Due to its front-wheel-drive architecture, the Oldsmobile Toronado, which debuted for the 1966 model year, revolutionized the US auto industry.
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles were still favored in North America even though front-wheel-drive vehicles were already common in Europe at the time. Was the Toronado the country’s first front-wheel drive car? Actually, no. The 1929-released Cord L-29 is the winner of this prize.
However, the L-29 and the more iconic 810/812 series that followed in 1936 were built in limited numbers. So, while it arrived a few decades late to the FWD party, the Toronado was America’s first mass-produced automobile with this configuration.
A rather flamboyant appearance design-wise, the Toronado had a few advantages over its RWD competitors. By putting the engine and the driving wheel on the same end of the car, Oldsmobile got rid of the driveline tunnel and created a roomier interior. The heavier front end also improved stability.
However, I’m not here to discuss what makes the Toronado, a nameplate that lasted for almost 27 years, a fantastic classic. I’m coming to blow your mind with a new iteration of the venerable first-generation model. because it has a bus-like footprint, eight doors, and six wheels.
No, American Quality Coach built an airport shuttle modeled on the Toronado, not Oldsmobile. It is known as the Jetway 707 and is an enormous 28 feet long (yes, it is a reference to the Boeing 707). The five rows of seats, which may hold up to 15 people, are accessible through the eight doors. Additionally, the enormous, hearse-like trunk still provides plenty of storage for stuff.
The Jetway 707 was the first vehicle produced by the Arkansas-based American Quality Coach Company. The latter was established by Waldo J. Cotner and Robert Bevington, who previously built Cadillac-based professional cars. They were so impressed with the then-new Toronado that they sold their stock in the old company and formed a new firm to develop the Jetway 707.
But even though it was the largest and among the most luxurious airport shuttles of the era, the stretched Toronado wagon didn’t sell well. ACQ reportedly ended production after completing around 50 examples. Other sources mention 150 cars. Whatever the number, only a few of them are still around, and they look like this worn-out limo sporting “centipede” letters on its sides.
This Jetway 707 was discovered in Belleville, Michigan, and it has a somewhat enigmatic past. But it’s very obvious that the massive six-wheeler hasn’t received much maintenance recently and has been completely unprotected from the weather for a number of years.
The paint is severely worn, and the door panels, seats, and other surfaces are filthy. Nevertheless, the car is astonishingly comprehensive for a rig that is so enormous it is practically impossible to keep under a roof. The big 455-cubic-inch (7.5-liter) V8 under the hood still operates, which is shocking. That is evidence that unlike many of its brethren, this airport hauler wasn’t abandoned to decay.