Ep. 10 The History of the Personal Luxury Car

A classic car connaisseur tells you the story of the kitschy personal luxury car, as well as the origins of the Ford Thunderbird.

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Enjoy!

[swisswildpicsswp]

"If you buy a coupe SUV, you're just stupid"
THANK YOU!

[hammersandnails]

When I was a little kid, my parents bought a '66 (gen 1) Toronado. God that car was awesome. The engine could have come from a tank and the body from an episode of Star Trek. Gas was like 35 cents a gallon and the Feds were building Interstate Highways like there was no tomorrow so, what the hell.

[derekguitarmax]

How does this channel not have more subscribers? This is one of the most entertaining auto reviewers on here!!

[pokeytrucker]

Good lord GM made some downright BEAUTIFUL coupes from the mid-sixties to early seventies, the Riviera, Toronado, Monte Carlo, Eldorado, etc., all of them drop dead GORGEOUS!!!

[bartricky]

Great! As a single guy I went from the Corvettes to the pony cars to the personal luxury cars then to vans and now SUVs. I want to go back and start over....
Well done, Thanks...

[swabby]

The original Olds Toronado was truly remarkable for its body and its drive-train.

[jackwood]

Greetings from England. That was a very rare, relevant and well observed lesson with a valuable, informative conclusion. 100% score. Superior.

[MrMenefrego]

My father, a decorated World War Two Vet, was an American automobile connaisseur. I always marveled at the magnificent cars he brought home, everything from a 1956 Ford Thunderbird to his stately Mercury Marquis and many, many Lincolns. He also bought several offerings from GM as well but was mostly a Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury man. I inherited his love for massive American 'Luxo-Boats' and have owned many American classics in my day. I still have, among others, his 1980 Lincoln Versailles, a wonderful yet much-maligned car. Thank you for this, a fascinating look at the American automobile experience!

[Sheboobellach]

The 1st gen Toronado is jaw dropping. The low slung design, sloping truck, massive wheel wells, pointed front... The whole thing is a vision. GM had nice personal luxury cars in to the mid 80s, the Eldorado Biarritz especially. I actually had an 81 Oldsmobile Omega coupe when I was like 19 and it was like a mini PLC, it was so much fun to drive

[hagerty]

As a long-time Saab owner, there's an interesting story regarding the Toronado that taught them (Saab) a lesson in hubris.

When it was obvious that emission regulations spelled the end of the 2-stroke engine in cars, Saab was looking around for a replacement that would fit under the hood of the 96. They found an industrial Ford V-4 that fit, but it made (gasp!) like 80 HP and the current 3 cylinder in the 96 made about half that. To help develop a beefed-up transaxle to handle that much raw power, they cobbled together "the monster" consisting of two of the 3 cylinder engines (in Monte Carlo trim, no less!) end-to-end that put out on the high-side of 90 HP. They treated it like it was nuclear powered and confidently predicted that no front-wheel-drive car could ever be driven safely with more than 100 HP. The next year the Toronado came out, 400 + cu inches and 350 HP.

I'm sure there were some sheepish faces in Trollhättan that week.

[sweettooth]

The last bit about suv coups is so true, I can not express it enough

[jdnelms]

Growing up in the 1970's, personal luxury cars were so extremely common that they often outnumbered sedans and pickup trucks. My mom had a turd brown Chrysler Cordoba. It looked like a two door bordello.

[magnus]

You certainly can’t forget the 1964 Pontiac Grand Prix. That was an early version of the personal luxury car. Powerful and sleek

[peterscott]

Every time I see the Toranado I am struck by how unique, yet great looking it is. Really Awesome styling Job GM did on this one.

[RWDY]

The coupe SUV is a crime against sensibility, style and automotive history. No wonder the styleless and affluent flock to it in droves, like their mid market counterparts do to the endless crossovers that plague our roads.

[mrgreen]

This was brilliant, right down to the SUV coupe reference. I just discovered your content and am going to enjoy digging in.

[edwardedmundson]

Excellent video. From my perspective, the genesis of the American Personal Luxury Car was the Letter Series Chrysler 300's. The 57 and 58 models were just spectacular.

[arnepianocanada]

You're right, clearly documented. T-Bird as partly an answer, partly a contrast to Corvette developed classier features, the impetus toward personal luxury cars.

[jimlubinski]

When I saw this title, I thought you were going to have a new subscriber. Being a Thunderbird aficionado, I did not expect the backhanded slap. I have several Thunderbirds, including the "stupid" retro model, which I bought new. My '66 Thunderbird is every bit as unique and handsome as the Buick Riviera (which I also love), and as far as the retro Thunderbird, the sales issue stemmed from the fact that Ford management had a major change and with all the egos involved, advertising and marketing ended because the contemporary management team didn't have a hand in its development. In addition, the dealers tacked buyers' premiums approaching a 100% markup. I do agree that the personal luxury coupe was focused almost exclusively on style, and had little (if any) focus on practicality. I also agree on your evaluation of SUV coupes, but then I really dislike SUVs in general. Call me a dinosaur, but I would really enjoy more emphasis on style than practicality again. Not much style out there these days!

[davidtucker]

I am mostly appalled at what is offered today. My shopping list mostly stops around 1980 for so many reasons. Great video . Thanks Ed!!