I was somewhat of a gearhead in High School, working in my father's auto parts store for 8 years, owning a repainted 1976 Chevelle as my first car. I lost interest once college came along and 20 years went by. But I always remembered a neighbor's 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado that was garaged and of which I only got a couple of peeks.

It was very unique, with the hidden headlights, understated tail lights, but features like dual exhaust with chrome tips that made it look like a muscle car masquerading as a luxury car. It wasn't until 2008 that I remembered how much I loved first generation Toronados. Luckily in the summer of 2009, I was able to find this one that was in reasonable shape and reasonably priced.

The first generation (1966-1967) Toronado was unique, being the first front wheel drive production car since the 1930's, styled after the Cord of the 1930's. You can read more about the Toronado on Wikipedia.

The body on this one is in good shape and it runs well, showing around 53,000 miles on the odometer. Who knows if that's correct. Anyway, I'm glad I found one since they seem to be very rare. There are a few more issues to be worked out, and I hope to get it fully repainted someday. After all the work is done, I trust it will grow in value unlike the securities that tanked in 2008 that led to this purchase.

I'm told that the bucket seat option found in mine is very rare, adding a bit to the sports car mystique.

Owning this just a few months has proven that owning a car like this is as much work as it is fun, but hopefully in the end it will be worth it.