Toronado.org

Hey, just curious if they ever found out what the cause of the incident was, probably electrical?

No, I never found out for sure what caused it. I'm pretty sure it was an electrical fire though, since the engine was still running smoothly while it was burning.

The person who bought the wreck from the salvage yard said it looks like an electrical fire to him.

Otto - read your story with a lot of sadness and recollection of a similar incident I had. Back in the late 90s, I was driving my ‘67 to work one day. It was a drizzly, humid, NC coastal day; I had the a/c running and all was good until I also smelled that familiar acrid electrical burning smell. I immediately pulled over, shut the car down, popped the hood with fire extinguisher in hand and found the main wiring harness smoldering where it came in contact with the a/c POA valve and rubbed through the insulation. I was lucky - caught mine in time. I still have that 4” fused chunk of wiring on my desk as a reminder of how close I came to losing the car. Glad you’re ok.

Hi Gregg,

It sucks but I'm glad the car wasn't scrapped before all the valuable parts were removed.

A little silver lining in an otherwise really crappy dark cloud for sure!

Yes. I was glad about that. It also had five brand new whitewalls (2 weeks old).

I used the insurance money to buy this 1939 Packard.

Otto,
That's a pretty car.
Marty

Thanks. I love it. It's the kind of car I've wanted since I was 7 years old. Who knows if I'd ever have gotten around to buying one like it if I didn't have the insurance payout from the Toronado?

It's become my go-to vehicle for local errands, shopping, etc.

In any event, I really miss my Toronado and would like to find another like it. It has to be Dubonnet, though.