'Two-Face' 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado by Precision Restorations

Suppose you owned a classic car restoration business and wanted to show potential customers what you could do for them. How would you go about it? Well, Precision Restorations of St. Louis, Missouri have ingeniously answered this question by restoring exactly half a 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado.

One side of the car is as it was found: rust-flecked paint, yellowing exterior panels and torn leather. The other side, meanwhile, has been fully restored. Check out our gallery below and marvel, as we did, at some of Precision Restoration’s best work.

Read more »

eBay Find of the Day: George Barris’ 70-X Toronado from Expo ‘67

George Barris is a living legend, perhaps best known for his work on the Lincoln Futura-based Batmobile for the ‘60s Batman TV series starring Adam West. One of his lesser-known creations is this: the 70-X Toronado, aka a heavily customized 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado. It was one of four custom Olds’ commissioned by Canada’s Imperial Oil and built by Barris for Expo ’67 in Montreal. And now you have the chance to own this unique piece of customising history for the low, low price of US$99,000.

The Toronado held the distinction of being the first front wheel drive car produced in the U.S. since the Cords of the 1930s, though was otherwise ordinary for the time. A 425ci big block under the hood, a wide grin and two sharp fender protrusions to impale unsuspecting pedestrians were the standout features of the ’67 model year. In Barris’ hands, though, the Toronado became something even more exotic.

Read more »

Breaking News: Wagoner to Lead Chinese Company in Oldsmobile Revival

News reports are coming in from around China that GM's former CEO Rick Wagoner has accepted an offer from domestic automaker CLN Auto Company Inc. to take the reins of the Oldsmobile brand, the rights of which CLN Auto purchased from General Motors a few weeks ago. Details are still shady, but it looks like GM is so desperate for cash that it decided to sell the historic nameplate to the Chinese automaker. Unfortunately for Oldsmobile fans in North America and Europe, CLN Auto secured the use of the name solely for the domestic market.

Contrary to the U.S., just like Buick, Oldsmobile has a strong allure to Chinese buyers. The country's last emperor was a large fan of Oldsmobile owning more than a dozen cars. "They adore the image of American vehicles," said China Auto Resources CEO, Jiang Li, in a report. "They just can't seem to get enough of them, so it makes a lot of sense," he added. We'll have more on this developing story later on in the day.