SHARING SATURDAY- '73 EDITION

Philip Roitman's '73 GS 455 Stage 1 Sun Coupe

 We've got a pretty active group of folks over at the Reynolds Buick GMC Facebook Page and it can lead to some great dialogue and sharing of some awesome cars. Every day has a different theme. A week ago Friday, for example, we looked at the restyled Buick Century Gran Sports of 1973. It's a pretty cool car that definitely flies under the radar in the muscle car world.

Pat Harmon's '73 GS 350 with factory 4 speed

 But not to the Reynolds followers. They responded quickly with photos and stories of their own '73 Gran Sports- our follower Philip Roitman owns five beautiful examples by himself- and then Pat Harmon jumped in with his '73 GS 350 4 speed, and Kevin Myers pulled up a picture of the one he had in high school.

Philip Roitman's 73 GS 350 now has a 462.

Sharing Saturdays are a lot of fun for us- it's where we take all the cool Buicks (and GMC) that our followers have submitted during the week and make a whole day out of them on our Facebook page. But today marks the first time that we have enough of one year and model to do a whole Sharing Saturday dedicated to it. So thanks to Tom, Kevin, and Philip, it's the Sharing Saturday 1973 Gran Sport Edition.

Every Sharing Saturday is totally different, and created by our fans, so drop in and check it out soon.

Kevin Myers owned this '73 Century 350 when he was 18. 

Philip Roitman's '73 GS 455 Stage 1

A pair of Philip Roitman's '73 Gran Sports

Philip Roitman with his '73 GS 455 Stage 1 Sun Coupe

Side view of Pat Harmon's '73 GS 350

Bench seat and 4 speed was the factory combination in Pat Harmon's '73 GS 350

1973 Century Gran Sport- Late in the Game

The GM Strike of 1970 caused the delay of the new mid size cars for one year, so what was intended to come out for 1972 actually debuted one year later as 1973 models. All of the corporations mid sized cars were affected, so of course Buick was no exception, The 1971 styling continued for 1972, prolonging the availability of the convertible for one more season, until the new cars appeared for 1973. 

 There was a lot new for the '73 Buick intermediates, starting with the name. The Skylark name was retired for '73 and  the time honored Century nameplate returned. A new Regal model was introduced at the top of the line and the Gran Sport became a Century Gran Sport in 1973.

 The new styling was handsome and well received. All body styled featured Colonnade styling including fixed B-pillars and frameless door glass on all models, four doors and wagons included. The Gran Sport had the sportiest of the Century rooflines, a swept back rood with large fixed rear side glass.

Mechanically the car was little changed from the 1971-72 GS. The lowered compression ratios of 1971 had effectively stopped further engine development, so the engines were largely carried over for 1973. Both 350 and 455 V8s were available, as was a 455 Stage 1. The 455 was now rated at 250 HP, and the Stage 1 which developed 270 HP net. This figures are comparable to the net horsepower ratings of the 1972 models.

 Even though the performance era was rapidly drawing to a close, Buick still managed to produced 6,635 of the handsome 1973 Gran Sport. Of that number,  4,930 were equipped with 350 engines, 979 had the 455 and another 728 were Stage 1 455 equipped. The vast majority were produced with automatics, only 365 cars had four speeds in '73- and 92 of those were also Stage 1s. A handsome car that is much desired today and who knows what might have happened if it had reached market at the peak of the performance car era instead of so late in the game.

FAST FRIDAY- The 1966 Gran Sport

1966 Buick Gran Sport

 If the mid-year 1965 Skylark Gran Sport got Buick way from the starting gate in the muscle car race, the 1966 was a solid shift into second gear. Now it's own series and not just an option package, the Gran Sport entered 1966 with a series of enhancements in both appearance and performance.

1966 Gran Sport grille badge

 All of the mid size Buicks were restyled for 1966, and Buick took the opportunity to give the Gran Sport visual distinction with a blacked out grille and prominent GS badge, twin hood scoops and special front fender simulated air scoops. The V2 chrome plated wheels were technically a $74 option, but almost all Gran Sports wore them. The optional red line tires reinforced the sporty nature of the car.

LA Buick Training Manager Bill Trevor's 1966 Gran Sport

 The standard engine was the 401 cubic inch "Wildcat 445" V8 (engine code MR) rated at 325 horsepower and mated to a three speed manual transmission. Both 4 speed manual and Super Turbine Automatics were available, as well as Positraction and a choice of six different rear axle ratios.

1966 Gran Sport in  the Buick Brochure

 New for 1966 was a higher output version of the 401 cubic inch engine, which shared the 10.25:1 compression ratio of the base engine but utilized a Rochester carburetor instead and produced 340 HP- 15 more than the standard 325. The engine code is MU and only 132 were produced.

There have also surfaced a very small number of 11.0:1 compression engines bearing engine code MS and having L76 Pilot designation on the build sheet. They are rated at 332 HP and are sometimes nicknamed "Flint Flyers."   It worth noting that this option does not appear on the 1966 Gran Sport order guide and maybe have been an extremely small run of cars- some say as many as 50, but no concrete figure is known.

Original ad for the 1966 Gran Sport

What is known, is that Buick saw the performance car as a way to further enhance their image with youthful buyers and used the 1966 Gran Sport as a way to spread the word. While only 13, 816 Gran Sport were sold in 1966, total Skylark sales were 106,217 and there is no way of telling how many Skylark buyers were influenced by the presence  of the powerful Gran Sport. 

Jim Lane raced this 1966 Gran Sport

Smyly Buick of Malden, Mass raced this 1966 Gran Sport

1966 Gran Sport Pillared Coupe

Factory photo of a 1966 Gran Sport

1966 Gran Sport convertible

FAST FRIDAY: For Golden Staters on the GO: California GS

Last time, when we reviewed the 1967 GS brochure, there was still part of the story yet to come. By 1967, the Buick GS was gathering quite a reputation tearing up the dragstrips of Southern California and turning a lot of heads. People were buying them too, but  Buick thought there was additional sales potential in the Gran Sport line. They added the GS-340 nationally for '67, but the car was offered in only two colors and with a rather plain interior.  It wasn't quite what the dealers were looking for, especially in car crazy Southern California.

Enter Mickey Garrett and the California Buick Dealers. They took a two door pillared coupe, added the 340 cubic inch V8 engine, Super Turbine Automatic transmission, ride and handling performance package, deluxe carpeting and interior accents, sport steering wheel, California emissions, chrome plated road wheels, black vinyl top, tinted glass and tinted windshield and voila: The California GS was born, for California dealers only and with a base price of $3,273.00- about a thousand dollars less than a comparable GS-400. They tied it up with the tagline "For Golden Staters on the GO"- and off to market they went.

The California GS was provided to the automotive press of the day to evaluate and promote. Here it is in Car Life magazine article- they called it a "surprising semi-supercar." The car featured the 340 cubic inch engine with 4 barrel carburetor. It produced 260 HP and 365 lbs/ft of torque. It had a 10.25:1 compression ratio and ran on premium fuel.

Unlike the GS-340, the California GS came in a full range of youthful colors. Here is the special California fender script on a Sapphire Blue California GS. There were fifteen colors in the 1967 Buick color palette.

The introductory flyer was basic, but listed all the pertinent special equipment- and who could argue with that $3273 price? The California dealers sold 1,577 of the special pillared coupe that year, and the effort paid off well enough to continue the effort for 1968. Buick Motor Division was impressed enough to roll the model out nationally for 1968.

So what was the California GS really? Besides being a sporty and good looking coupe at an attractive price, it's also an interesting footnote in GS history- it's an pioneering effort by Buick at targeted marketing in car crazy Southern California, and by far it won't be the last time they do it.

MONDAY MEMORIES: Riviera for '67

Buick for 1967 advertised itself as "The Tuned Car," referring to its spirited performance and excellent road manners, and no car personified it more than the Riviera. 430 engine, specially tuned suspension and sporty second generation styling by Buick exterior chief Dave Holls.

Recently we were up in Northern California and had an opportunity to drive a low mileage '67 Gran Sport Riviera. Loaded including Buick's famous V2 Chrome Wheels and "Star Wars" air cleaner, the '66 and '67 Rivieras were delightful cars indeed. Most people don't realize that the internal body stampings were shared with the '66 Toronado, the styling was done so cleverly.

So here is the Tuned Car at it's pinnacle- the sporty and spirited Riviera for 1967:

BUICK With a BITE: Pop Kennedy and the '66 GS meet CAR CRAFT

The May 1966 issue of Car Craft Magazine featured a road test of the new '66 Gran Sport. The GS was in its first full year and word was spreading like wildfire (almost said Wildcat) about the hot new ride from the folks in Flint. The editors were very impressed with 401 V8 and the refined new styling and they thought the car was a screamer- the headline called it "Buick With a Bang."

They were so impressed. in fact,  that they decided to talk to the premier Buick drag racers to get their take on how to set the GS up for optimal performance in NHRA D-Stock racing class. Their first choice? None other than our own Pop Kennedy. The fun begins om page 62. Here is their introduction exactly as they published it:

"This month we decided to see what the pros were doing with this moving machine, so we contacted Lennie (Pop) Kennedy of Reynolds Buick in West Covina, Calif., for the answers. Kennedy has really brought Buick into the racing limelight since he started racing them in 1955. Having three national championships to his credit, it was only natural to have him and co-racer Jim Lane show us how to get the most and still remain in NHRA D/SA Class."

Pop told them exactly how he sets up a GS for drag racing (which just happened to be our car, of course) and we won't reprint it here, because it's all right below for your enjoyment on pages 62 and 63. While you're at it, read the whole article and step back into the days when Pop Kennedy struck terror into the heart of many racers when his Buick rumbled up to the staging light.

(Thanks to John Reynolds for the copy of Car Craft)