Twin Engine Toronados?
Randy C.
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,348
From: Albany, OR
Grant Engineering only built one of the two-engine 1966 Toronados. The second unit was built by one of the engineers involved with the building of the Grant car.
Of the two, the second unit is superior in quality to the Grant car. The builder used a lot of "lessons learned" from the Grant car to build the second car, such as factory toggle switches in the dash that set up and operate either or both engines, better space utilization for the rear engine that actually allows for normal rear seat space and useable trunk space, a single radiator for cooling both engines instead of a separate radiator for each engine, and so forth.
The biggest problem with the second car is that it doesn't have the "Grant" name associated with it. The name, despite the lower quality conversion, most likely will draw a bigger price.
I understand the Grant car sold within the last year or so, but I don't know for how much. The dual-engine '66 Toronado that was recently on ebay is the second unit. I don't know if it sold or not. That car is right here in Olympia WA, where I live, and I've seen it and actually helped the person that rebuilt the carburetors for it.
I did some "numbers" search on the second unit and it appears as if it would be if it came from the factory that way. The engine blocks are identical 425s, as are the most of the "attachments" (carb, exhaust manifolds, heads, intake manifold, and so forth). One of the differences is that the rear engine has a unique water pump, styled so it will fit where it needs to be, but that it also provides the needed coolant flow to keep the rear engine at a good operating temperature.
Keep an eye out on ebay. Do a search for "66 Toronado" and see if a dual engine white '66 Toronado comes up. If the car didn't sell at its previous auction, it could very well come up again. In the meantime, I'll check with the present owner to see if he still has the car.
Randy C.
Of the two, the second unit is superior in quality to the Grant car. The builder used a lot of "lessons learned" from the Grant car to build the second car, such as factory toggle switches in the dash that set up and operate either or both engines, better space utilization for the rear engine that actually allows for normal rear seat space and useable trunk space, a single radiator for cooling both engines instead of a separate radiator for each engine, and so forth.
The biggest problem with the second car is that it doesn't have the "Grant" name associated with it. The name, despite the lower quality conversion, most likely will draw a bigger price.
I understand the Grant car sold within the last year or so, but I don't know for how much. The dual-engine '66 Toronado that was recently on ebay is the second unit. I don't know if it sold or not. That car is right here in Olympia WA, where I live, and I've seen it and actually helped the person that rebuilt the carburetors for it.
I did some "numbers" search on the second unit and it appears as if it would be if it came from the factory that way. The engine blocks are identical 425s, as are the most of the "attachments" (carb, exhaust manifolds, heads, intake manifold, and so forth). One of the differences is that the rear engine has a unique water pump, styled so it will fit where it needs to be, but that it also provides the needed coolant flow to keep the rear engine at a good operating temperature.
Keep an eye out on ebay. Do a search for "66 Toronado" and see if a dual engine white '66 Toronado comes up. If the car didn't sell at its previous auction, it could very well come up again. In the meantime, I'll check with the present owner to see if he still has the car.
Randy C.
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