Oldsmobile History Part 2

A final ode to Oldsmobile

Pete Evanow / autoMedia.com

Among Oldsmobile's many vehicles, there was definitely one car that earned its own page in automotive history, and that was the Toronado. The first U.S.-built, "modern-day" car to offer front wheel drive, the 1966 debut of this two-door, long-bodied "coupe," a.k.a. musclecar, coupled with a 425 cu. in. V8 (later a 455) was as fast as it was beautiful. It was clearly unlike any other model in the GM parking lot, and it found its way into more than a few customers' garages.

High Performance

Frankly, the same can be said for the legendary Olds 4-4-2 (or 442, according to the purists), introduced partly as a response to Pontiac's GTO. Both were virtually racecars by the end of the 1960s, offering plenty of high performance backed by, well, high performance.

And if that wasn't enough, what child didn't want to ride in their neighbor's (and likely pleaded with their own parent to own one, too) domed station wagon, the Vista Cruiser? Was traveling on family vacations something everyone looked forward to? No, but in a Vista Cruiser, it was a different thing.

Innovation struck again when the Toronado offered a driver's side airbag in 1974. At the time, the device was actually air cushions tucked in the steering wheel and dash, but it was the precursor to today's standards. Safety was clearly playing a role in this model year when cars also had to incorporate larger bumpers, so the timing was right to introduce the airbag. Finally, a second set of brake lights was mounted under the back window, laying the groundwork for today's standard CHMSL (Center High Mounted Stop Lamps). These features would be the last significant achievements for this outstanding vehicle.

Different Directions

Nevertheless, Oldsmobile was on a roll in the 1970s. Its Cutlass model proved to be one of the most sought after vehicles of any era, and its success enabled Oldsmobile to top one million sales for 1978. Half of those were for the Cutlass.