OLDSMOBILE Toronado 1971-1978 Photos, engines & full specs

The second generation of the Oldsmobile Toronado was introduced in 1971, at the dusk of the muscle-car era. It was marketed as a personal luxury coupe.

At the beginning of the '70s, most of the cars on the market were still rear-wheel-drive and it was considered the only way to put more torque to the ground. The Oldsmobile thought another way: the front-wheel-drive solution will be the future, and they were right. So, they built the Toronado on a new platform and sent all the power to the front wheels.

Long, wide, and with edges on the fenders and slightly sculptured door panels, the Toronado was an all-American GT cruiser. It wasn't built for fast, curved roads, but for long and comfortable trips. The front featured four round headlights covered with a lid when the lights were off. In the back, the Toronado introduced a new set of taillights, used for braking and as a turn-signal. That system became standard afterward for most of the American cars.

Inside, there was a wide bench in the front where three people could sit in comfort. The dashboard was built around the driver. The instrument cluster featured a square dial for the speedometer and an AM/FM-8 Track stereo on the center stack. The gear-selector was mounted on the steering column. The car featured power-windows, power-locks, air-conditioning, and ABS for the rear axle. For the rear passengers, the Toronado offered a wide bench as well.

Under the hood, the big coupe was offered with a 7.5-liter V8 unit mated to a standard 3-speed gearbox. Despite its big displacement, the engine offered just 270 hp, which was not that much for a 2-ton vehicle.