In 1977-78, Oldsmobile built a limited number of Toronado coupes with a distinctive rear glass design that hasn’t been seen from General Motors since.
The Toronado XS story rightly begins with a prototype called the XSR. Created for the Oldsmobile division of GM by the American Sunroof Corporation, later known as ASC, the concept was designed to showcase two potential advanced features: A power-operated retracting T-top system developed by ASC, and a novel manufacturing process from PPG (Pittsburgh Plate Glass) known as Hot Bent Wire, which could produce tempered automotive glass in dramatically folded shapes. Accounts differ, but somewhere between one and four XSR concept vehicles were constructed.
Factory-dealer communications show that Oldsmobile was totally serious about sending the XSR into production. The product was assigned the model number W57 and it was given a full-page treatment in the 1977 Oldsmobile sales catalog, above. But at some point it was determined that the power-retracting T-tops were too expensive and troublesome for volume production and the system was shelved. However, the second noteworthy feature of the XSR, the distintive PPG bent-glass backlite, was offered in a production Toronado called the XS. (In more conservative form, the bent glass was also used in the 1977-79 Chevrolet Impala.)
Along with the distinctive greenhouse, above, the XS also featured a power moonroof in lieu of the XSR’s impractical power T-tops. Priced at nearly $10,700, around $2500 more than a standard Toronado Brougham, the 1977 XS found relatively few buyers: Volume amounted to only 2714 cars, compared to more than 31,000 for the regular hardtop coupe. In 1978, sales dipped a bit further to just 2453 units. When the GM E-body platform (shared with Buick Riviera and Cadillac Eldorado) was redesigned for 1979, the folded-glass XS model was dropped and the Toronado lineup now consisted of just one model, a conventional Brougham Coupe.
2453 units sold in ’78 seems remarkable, considering it was mentioned only in a footnote in the ’78 sales brochures; no photo, not even on the back page where presumably each of the Oldsmobile models appeared. The ’77 literature had not only the full page shown in your post, but also two additional photos on the next page of the roof panels open and closed. While I enthusiastically absorbed the information on the XSR, and have the little (2 7/8″) Japanese Tomica model, I have never seen a real T Top XSR on the road in all these years. Don’t know if one has been featured in a classic car magazine, but don’t recall seeing one. Wonder how many still exist.
$2500 extra, which was a whole bunch of money 44 years ago is my guess as to why it didn’t sell well
That 2500$ was the sole reason my dad opted to not get the XS. He wanted that back window and didn’t care about the moon so much as for that back glass aquarium. But in Nov of 77 could not justify $2500 dollars for the XS.
I saw at least one back in the day, it was silver.
There was one maroon, one silver and one yellow. The yellow one did not have the padded vinyl roof. I saw a picture of the yellow and silver xsr’s at a used car lot. I think the pict was taken in 1980. I have a lt. Blue 1978 xs. I love it. Surprisingly fast pick up for such a heavy car. It floats over pot holes. I mish the soft ride of a big car. I drive a newer lincoln mkt and it cant touch the soft ride of my xs even in “luxury mode”.
I remember seeing a couple of those when new. I thought they were hideous then, and I haven’t. hanged my mind. The entire run of 2nd gen Toro’s was just not a good looking car.
It says only between 1 and 4 XSRs were built as concept cars. Most likely none of them ever left the factory, so you will never see one on the road.
There is at least one XSR in the wild. It was discovered by an Oldsmobile Club member in the late ’80s in the Washington, DC area. It’s owned by a collector today.
Is there a video of the Mototrized T Top in operation or stills that show how it worked? Would love to see that!
This design was later used on the Hyundai Scoupe Sports cars, which I have a 1994 now.