This huge, stylish coupe of 1965 was the first car of
its kind to bring front-wheel-drive to the U.S market
(excluding of course the beautiful Cord's from the mid
1930's, such as the 810).
The Tornado came on a massive 119 inch wheelbase, and
weighed an enormous 4,366 pounds - the size and weight
counting against it if you were looking for a true
sports car.
But a "muscle" car it was, having
the mighty 425 ci V8 producing 385 bhp as standard,
matched to an aggressive style and wonderful flowing
lines that somehow belayed its sheer mass.
The seven litre "Rocket" motor used a three-speed Hydra-Matic
gearbox with Torsion-bar suspension and single leaf
springs, while twin vertical and horizontal dampers
were used at the back.
The drive system featured a split transmission with the
torque converter behind the V8 engine and the gearbox
located remotely under its left cylinder bank.
This arrangement
allowed the heavy engine to sit over the front wheels,
which resulted in a favorable weight distribution of 54%
forware, 46% at the rear - not bad for such a large FWD
car!
The Tornado's tyres were specially developed to handle
more grip and to also best accompany the front-wheel drive.
After massive pre-release testing it was finally launched
to hugely encouraging reviews with only the perceived
too-small drum brakes earning any notable criticism.
The styling was executed by GM design chief William L.
Mitchell and was exquisite. Design features included jutting
front fenders, hidden headlamps, muscularly flared wheel
arches, and a cropped tail trailing a smooth fastback
roofline. All this combined to make the Toronado the winner
of the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award.
Americans purchased 40,000 in its first year, but from
1967 seemed to prefer the Riviera due to its cheaper price
and more conventional styling. From 1971 the Tornado was
given a completely new, but awful, bodyshell which seemed
to take away the uniqueness of the earlier version.
