I think the word "stunning" doesn't do this car justice. I've never seen an all-black one. This is going up for auction on Friday of this week (day after tomorrow) at Mecum's Orlando auction, which started today. https://www.mecum.com/lots/FA0721-483971/1978-oldsmobile-toronado/ Options on the car, or lack thereof. 1. It's not an XS, but that's OK. 80% of '77 and '78 Toros sold were the base Brougham. 2. No trip odometer and accompanying fuel economy meter. 3. Base wiper system (no pulse wiper). 4. It does have the factory AM/FM/CB radio. 5. No thermometer on the driver's side mirror. My '78 has this. It even has a light inside it so you can read it at night when the headlights are on. 6. Tempmatic A/C (the middle option between the base "Four-season" air-conditioner, which was standard equipment, and the high-end Comfortron). Air-conditioning was standard equipment on the '77 and '78 Toros, the first time Olds offered A/C as standard on any of its cars. Even for the 98, A/C was always an option. 7. Kind of oddly, for having only 23,000 miles, the iconic "Front Drive" air cleaner decal is missing. Where does that go? It was missing on my '78 with 86,000 miles, but my '77 with 83,000 miles still has it. By contrast, this car has barely been driven. Seems a little odd that the decal would be gone. What the air cleaner decal looks like.
There is rust underhood (A/C compressor clutch), so since the air cleaner assembly looks so new, perhaps it was cleaned and repainted?
The only other all black one I recently saw was as one at you pull it here in Albuquerque. It was an XS
That's what I'm going with. The air cleaner is way clean and shiny compared to the AC compressor and accessory brackets. It also looks like you can see the lines where it was, so maybe they just painted over it (but definitely did not clean off any adhesive). The AC system has been rebuilt and converted to R-134a, perhaps the shop felt they were helping to clean up the air cleaner while they were at it.
If you zoom in on the air cleaner, you can see the lines where the edges of the decal would have been. I agree that it's been removed because the air cleaner was repainted. By the way, what's this thing on the passenger side fender well (yellow arrow)? Alarm system or some kind of anti-theft device? It's certainly not factory.
I would agree it's either an alarm sensor box, or a battery tender box. It could also be for newer headlights, but I doubt it.
This car just now (11;45 a.m. Orlando time) crossed the block. The bidding started at $10,000 and moved slowly up to $19,500 where it stalled. Then the reserve came off, and it finally sold for $20,500. I'm guessing the seller had a reserve of $20,000. In any event, I think the seller got a fair price and the buyer paid a fair price. Well sold and well bought. Both sides should be pleased.
