What does "Toronado" mean? It has no linguistic meaning. It just sounds cool. It was the name of a car which I consider unmatched all-time. That says a lot for a car that was in its classic prime in the latter part of the 1960s. We remember the decade for a lot of disturbing stuff. It's with a sigh of relief that I remember something like a classic car that was away from all the contentiousness.
My father and I obtained our 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado from Bill Dripps. We got it in 1973. Bill was still at his old location across the street to the west of the public library. It was "Dripps Oldsmobile."
I spent the '73 summer away from home. It was when the Richard Nixon administration was crumbling badly. The car was nothing but joy at a time when all was not coming up roses in the USA.
Our car had a maroon body and white top. I made many trips to Grand Forks ND in that car, as a member of the "Tempo Kings" music group. It was pleasant taking that ribbon of Interstate Highway, No. 29, from Moorhead to Grand Forks. We'd have supper at the Grand Forks McDonald's Restaurant. Back then, smaller communities like Morris tended not to have nationally known franchise restaurants. We did have the "Quik Stop" in Morris which was quite similar. The Quik Stop opened with hamburgers priced at 19 cents!
The 1967 Olds Toronado, in case you're not familiar, had a real air of grandeur about it. I never associated it with snob appeal, not like Cadillac. The Toronado simply had class. It turned heads. It was considered a "muscle car." I should have kept it longer than I did. I could have driven it in parades!
The Toronado is historically significant as the first U.S.-produced front-wheel drive automobile since the demise of the Cord in 1937. It was designed to transcend the Ford Thunderbird and GM's own Buick Riviera. It debuted in 1966 and lasted until 1992, although at a certain point the original styling gave way to a more standard appearance. The original styling meant everything to me.
The car was sort of a trademark of mine in the 1970s before I began full-time with the newspaper. I attended college elsewhere but came home often. The Tempo Kings played gigs often. I drove through a couple snowstorms in that vehicle, not showing the best judgment perhaps. I got stranded once in Westport. I believe the Tempo Kings group was forced to spend overnight in Watertown SD once. Such an adventurous spirit in my youth! I'm at an age now where I feel maximum contentment just being at home.
The Toronado in its first year of 1966 won the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award in the U.S. It sold reasonably well at introduction with 40,963 produced for 1966. The car got a slight facelift for 1967 and was designed for a slightly softer ride. However, sales dropped by nearly half. So hey, maybe the collectible nature of our car would have been enhanced. That's all hindsight now. I considered the car, however beautiful it was, as a utilitarian thing for the Williams'.
We installed an 8-track tape player! I acquired some 8-track tapes of big band music which we'd play on those Grand Forks treks across that wonderful serene North Dakota terrain. We knew we were getting close to Grand Forks when we'd see what Del Sarlette described as "the Grand Forks glow" (all the city lights). We listened to Garner Ted Armstrong on the radio.
It would be 1971 before the Toronado would match its first-year sales mark. The first generation Toronado lasted with the usual annual facelifts through 1970. I will never drive another car like our fabulous 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado. God bless you, Bill Dripps. I have written a song entitled "My '67 Olds Toronado." I don't know if I'll have it recorded. Here are the lyrics:
by Brian Williams
It was a car
A superstar
I get nostalgic at its name
With front wheel drive
It came alive
No other car will be the same
The '60s rocked
When it was hot
We watched "Bonanza" on TV
And like ol' Hoss
My car was boss
I felt it when I turned the key
CHORUS:
My '67 Olds Toronado
Maroon and white
Man what an auto
With headlights popping up
It was boffo
My '67 Olds Toronado
I could not change
The war that raged
Though it was clear we had to leave
We dropped those bombs
In Viet Nam
And I just watched in disbelief
We forged ahead
With our best bets
My generation would not blink
I kept my wheels
My Oldsmobile
It was the straw that stirred my drink
(repeat chorus)
I stopped for gas
The man would ask
If he could check my motor oil
He filled the tank
And then said thanks
It was a car he knew was royal
My 8-track tapes
Would sound just great
We hummed along with Elton John
No cruise control
So we just rolled
We're here one minute then we're gone
(repeat chorus)
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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