October 14, 1965 – Oldsmobile debuts the Toronado
The 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado was introduced on this day in 1965. The vehicle is historically significant because it was the first mass-produced front wheel drive American car since the Cord ended production in 1937. The Toronado won the 1966 Motor Trend Car of the Year Award in the U.S., and placed third in the 1966 European Car of the Year contest, a feat no other American automobile had accomplished before or since. The path to earning those accolades all started with a painting.
Top: 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado By Karrmann - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0Above: 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado. By Marcin Zieliński - Own work, CC BY 2.5
Oldsmobile designer David North completed a design painting in 1962 titled, "Flame Red Car." Originally nothing more than an exercise, his design would prove to be j...
