In the early 1960s, something like 90% of American automobiles were rear-wheel drive, because that’s what Americans knew and loved. Slowly but surely though, automakers introduces more and more front-wheel drive models, included the odd Oldsmobile Toronado. Equipped with a powerful V8 engine that drove the front wheels, the Olds Toronado is one of the weirdest production models to come out of Detroit.
Naturally, weird-car guy Jay Leno had to own one, though he had some major modifications made a few years back that made his Toronado a proper front-engine, rear-wheel drive vehicle. So when the designers of Gran Turismo 6 visited his California garage and saw this awesome Toronado, they decided it had to be part of a virtual download pack.
Of course Leno did more than just put a front-drive car onto a rear-drive frame. In fact, Leno straight-up replaced the original drivetrain, swapping in a heavily modified motor and transmission from the Cadillac CTS-V. With the addition of two turbochargers, the Toronado nearly triples its output, producing some 1,076 horsepower.
As you might imagine, such a car (weighing in at over 4,000 pounds!) is difficult to drive in anything but a straight line. Even so, it’s so cool and unique that Gran Turismo’s designers decided that it had to be included in an upcoming virtual download pack featuring all sorts of crazy, out-there cars. Yet somehow we think Leno’s Toronado is the wildest of them all.
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