The 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado wasn’t just a car; it was a statement. A bold leap forward in automotive design and engineering, it challenged conventions and captivated the public with its revolutionary front-wheel-drive system and striking, futuristic styling. This is a personal account from Dick Ruzzin, a junior creative designer at Oldsmobile during its development, offering a rare glimpse into the fascinating journey of creating this automotive legend.
Ruzzin vividly recalls the atmosphere of creative energy and collaborative spirit that permeated the Oldsmobile studio during this pivotal project. For a young designer like himself, it was an immersive experience, watching ideas take shape and witnessing the abstract concepts of management translate into tangible design directions. Even in its nascent stages, the project held an air of anticipation, a sense that something truly groundbreaking was in the works, even before the designers themselves fully grasped its scope.
The Toronado Name: A Gift from Chevrolet
The very name “Toronado” itself carries a unique backstory, originating not within Oldsmobile, but from Chevrolet. Credit for this powerful moniker goes to Ira Gilford, a designer in Chevrolet’s Studio #1. Inspired by a conversation with his father and uncle, Gilford coined the name, drawing from “TORO” (Spanish for bull) and “NADO” (evoking “tornado”). Though initially used for a Chevrolet show car, the name resonated deeply. When Oldsmobile sought a fitting designation for their groundbreaking project, Chevrolet generously offered “Toronado,” a name that perfectly captured the car’s powerful presence and innovative spirit. It was universally embraced as the ideal fit.
The E-Car Program: A Tri-Brand Vision
The Toronado emerged as part of General Motors’ ambitious “E-car” program, a strategic initiative to develop a trio of distinctive personal luxury cars across its divisions. Alongside the Buick Riviera and Cadillac Eldorado, the Toronado was conceived within a framework of shared engineering and design elements, yet with a mandate for individual brand identity. The innovative chassis was engineered with remarkable versatility, accommodating both front-wheel drive, destined for the Toronado and Eldorado, and rear-wheel drive for the Riviera. This clever approach allowed for a balance of component sharing for efficiency and unique engineering solutions tailored to each car’s character.
While sharing core elements, each E-body car maintained a distinct visual identity. Common components included the windshield, A-pillar, and door side glass, streamlining production and ensuring structural integrity. The roof panel and backlight were shared between the Toronado and Riviera, further optimizing manufacturing. Even unseen elements like door inners and underbody panels were standardized across the platform. However, the magic lay in the uniquely styled sheet metal of each car, allowing the Riviera, Eldorado, and Oldsmobile Toronado to project their own distinct personalities, with the shared windshield pillar serving as a subtle nod to their common foundation.
The 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado and Buick Riviera showcased together in the Body Development Studio, highlighting their shared platform yet distinct styling.
Ferrari’s Influence: Setting the Design Compass
To crystallize the vision for the then-unnamed E-car, John Beltz, Oldsmobile’s Chief Engineer, made a significant statement by acquiring a dark red Ferrari 330 GT 2+2. This elegant, close-coupled coupe served as a tangible benchmark for the desired size and sporty character of the future Oldsmobile Toronado. The Ferrari’s compact four-passenger layout suggested a smaller platform, aligning with the initial perception of the Toronado as a personal-sized luxury car. However, the diverse size requirements of the three E-cars ultimately led to the adoption of a larger platform, accommodating the broader needs of the Riviera and Eldorado alongside the Toronado.
Advanced Design #3: The Starting Block
Due to pressing commitments on other projects, the initial design phase for the E-car, including the Oldsmobile Toronado, was entrusted to Advanced Design #3 studio. Chuck Jordan, a prominent figure in GM Design, strategically directed the preliminary work to this studio. This move served a dual purpose: to kickstart the program while the Oldsmobile studio was occupied and to benchmark the design direction against the concurrent development of the Riviera and Eldorado, ensuring a cohesive yet differentiated approach across the E-car family. Jordan aimed to establish a firm design trajectory for all three vehicles early in the process.
Initially, the team at Advanced Design #3 began sculpting a clay model inspired by the Ferrari 330 GT 2+2, exploring the possibility of utilizing a platform similar to the Chevrolet Camaro or Pontiac Firebird, which were then under development. However, when the project returned to Oldsmobile studio as an incomplete full-size clay model, significant revisions were necessary to align it with the finalized E-car platform. This marked the true commencement of the intensive design refinement process to bring the Oldsmobile Toronado to production readiness.
The Ferrari 330 GT 2+2, a key design influence for the Oldsmobile Toronado, representing the desired size and sporty elegance.
The Design Evolution: From Sketch to Reality
Don Logerquist, a designer within the Oldsmobile studio, is rightfully credited with originating the core design theme that would define the Oldsmobile Toronado. His initial sketch, created during an exploratory phase for an alternative design for the 1965 Oldsmobile B-body cars, sparked the Toronado’s visual DNA. Chuck Jordan recognized the potential of Logerquist’s design, showcasing it to Irv Rybicki, a former Oldsmobile Chief Designer. Rybicki lauded it as a design suitable for a future “special car” for Oldsmobile, foreshadowing its destiny. This positive reception spurred the development of a red rendering, a collaborative effort involving Dave North, Don Logerquist, and Stan Wilen as advisor. Dave North primarily handled the layout and rendering, while Don Logerquist focused on refining the surface aesthetics, bringing the initial vision to life on paper.
Ruzzin recalls Irv Rybicki employing a similar forward-thinking approach later when Ruzzin served as Chief of Chevrolet #2 studio, always seeking design solutions in anticipation of future programs.
Dave North’s rendering, enhanced by Don Logerquist’s surface detailing and Stan Wilen’s guidance, became the visual blueprint. Wilen, in particular, drew inspiration from the Firebird 3 for the front end’s sleek, horizontal slot grille. Ruzzin himself contributed the rear design, taking cues from the Ferrari GT “Bread Van” race car’s Kamm tail, complete with integrated tailpipes. Wilen further refined the rear, advocating for low, wide taillamps positioned above the bumper, harmonizing with the front grille and creating a distinctive visual contrast to the Riviera and Eldorado’s rear styling. This resulted in a cohesive and striking design language for the Oldsmobile Toronado.
The original Toronado rendering, showcasing the initial design direction with its sleek lines and powerful stance.
Comparing the initial red rendering to the production Oldsmobile Toronado reveals significant design evolution. Notably absent in the rendering are the prominent wheel flares, a defining characteristic of the final car. These emerged later in the design process, a direct result of Bill Mitchell’s intervention. Mitchell eliminated the upper character line on the rear quarter panel, seamlessly connecting the Kamm-inspired rear end to the outboard roof crease, which was dictated by the shared roof panel with the Riviera. This design decision inherently created a substantial rear wheel lip flare, extending further outwards to meet the quarter panel surface than its front counterpart. This necessitated a subtle adjustment to the angle of the front flares to visually match the more pronounced rear flares, demonstrating the iterative refinement process in achieving balanced aesthetics.
The Oldsmobile Toronado debut at the Detroit Auto Show, showcasing the final production design that captivated the automotive world.
The lower bodyside design of the Oldsmobile Toronado further exemplifies Bill Mitchell’s influence. He championed a “frame” look, evident in the 1964 Pontiac Tempest/GTO, seeking to visually lower the car’s center of gravity. This design element effectively connected the pronounced wheel arches, reinforcing the car’s planted stance and muscular presence. Stan Wilen played a crucial role in overseeing and harmonizing these evolving design elements, ensuring a cohesive and balanced final product.
Bill Mitchell’s transformative contribution occurred after the clay model returned from Advanced Design #3. By connecting the roofline to the rear of the car, he established a continuous side plane that unified the prominent wheel arches, front and rear. This masterful stroke elevated the design, imbuing the Oldsmobile Toronado with unparalleled uniqueness. While this connection to the shared Riviera roof panel presented execution challenges, it ultimately solidified the Toronado’s distinctive silhouette.
A 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado brochure image, highlighting the car’s groundbreaking front-wheel drive and luxurious appeal.
Advanced Design #3 Studio Revisited
The initial phase at Advanced Design #3 studio, while brief, was crucial in setting the stage for the Oldsmobile Toronado’s development. The studio served as a pressure cooker, initiating the design process while the main Oldsmobile studio was engaged in other projects. Chuck Jordan’s strategic placement of the program in Advanced Design #3 not only expedited the timeline but also provided a valuable comparative perspective against the concurrently evolving Buick Riviera and Cadillac Eldorado designs.
Upon the return of the incomplete full-size clay model to Oldsmobile studio, the team embarked on the intensive final phase, refining the design for production. Initially, the front and rear designs lagged behind the cohesive side view theme, primarily due to the strong influence of the original red rendering, which featured a fender peak extending from the rear into the sail panel. Bill Mitchell’s intervention reshaped this direction, enabling the finalized front and rear styling to seamlessly integrate with the now-iconic side profile of the Oldsmobile Toronado.
—Dick Ruzzin, Junior Creative Designer in Oldsmobile Studio
Artwork by Dick Ruzzin, capturing the spirit and dynamism of automotive design.
Addendum: Echoes of Inspiration
Bill Porter, upon learning of Ruzzin’s Toronado memoir, shared a relevant anecdote from his time in Advanced Design in the early 1960s. He recalled a scale model by Les Johnson featuring a low body line that gracefully arched rearward from the front wheel opening, subtly “hopping” over the skirted rear wheel before continuing horizontally towards the rear. This design incorporated a prominent flare into the quarter panel above this “hopping” line. Les Johnson requested Bill Porter to sketch this concept, which garnered a positive response from Bill Mitchell.
This recollection suggests a potential parallel design exploration in Advanced Design during the early 1960s, possibly addressing similar design challenges that later surfaced during the Oldsmobile Toronado development. Stan Wilen’s emphasis on a low line accentuating the wheels as a foundational Oldsmobile design theme further reinforces this connection. While the Toronado design evolved into a more substantial statement, the underlying principle of wheel-oriented design resonated throughout GM Design. Don Logerquist’s gray and yellow pastel sketch, predating the red rendering, did incorporate these prominent flares, indicating an early consideration of this key design element.
The design environment surrounding the Oldsmobile Toronado was charged with enthusiasm, fueled by Bill Mitchell’s passion for wheel-focused design solutions. GM Design was a hotbed of creativity, exploring numerous themes, influenced by both internal explorations and global trends in race car design. The unique combination of elements that coalesced into the Oldsmobile Toronado design was conceived and orchestrated within Oldsmobile Studio under the leadership of Stan Wilen.
The enthusiastic reception of the Oldsmobile Toronado design stemmed from its fresh and individualistic components, harmoniously integrated into a groundbreaking solution. While design echoes and parallels may exist across GM’s vast creative landscape, Ruzzin, along with Frank Munoz, Dave North, and Stan Wilen, maintained a focused approach within Oldsmobile Studio, without direct references to concurrent projects.
Ruzzin recalls seeing a small, conceptual theme model in Chuck Jordan’s office, featuring a clean monocoque side with wheel protrusions, yet distinct from the specific design direction pursued by Oldsmobile Studio. GM Design, as Ruzzin aptly describes it, was a “design generating machine,” a dynamic ecosystem where ideas inevitably cross-pollinated and influenced each other.
—Dick Ruzzin
