Maybe a story with interests for Toronado history.
In January 1966 special car builder John Fitch & Co., Inc. in Falls Village - Lime Rock, Conn. developed on the base of Oldsmobile Toronado a very special luxury GT Car. Not many heard about and the web does´nt show anything to it.
Many years ago I got a little black and white folder with ebay. Followed pictures shows the three sites of the advertise:
No idea what the paint color was (white/blue or silver/blue maybe) and how many Toronado Fitch ever sold. Interesting the soft sun-roof (I believe it is a aftermarket "Golde sun roof") and many other stuff.
Mr. Fitch was better known with Corvette modifications. At the age of 95, legend John Fitch died on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 from Merkel carcinoma, a rare skin cancer, at his home in Lime Rock, Conn.
A true pioneer of Corvette racing, Fitch was the first Sports Car Club of America national champion and a star in European sports-car racing in the 1950s and '60s. He was the only American ever to drive for the Mercedes-Benz factory team, and also raced the Corvette "SS" and the test mule, which later became the Sting Ray Racer. He was the first manager of Connecticut's Lime Rock Park Raceway, and is noted as one of the prime movers behind the project's beginning, and was still involved with the raceway's operations.
After retiring from racing, Fitch became a successful specialty car builder and safety engineer, and developed the "Fitch Barriers", the familiar yellow crash barrels we see on highways and racetracks, which have saved the lives of many motorists. Fitch was also responsible for conducting the world's first Advanced Driving School.
Think, it was a remarkable story - hope you enjoyed it.
1966 FITCH Toronado Phantom
- roland
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- Years Owned: 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado DeLuxe
1970 Ford LTD Country Squire 429 - Location: bavaria / germany
1966 FITCH Toronado Phantom
Roland TOA#860
- Otto Skorzeny
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Re: 1966 FITCH Toronado Phantom
Pretty neat. I've never seen or heard of the Fitch Toronado but I am familiar with the Fitch Phoenix, a custom bodied Corvair.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fitch_(racing_driver)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fitch_(racing_driver)
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- Years Owned: 79 Toronado or Eldorado
1966 FITCH Toronado Phantom
Fitch added a manual switch for the switch pitch transmission, the electronic
controller did not come long until later. Bruce Roe
controller did not come long until later. Bruce Roe
- Otto Skorzeny
- Posts: 1720
- Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:41 pm
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- Years Owned: 1966 Toronado
Re: 1966 FITCH Toronado Phantom
80,000 candle power running lights! Guaranteed to melt the paint off the car in front of you!
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