How Much Do You Know About Buick Muscle Cars?

The Buick GSX, introduced in 1970, was Buick’s greatest contribution to the muscle car wars. With a massive V8 under the hood, the GSX was quick, getting to 60 mph from a standing start in a super quick time.

The Doors originally said Buick could use their song but made the decision without Jim Morrison, the lead singer. When he heard about it, he pulled the plug, losing the band $100,000 in royalties.

The Gran Sport badge first appeared on the Buick Skylark in 1965. By 1967, it was a brand all its own. In 1970, the company released the Grand Sport 455, considered by many experts to be one of the greatest muscle cars ever built.

That's right, Buick didn't need a new body. They knew that the engine in a Regal chassis would perform. Of course, some cosmetic changes took place, a few well-placed racing stripes, a stronger suspension and an all-black paint job.

The 1996 model of the Buick Riviera saw an extended wheelbase of 2 inches over the older models. A brand new suspension system meant softer springs but a firmer ride, which improved handling.

Buick did have a tough time overcoming the fact that people saw them as a gentleman's car. So their muscle cars did require some selling. But once word got out that they were just as good, and probably better made than the competition, it all became a little easier. And obviously,​ great ad campaigns helped.

In 1978, Regals were equipped with aluminum brake drums. This was only on the rear brakes, however. Was it a muscle car? Well, there were V8 options and a turbo V6, so some models had plenty of grunt, that's for sure. Aluminum drums were also made available for Grand Nationals and could be ordered as an optional extra. Now, we all agree that was a muscle car!​

Kojak was a much-loved TV series from the 1970s. With Telly Savalas in the lead role, viewers saw him get to and from crime scenes in his trusty Buick Regal. It may not be quite a muscle car but it still produced over 165 brake horsepower.

Now that's pretty impressive for a muscle car with no lightweight panels to improve power to weight ratio. The Gran Sport weighed in at 3,900 pounds, which made the time even more impressive.

Buick knew a thing or two about V6 engines from its days in motor racing. The Grand National was soon one of the meanest performance cars on the road because of it!

If an engine is going to have a nickname, you know there is going to be 'head' in their somewhere. Think Ford's 'flathead.' The V8 that appeared in early Buick muscle cars was known as the nailhead.

The LaCrosse from Buick is an excellent option as a mid-sized luxury car, especially if you are looking for something that is not European. It has an excellent safety rating, very impressive gas mileage numbers, handles very well and offers a very comfortable ride. More than 220,000 were sold in a five-year period between 2012 and 2016. It certainly is NOT a muscle car.

Although General Motors had effectively banned engines over 400 cubic inches, Buick renamed the 401 "Nailhead" to the 400 V8. Sneaky! It produced around 325 brake horsepower.

Car parts are shared all the time. It's not a new thing and still happens today. But you think that Buick could have perhaps afforded its own plastic center hubcap part. But I suppose if there are spares lying around, then why not?

The Buick Skylark Gran Sport is considered by Buick muscle car aficionados as the first real Buick muscle car. This despite there already having been Gran Sport versions of the Riviera and the Wildcat. Many feel those were luxury cars with a more 'manly' feel but not strictly muscle cars.

From 1978 onward, Buick began to mass produce their own V6 turbocharged engine. This was a 3.8-liter motor and proved to be a massive hit in the Buick Grand National, pushing it from 0-60 mph in just 4.8 seconds.

Yes, they did. For one year only, the Buick WIldcat Gran Sport (or GS for short) was part of the Buick model lineup. It was powered by an engine producing 340 brake horsepower and included a heavy duty suspension.

Essentially the Buick Regal GNX from 1987 was a Grand National. It rolled off the production line and was then transported to the ASC facility in Southgate, Michigan, for conversion.

4.8 seconds! Yes, the Grand National could easily take on the Corvettes of the time. It produced over 200 brake horsepower and 300 lb.-ft. of torque! Buick even raised the horses by another 35 with the addition of an intercooler in 1986.

The Ford GT40 would have simply put all the other muscle cars to bed. However, it was a race car and it dominated at the 24-hour Le Mans event in the mid- to late '60s, winning it four times in a row.

The Buick GSX introduced in 1970 was Buick’s greatest contribution to the muscle car wars. With a massive V8 under the hood, the GSX was quick, getting to 60 mph from a standing start in just 5.5 seconds. The drive shaft loop effectively prevented a catastrophic dropdown if the car had a forward u-joint failure.

First introduced in 1953, the 'Nailhead' V8 was a little long in the tooth when used in the first muscle cars from Buick. That said, it still was a fairly impressive performer but no match for the later engines the company dropped into its machines.

That's right. Every single Buick muscle car would have regular panels made out of steel. Some other American muscle carmakers would use lighter metals or even fiberglass panels to boost power to weight ratios. Yes, we're looking at your Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Chevy!

After General Motors dropped its no engines larger than 400 cubic inches ban, muscle car horsepower rose considerably. The GSX, for example, produce 360 brake horsepower with the Stage 1 upgrade. No wonder it was so quick in a straight line.

Well, it's a good thing they chose the hood. Not sure you want to be in a car with aluminum door panels, bumpers or roof in a crash. And at least they still stuck with a metal and didn't go the fiberglass route.

Ram-air hoods were often only put on the top of the range muscle cars of the day. Buick bucked the trend with the Skylark GS, putting ram-air hoods on each model released from 1969 to 1972. For Buick's competitors, that was an optional extra that would cost you.

Now if there is a name that just doesn't inspire confidence in an engine it would be fireball. Luckily, the Buick marketing department was overuled on that score!

Yes, for a mere $26.33, your Buick muscle car could have the tailpipe rerouted through bumper. Not only for a meaner look but it offered a throatier growl as well.

The 1972 455 Stage 1 Gran Sport Skylark received a glowing review. In fact, journalist Martyn L. Schorr paid the Gran Sport Skylark the ultimate compliment. He called it "one helluva street machine."

The Buick tradition at the time was to paint its V8 engines green. They did not stick to one shade, however, with multiple shades used. At least it set them apart from their rivals.

Yes, it's true. The Gran Sport 350 had a manual box as standard. But you could change this before taking delivery of the car.

The MaxTrac saw sensors on the front wheel. If the rear wheel was to exceed the speed of the front wheel, the ignition would cut out for a millisecond to let them come back to the same speed and prevent wheel spin in the rear. Of course, most Riviera owners simply turned the MaxTrac off as they wanted to burn rubber.

The back and front tires on a 1987 Buick GSX were different. In what way you may ask? Well, they each had their own offsets. For example, all tires are 16x8 size but the fronts have a positive offset of 16mm while the rears have a positive offset of 23mm. Little difference but enough to make rotating them out of the question.

After painting their V8 engines various shades of green pre-1967, Buick's $50 million V8 engine redesign saw the company chose a new color as well. And they went with bright red.

$50 million! That's insane! Well, that's auto manufacturing for you. It did help produce a range of excellent V8 engines,however. And then the oil crisis hit in the mid-'70s and cars could no longer use them.