eBay Find of the Day: George Barris Oldsmobile Toronado 67X
George Barris' Esso Tornado - Click above for a gallery of images
As the story goes, Esso Oil asked custom car guru George Barris (he of Batmobile, Munster Koach and Drag-u-la fame) to create four custom Oldsmobile Toronado coupes for the 1967 Canadian Expo. The car you see above is dubbed Toronado 67X, and according to the seller on eBay, it is one of the only two cars remaining. The big coupe was originally gold, but time and poor treatment have turned it a lovely shade of something other than gold (well, several lovely shades, actually).
Although the auction has just ended, we thought you'd still enjoy a glimpse of what the seller calls the "Project car find of a lifetime" (which might be how long it would take to get it back together). Structurally, the Olds appears to be sound enough, but you can forget about the floorboards and the interior (which includes a wraparound rear couch!). Despite its obvious shortcomings, the car's provenance has helped it gain an appraisal value of $21,500 (which is about $15,000 more than a brand new Toronado listed for in 1966). On the auction itself, there's even a video of the engine running but you hear a lot more wind than engine. The car was bid to $7,701 but ultimately failed to meet reserve, so we expect to see it back up on the ol' eBay block sooner rather than later. In the meantime, click the link below to learn more about this unique piece of Barris history, and check out the gallery of photos below. Hat tip to Jay!
Gallery: George Barris Tornado
[Source: eBay]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
LimeDaiquiri 4:04PM (4/14/2009)
That thang ugly...
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Auari 4:13PM (4/14/2009)
Are you nuts..... That car is a pimp! I'd love to have one.
larry raines 4:22PM (4/14/2009)
I guess if you restored you may be able to make some money off it, maybe - god, it is just so dang UGLY!
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HotRodzNKustoms 4:26PM (4/14/2009)
I would love it done but it would take a bailout from the Obama administration to restore that thing.
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Steve 4:44PM (4/14/2009)
You know, I'm really glad the body of this thing didn't burn to the ground like the Biosphere of Expo '67 did in 1990...
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Sean 4:48PM (4/14/2009)
I think that thing's trunk has more space than a C-130.
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apocalypse2012 7:11PM (4/14/2009)
It is right at 21' long. Barris extended it 18" longer than the stock '66 Toro. That was for the wrap-around couch in the back (and cocktail bar). It also had very plush gold shag carpet. This was a sixties swing-mobile to be sure.
apocalypse2012 4:58PM (4/14/2009)
The car is mine. Yes it is rather ugly right now, but its has alot of potential. That is why I am selling it. I have been holding onto it for almost 10 years, but I do not have the time or the skills to give it the refurb it needs. The worst parts of the car are the paint job, the molded and disassembled interior, and rusted out floor panels.
Other that it is very solid. The engine and drive assembly are strong. Just needs the full monte in the restoration department. The person who has the skills to do that is going to make lot of money off this car. Unfortunately, the video was from my camera phone. If I were going to repost it on ebay, I would redo it with a better camera.
But that probably wont happen as it has been tenetively sold.
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Steve 5:20PM (4/14/2009)
I like it alot... in a very nostalgic way.
Good luck on finding the rare ones!
LoneWolf 5:00PM (4/14/2009)
I think the the original Toro looked better...that was a sweet car.
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Pokey 5:03PM (4/14/2009)
Leave it to Barris to ruin one of the most beautiful car designs of all time.
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Ronald Jones 11:47AM (4/15/2009)
I would have to agree with Pokey. That thing is atrocious compared to the original 1966 & 1967 design. Have you youngsters seen the original car?
http://www.gatewayclassiccars.com/displaycar.php?stock=161&location=CHA
apocalypse2012 5:11PM (4/14/2009)
Thank you all for the Hater-Aid... Quite refreshing.
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Steve 5:24PM (4/14/2009)
Don't be to hard on yourself.
The people who hate are the people too lazy to get up and find a rare car like this anyways, no matter what condition it's in.
Rafael Illan 5:44PM (4/14/2009)
Man, this thing is huge! its like a US Navy Carrier. you have to be careful you dont put to many lights on it, because an aircraft might/can land on it.
leaving the "big" joke aside;
a nice restoration with some nice looking '20" should give it back the shine it once had.
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Aloysius Vampa 5:58PM (4/14/2009)
It really is huge.
I like it, though.
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BoxerFanatic 5:59PM (4/14/2009)
from a cheesy movie...
"That's a HUGE Bi..."
...bit of metal.
It has some nice lines, but good grief that thing must be 25 feet long.
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apocalypse2012 2:57AM (4/15/2009)
Actually its right at 21' long.
bill jackman 6:23PM (4/14/2009)
Cherry.
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AntBee 10:05PM (4/14/2009)
I really hope whoever buys this restores it to its original glory! I loved Toronados and Rivieras.
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