1977 Oldsmobile Toronado review from North America

Engine fried and died at only 52000 miles!

Fatal overheating brought about by a stuck thermostat and non-functioning idiot lights.

Non-1977 engine transplant from an earlier year. I believe this to have been a 1970-1974 engine because of the points in the distributor! (My guess is a previous owner had swapped the original 403-cid V8 for a more powerful 455 V8.)

No major problems until the engine died.

This was probably one of the most interesting cars I've owned to date. It was a 1977 Oldsmobile, supposedly with a 403 V8, which was retrofitted with a higher performance 455 V8. An easy swap, so I understand, because the 455 Olds was not a particularly large engine in terms of dimension. Also, there was no trace of the requisite catalytic converter, with dual 2 1/2 inch exhaust pipes installed so professionally that it looked like original equipment!

Performance did not suffer at all, needless to say, and gas mileage was probably in the 14 mpg range. The only reason that I didn't score it a 10 for performance was because of the near-5000-pound weight of that huge Toronado body.

The build quality was generally very good and the front bench seats were like a sofa! Very comfortable, easy-riding car which handled well for its size.