1970 Oldsmobile Toronado Coupe (LHD)

The Oldsmobile division of General Motors had the longest history of all, dating back to 1897 and classics like the Curved Dash model helped establish Ransom Eli Olds' reputation as a maker of quality motor cars. From 1958, Oldsmobile began working on a front-wheel drive project that ultimately resulted in the ground breaking Toronado of 1966, a full-size personal luxury car in the same class as Ford's Thunderbird. The Toronado was innovative in a number of ways, not least of which was the Unitized Power Package, with a subframe for the floorpan, powertrain and front suspension and unique rear suspension to isolate passengers from engine vibration and the road. GM developed a new transmission, the Turbo-Hydramatic 3-speed, for the new model, along with the Quadrajet four-barrel carburettor, curved side glass and the "Draft-Free" ventilation system. Firestone designed a unique TFD tyre especially for the Toronado, with a stiffer sidewall and thin white striping. The Toronado had distinctive styling that evolved over the first generation model's lifespan, gaining stylised rear fins in 1969 and hidden headlamps that lasted until 1970. Inside, the interior more than matched the exterior, with most customers choosing the Strato bench seat up front to take maximum advantage of the FWD layout, while large doors allowed easy access to the rear seats. Under the bonnet was Oldsmobile's familiar 425-cid V8, with the larger 455-cid engine offered from 1968 onwards; the car was actually a strong performer, with a 1968 model recording a 0-100 km/h time of 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 217 km/h.