‘67 Olds Tornado 67-X “Golden Arrow” 1 of only 5 ?!

[Steve H]

I will be interested to see some feedback from you guys that might know more about this car. This was at a local car show on Sunday. I overheard the owner say it was 1 of only five ever built. I took photos of the signs displayed with the car which give a bit of history. 

 

[Richard Bartrop]

I remember that car well.  Dad owned an Esso station the summer that promotion was running.   8 year old me thought it was one of the coolest things ever, and that it was horribly unfair that we we among the people who couldn't have a chance at it.

BTW, it wasn't a talk show, but a variety show that Dean had at the time, and the show in Montreal was Expo '67, aka the World's Fair, which coincided with Canada's centennial.  Imperial Oil was running a promotion where the 67-X was the big prize.

Edited August 9, 2022 by Richard Bartrop

[Richard Bartrop]

One of the cards from the "Roadshow 67" promotion that had the 67-X as the big prize.

Some more background on the promotion.

http://www.billjamie.com/Imperial-Oil/Esso-Roadshow-67/Esso-Roadshow-67.html

Apparently the fifth one Barris kept for himself

 

Edited August 9, 2022 by Richard Bartrop

[Richard Bartrop]

Also, here's the front of the original 67-X,  with chrome end caps and round headlights.   That one, for whatever reason, has had some work done.

[Raoul Ross]

I just threw up in my mouth, a little bit.

I have seen worse though!

[iamsuperdan]

I'm digging that back seat. 

[Misha]

On 8/8/2022 at 7:11 PM, Steve H said:

I will be interested to see some feedback from you guys that might know more about this car. This was at a local car show on Sunday. I overheard the owner say it was 1 of only five ever built. I took photos of the signs displayed with the car which give a bit of history. 
 

 

Wow, that really brings back the memories! I was a young teenager at that time and Dad always bought gas at the Esso station. 1967 was a very celebratory year for Canada and the promotion fitted in, especially being offered only here. There was talk of someone winning one north of Regina who promptly sold it, perhaps urban myth? 
 

On 8/8/2022 at 10:05 PM, Richard Bartrop said:

One of the cards from the "Roadshow 67" promotion that had the 67-X as the big prize.

 

It’s also great to see the pull up cards for the contest, I hung on to them for years afterward with a rubber band - no winners.  Still have a couple of mint tiger tails that one would attach to the gas cap, now that one had “A Tiger in the Tank!”

Thanks Steve and Richard for rekindling the memories! Cheers Misha

[jaymcminn]

On 8/9/2022 at 10:08 AM, iamsuperdan said:

I'm digging that back seat. 

Plus when you're sitting inside you don't have to look at the outside.

[TarheelRick]

Another hideous Barris "custom".  I think the title "customizer extraordinaire" was a serious misnomer. I am glad I had finished my coffee before opening those pictures, it saved my keyboard from a bath.

[Phildaupho]

Yes I remember seeing one of these. If memory serves me, a West Vancouver restaurateur named Frank Baker may have owned one for awhile or at least had it to display. He also had one of the James Bond Goldfinger Aston Martins on display at his restaurant 

[Richard Bartrop]

1 hour ago, Phildaupho said:

Yes I remember seeing one of these. If memory serves me, a West Vancouver restaurateur named Frank Baker may have owned one for awhile or at least had it to display. He also had one of the James Bond Goldfinger Aston Martins on display at his restaurant 

I remember that place. It was near the ferry terminal at Tsawassen, and I looked them over a few times while waiting for a ferry.

[Phildaupho]

7 hours ago, Richard Bartrop said:

I remember that place. It was near the ferry terminal at Tsawassen, and I looked them over a few times while waiting for a ferry.

The restaurant was in West Vancouver across the inlet from Vancouver but on the way to the other ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay. I am going to do a google search to see what comes up.

[Richard Bartrop]

6 minutes ago, Phildaupho said:

The restaurant was in West Vancouver across the inlet from Vancouver but on the way to the other ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay. I am going to do a google search to see what comes up.

You could be right. It's been a while since I'd had to take a ferry

 

[Phildaupho]

7 minutes ago, Phildaupho said:

The restaurant was in West Vancouver across the inlet from Vancouver but on the way to the other ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay. I am going to do a google search to see what comes up.

 

 

7 hours ago, Richard Bartrop said:

I remember that place. It was near the ferry terminal at Tsawassen, and I looked them over a few times while waiting for a ferry.

Found this on-line - one of the cars of the four was on display in Frank Baker's "Attic Restaurant" at the foot of Taylor Way and Marine Drive in West Vancouver from the 1970s up until 1982.
 

[Phildaupho]

Someone might be able to build a replica from the currently available MPC Californian kit !!??

[Richard Bartrop]

It looks like it would be almost a complete scratchbuild.  On the up side, nobody would object to you cutting up one of those.

[Richard Bartrop]

On 8/12/2022 at 9:09 AM, Phildaupho said:

Someone might be able to build a replica from the currently available MPC Californian kit !!??

On reflection, you may have given me a reason to buy one.

[Steve H]

On 8/8/2022 at 10:40 PM, Richard Bartrop said:

Also, here's the front of the original 67-X,  with chrome end caps and round headlights.   That one, for whatever reason, has had some work done.

Hi Richard, thanks for sharing all the info! I knew there would be some folks on here that would be familiar with the car.

 

On 8/9/2022 at 7:08 AM, iamsuperdan said:

I'm digging that back seat. 

Very cool seating area, love the little TV.

On 8/9/2022 at 4:34 AM, Raoul Ross said:

I just threw up in my mouth, a little bit.

I have seen worse though!

Hi Raoul, yep, I figured there would be several of these types of reaction. My first reaction when I saw it was “ew”, then it was “hmmmm” ?, the car is “slightly” more attractive in person.

On 8/11/2022 at 5:16 AM, TarheelRick said:

Another hideous Barris "custom".  I think the title "customizer extraordinaire" was a serious misnomer. I am glad I had finished my coffee before opening those pictures, it saved my keyboard from a bath.

Hi Ricky, yep, some of these old customs were totally over the top. The back story on this one was interesting tho. Glad I didn’t ruin your keyboard!?

On 8/12/2022 at 8:09 AM, Phildaupho said:

Someone might be able to build a replica from the currently available MPC Californian kit !!??

Hi Phil !! This is the kit that came to mind when I saw the car. Had you seen that car around town before? That’s the first time I’ve seen it.

On 8/10/2022 at 2:09 PM, jaymcminn said:

Plus when you're sitting inside you don't have to look at the outside.

??? Jason, thanks for the laugh! Thankfully I did not have a mouthful of coffee when I read this, or I might have ruined my keyboard! (See Ricky’s comment above)

 

Thanks for the feedback and stories about the car folks. To be fair the car looked better in person than the photos. Honestly, it’s not my taste in cars, but it did draw me in, so I must have liked something about it.

Cheers, Steve

[Scott Colmer]

"More ugly Mr. Toronado?"

"No thanks. Full up. Give my compliments to chef Barris."

[bisc63]

To me the Toronado is one of those bodies GM got just right, and so is very hard to customize the way the old-guard customizers worked. It can be done, but excessive changes start detracting from instead of enhancing the beauty of the lines you begin with. This to me is nowhere near as attractive or interesting as a bone stock '67. A hard swing-and-miss for Barris.

[bisc63]

Another swing-and-a-miss for the sign painter that made the placard displayed with the car for putting an apostrophe on "Olds".

[deuces wild]

On 8/9/2022 at 7:34 AM, Raoul Ross said:

I just threw up in my mouth, a little bit.

I have seen worse though!

Who ever did this to a Mustang should have his keaster removed...???

Edited August 15, 2022 by deuces wild

[NYLIBUD]

On 8/14/2022 at 9:41 PM, deuces wild said:

Who ever did this to a Mustang should have his keaster removed...???

What the hell is up with the Mustang’s interior??And sorry,but the Toronado has to go down in the history books of automobiles as one of one of the ugliest cars ever made,no offense to any Toronado owners.??‍???

[NYLIBUD]

Oh and no offense to George Barris,but that man,as talented as he was,had to be on some heavy duty drugs.?‍??

[Kah puts]

Did you ever smell that old lacquer and bondo Oooo...aah you'd be singing in no time.