I liked those when they first came out. I like the reference to the “next look” Studebaker coupes with the wrap-around rear window.
Of course, when these came out I also wore chunky heeled Disco shoes and bell bottom baggy plaid pants and polyester shirts. Suave, man!
Thanks for posting this, William!
I understand why people are cold toward these Toronados, and I won’t lie, I agree with the criticisms leveled against the design. But, I have a kind of guilty pleasure toward these. Mainly towards the XS, I just think the roof helps the design stand out more.
The description you made about what these were designed for is why I’ve always wanted a PLC. You hit the nail on the head Will, there’s nothing better for interstate highway cruising. It’s like your own private Learjet, nothing works better for just pointing forward and letting you take in the sights. Granted, I wouldn’t want to take these near the rocky mountains or something similar, but to just float down on the I-95, with some nice music coming from the speakers, sounds like my idea of heaven.
If we bought cars for purely logical reasons, we’d all be driving Skodas or Hyundais.
These cars help keep people like us sane, and that has to be a good thing for everyone else. Doesn’t it?
Well said Roger. I always have held that if Car Enthusiasts were all logical, we wouldn’t be Car Enthusiasts in the first place.
It’s because of cars like this that the 1979 E-Bodies were especially attractive, and a breath of fresh air.
And that’s fair. The ’79 E-Bodies still had terrific presence but were packaged so much better. I’d take a ’79-80 Eldo, for example, over any of the ’71-78 models. That includes the showy Custom Biarritz Classic.
I haven’t seen one of these in the wild for ages, especially the XS version. The closest that I could come up with is this example spotted in a Brantford junk yard.
Other side
William, I’m one of the insensible ones (no offense taken!), I live in Palm Springs. I recognize this Toronado, it had been on the lot at 111 Vintage Cars for months and months, although I haven’t seen it for some time now, and it is not on their inventory list today. Either someone bought the old aircraft carrier or it was recalled by its owner. One thing you can say for these, they have unmistakable presence. You couldn’t miss it driving by on Palm Canyon Drive.
You mention the winding roads of Pinyon Crest, a little offbeat residential hamlet partway up the hill from Palm Desert, just off Hwy. 74. You must have taken what we call the “back road” to San Diego, a route I have traveled hundreds of times through the years. Hwy. 74 to 371 to 79 to Temecula, where you join I-15 towards San Diego. It is such a scenic, albeit rugged, route, always something new to look at, even a bighorn sheep if you’re lucky. It is a real joy to traverse when you have the time. Hwy. 74 has been there since the 1930’s, little changed all these decades later. I’ve written before how my grandmother used to tear up and down that hilly, winding road in her ’56 DeSoto, and mind you, with no power steering or power brakes or A/C. I can only imagine what it would be like in this Toronado, wallowing all over the road. But then, we used to drive all of our big old American iron on that route, probably just slower and more sedately than today’s hell-bent drivers.
Anyway, fun article, thanks for posting your experience.
I would absolutely love to return to Palm Springs and actually spend some meaningful time there.
We just followed where the nice lady (Google) told us to go and climbing the hills leaving Palm Springs afforded some beautiful views. Nice twisty roads too–I wish we had the CTS from earlier in our trip and not the Lexus GS. The scenery changed quite quickly, from brown rocks to green trees.
I have a question though, Don. We were on a flat stretch of highway just outside of Palm Springs, headed to San Diego, and there were signs saying to turn on our headlights and leave them on. What’s all that about?
You were probably on a section of Hwy. 74 running through a beautiful broad flat area called Garner Valley, once the site of an old ranch but now populated with equestrian estates. It is very scenic through there, often snows in the winter, where the mountain vegetation and pine trees take over from the rugged desert area preceding it. The “Daylight Headlight Section” begins there, I think, and runs on at the intersection of Hwy. 371 as it descends out of the mountains into the Anza Valley on your way to San Diego. Daytime headlights are often noticed in areas where visibility is difficult and limited, usually mountainous, twisting two lane roads where it is difficult to see oncoming traffic. The idea is to make your vehicle more visible to oncoming traffic, hopefully to reduce collision potential.
Come back and see us in Palm Springs when you are back in southern Cal and have more time!
Did nobody at Oldsmobile hesitate to name the top-of-the-line Toronado something that’s pronounced “excess”?
Great comments fellas! I enjoy the positive and the negative. One of these XS models was in Congers, New York parked outside The Last Chance Saloon for at least a decade. I presume that it belonged to the saloon’s proprietor. It was great to look at it. There were many tries at overpriced full-size personal luxury vehicles in the 1970’s. Another corker was the 1970 Plymouth Fury I two-dour sedan that was upgraded to a dressy two-door sedan so that they could move the sheet metal that was ordered out of the plant. The picture that I enclose is one straight from the side so that you can see that it really is a sedan with its “B” pillar. As a Fury I, it was a dull austerity vehicle. By adding a dressy Fury III interior and a vinyl roof, one option of which was ostrich-grained, they had a way to sell this soon-to-be-discontinued body style.
The name XS was appropriate, as these came after the peak era of PLCs. They were an exaggerated deviation from earlier PLCs. The original Toronado was sleek and dynamic, it was large, but the styling didn’t make it look like a parade float. The cars were always large, but smaller than their division’s biggest cars; the DeVille, Olds 98, and Electra coupes. They were supposed to make the driver feel cossetted and special, and a bit rakish. They were obviously not meant to be used as family cars, but as “reward” cars for the person that wanted something personal, but not too hard edged and cramped, like a real sports or GT car.
It’s hard to draw conclusions from present day drives in vintage vehicles. For one thing, expectations are much different for drivers of modern vehicles. Now, even regular transportation, low level cars have much better driving dynamics than most older cars. Second, old cars have degraded over the years, everything from steering and suspension components, body mounts, and under sized OEM type tires. Few cars are maintained or restored completely to a like new condition. These cars did not have outstanding roadability when they were new, no telling what kind of shape they are in now.
That being said, many of us drove these cars as new vehicles, and many of us drove these cars as ten to twenty year old used cars. I routinely drove 50’s and 60’s and 70’s cars as daily transportation. I bought a three year old ’77 Coupe de Ville as my dream car reward after college graduation, and drove it for many years. I was also a motorcycle enthusiast at the time, so I was familiar with performance vehicles.
I was a big fan of PLCs, I’ve had three Buick Rivieras, and I’ve noted that they had different personalities. My ’66 was like a bigger muscle car. The ’71 was like a CdV, which I’ve had a couple. From what I have gleaned so far, the ’97 will be the best blend of luxury and driveability of the bunch.
I might say that driving a PLC is the difference between driving a bus and a GT car, but now people choose fancy trucks and luxury SUVs. Somehow luxury SUVs have replaced PLCs, which are considered to be old people’s cars.
I’m so lucky that my parents settled in the Bay Area, it’s close to everything. In my younger motorcycling days I rode everywhere in the State. Even now I’ve visited Pismo Beach, Monterey, and Healdsburg in the last month. Of course, being retired is a big plus.
Definitely not a car you’d drive to a Sierra Club meeting.
I’ve often heard it called XS-ive.
I’m surprised nobody mentioned the P-38, wet pavement, and the bone dry open roof XSR.
Though I don’t love love all of the details on this Toro (mainly how some of the frontal features make it look a bit Shamulean), I kinda like the package as a whole. Black is entirely appropriate color for such a car in Palm Springs, as you’re probably not giving a toss about practicality if choosing such a car, amirite? That wraparound rear window makes a statement, as do the nifty high mounted brake light/turn signals. I’m not as keen on the look of huge fender caps just outside of the headlamps, but the little illuminated ornaments occupying each fender cap on 1977-78 Toronados make is so much more better! It’s been a long time since I plopped down on overstuffed seats, but I remember them being a very pleasant place to be.
PLC’s were masters of wasting space (take a look at the fan shroud on a 1970-72 Monte Carlo for evidence), but there is something special about staring down a stand-up ornament at the end of a long hood as you’re guiding the whole works down the freeway at [insert extralegal speed here] with half of the fingers on one hand resting on the tiller. I am one of the very few who really don’t want to sacrifice ultimate ride comfort for handling prowess. I spent FAR more time traveling questionably maintained roads than I do carving corners, so seeing irregularities and watching them disappear under my car without disturbing my hot cup of coffee is what I like. Some floating and body roll is okay; all that I ask is that the car does ultimately stay connected to the road under normal driving conditions. It seems like most GM barges from about 1971-forward handled a little better than their size would suggest, even being able to be hustled a bit.
I used to have family in Palm Springs, but haven’t been there in a number of years. I would probably take my black Toronado out in the evening and nighttime to cruise the streets and highways, knowing that the make-it-a-meat-locker air conditioner would have my back if I were to venture out in the daytime.
Sorry, ugliest Toro, ever.
In “P/S”, I’d think that back window would be “tinted, dark”. At least the “side panels”.
If you’re a high-roller with poor taste in cars, then why would you not go all the way and get yourself a 1977 Stutz Blackhawk?
An real Oldsmobile man wouldn’t drive a disguised Pontiac.