I don't know how much this has been making the rounds, but David R. North, widely credited with being one of the primary designers of the 1966 Toronado, passed away on January 2, 2026. I don't know how old he was, but I believe he was in his early 90s and in poor health.

This is from a Facebook posting.






Coincidentally, The ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California held a "95th Reunion" in late September, and the focus of the event was the Riviera and Toronado. Mr. North was a 1963 graduate of the college but was unable to attend because of his health.

https://www.artcenter.edu/connect/ev.../overview.html

 

Very sad indeed - saw John Dorcey’s post on the subject on FB. Met Mr. North in 1995 at the Oldsmobile Centennial in Lansing as my ‘67 Toro was a featured car for that model year during the last day’s festivities at the factory. He was a very nice gentleman and answered a ton of questions. RIP Mr. North, and thank you for your contributions.

 

Very sad. Rest in peace, Mr. North.

 

All our heroes are leaving us, you know what that means.. RIP sir

 

Actually, I don't. What does it mean?

 

we are all next up on the short list

 

We can be sad in the moment that he died, but I look at it from the other end. No one lives forever, and Mr. North lived into his early 90s, almost 20 years past life expectancy. We enjoyed that much more time to have him among us. We should be celebrating that as much as hanging our heads in sorrow.

 

RIP Mr. North. Thanks for your contribution to a beautiful machine.

 

This would be true even if we had no heroes.

 

Mr. North's obituary is now up. I love how, instead of a photo of him, there's a photo of a '66 Toronado.

He wasn't as old as I thought. He was 89. He would have been 90 in May.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries...ry?id=60473122