While attending the car show at the St. Louis Elks Lodge #9 in Ladue, I was drawn to this bright white, 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. Being a big Oldsmobile fan, I couldn’t help spending some time at the car with its owner, Patrick Kellenberger.
He told me the fascinating way he came to own the beast. Patrick had been driving by a rural property which had three Toronados and a vintage Mercury parked in the front yard. One day, they seemed to have disappeared, and he stopped to inquire where the Toronados had gone.
The property owner told Pat that they had belonged to his father who had passed 10 years ago. “I saved the best one for you,” the owner replied, pulling back some weeds and other miscellaneous overgrowth revealed the car. When Patrick asked how much the owner wanted for the Toro and the man stated $2,000.
But he then added, “But don’t you come back here and tell me you sold it for thirty-grand!” The engine wouldn’t start so Patrick, an admitted tinkerer, had it towed to his home. The tow truck driver offered him $5,000, but Patrick said, “Thanks, but no thanks!” After taking possession of the vehicle, Patrick replaced the fuel lines and cleaned up the fuel tank and a few other issues and the Olds 455 cubic inch V-8 fired right up! His next trip was to the local Walmart where he purchased a new set of tires. Good idea! The car was basically solid and a good runner with only forty-some odd thousand miles on it.
Once he got it running right, he took it to.