Get to know: The 1972 GSX

1972 GSX in Flame Orange with Black vinyl roof- 1 of 1

1972 GSX in Sunburst Yellow- 1 of 3

1972 GSX in Stratomist Blue- 1 of 4

It's somewhat ironic that the final year of GSX production offered the most choices and sold, by far, the fewest cars- only 44 cars left the factory in 1972 with the GSX option. There are many reasons why the production itself was so low- it's no secret that the entire industry was turning away from the high compression muscle car bu 1972- emissions requirements were taking hold and the game was changing.

Buick had great plans in place when GM made the unilateral decision to lower compression effective with the 1971 model year in order to run unleaded fuels. An entire proposal for a factory racer was withdrawn, and future focus changed from power to fuel economy. "What'll she do" became "What'll she get."

The changing landscape combined with the redesign of the GM intermediate bodies created a very logical transition point for the GSX. The new bodies were originally intended for 1972, but the long GM strike and the adoption of new bumper regulations pushed the new model back to '73, so the existing bodies were continued for one additional year, and although GSX sales were minimal, there was no reason not to offer it a final time for 1972.

The package itself had deteriorated to three cosmetic options on the GS coupe, and that approached was retained for 1972 amid an even wider range of choices- the number of GSX colors increased from six in 1971 to twelve, and in addition vinyl roof coverings were offered for the first time, in four colors. Stratomist Blue, Arctic White, Seamist, Heritage and Hunter Greens, Sandalwood, Burnished Copper, Cortez Gold. Fire Red, Silver Mist, Sunburst Yellow and Flame Orange were the exterior colors for 1972, and the newly optional vinyl roofs were offered in black, white, beige and brown.

Divide the total production of forty-four cars by twelve colors and the average is about four cars in each color. When the roofs are considered (and they were tracked), it turns out that eighteen of the cars were finished in unique, one off exterior combinations and the most produced in any one unique exterior combination was five units.

Interiors were a bit more consistent- fifteen cars had white bucket seats, twelve had black, and only three cars had unique interior choices- one each of Saddle bench seats, white notchback, and black notchback.

Powertrain wise, 24 of the 44 had the 455 Stage 1 engine, 4 had the base 455, and 16 were equipped with the 350. Forty of the forty four were automatics, so the four speed is extremely rare- only two Stage 1's, one base 455, and one 350 are so equipped. Chassis options were freeflow as in 1971, but remember that the option is still limited to GS coupes. Production spanned the entire model year, with the first invoice being generated on September 9, 1971 and the last car produced on July 3. 1972.

In all, the last GSX serves as a fitting close to a unique and exciting chapter in Buick's history. The extremely low production and high degree of one off examples makes them particulary exciting to collectors and so far the GSX registry has documented seven survivors. Hopefully that means the rest of us have a chance at discovering the missing 37 in barns and garages nearby. If you do see one, let us know. We have a trailer and everything.

Get to Know: The 1971 GSX

The GSX is now on the options page for 1971

Last time we covered the 1970 GSX in detail- how it was a very special model with a limited number of options and only two colors. The GSX continued for 1971 but it was in all now reduced to series of trim options available on any GS coupe, and no longer the unique machine it had been in 1970.

The 1971 GSX was announced in this bulletin from Buick Car Distribution

The 1971 GSX option availability was announced by letter from J. T. Sorrell, head of Car Distribution, on Nov. 27, 1970. It listed pricing and specifications for each of the options that had been part of the GSX in 1970 and specified that each order should be submitted as Special Car Order, or SCO. (Letters courtesy of  V8Buick.com)

As per this bulletin, the front and rear spoilers and hood tach were separate options.

It specified that the option would now include the stripes, paint and emblems, and that the rear spoiler, front spoiler, and hood tachometer would now be stand alone options, and would be offered on the coupe only due to the differing shape of the convertible rear fender..

Here are the six colors for 1971

The letter outlines six available colors for 1971- Stratomist Blue, Arctic White, Lime Mist, Platimum Mist, Cortez Gold,. and Bittersweet Mist. The GSX Registry has accounted for 1971 GSXs all of these colors plus Fire Red, Verdemist Green and Black. It is possible that because the GSX was already a SCO order, additional colors may have been permitted, especially if the rear spoiler were deleted from those orders, or some of the cars may have been color changed.

For 1971, power on all the GS models were reduced. The standard 350 now developed 260 hp, the optional 455 produced 315 hp, and even the 455 Stage 1 now developed 345 hp. Compression on all engines was lowered across the board to 8.5 to 1, down from 10.5 to 1 on the standard 455 and 10.5 to 1 on the Stage 1. Clearly the handwriting was on the wall and the performance car as we knew it was on the way out.

A total of 124 GS coupes had the GSX option in 1971, only about a quarter of what were sold in 1970, but it is worth noting that they are still very potent and desired classics, and the 455 Stage 1 was still the most popular engine in 1971, even with the reduced compression.

 Here are all of the approved colors for the 1971 GSX:

Arctic White- Code C

Cortez Gold- Code Q

Lime Mist- Code H

Platinum Mist- Code P

Stratomist Blue- Code B

Bittersweet Mist- Code T

The sun was quickly setting on the GSX but there would still be one more year for the model. GSX was quickly becoming a classic in its own right, a reminder of a time when horsepower was king and the luxury division from Flint was responsible for one of the finest and fastest performance cars ever created.

Get to Know: The 1970 GSX

The success of the GSX show car all but guaranteed a production version, so no one was really surprised in the spring of 1970 when Buick announced the introduction of the very limited edition GSX. This was no stripe kit, but rather a very inclusive production option priced at $1196, plus of course a base GS455 Coupe.

The package included the standard 350 HP 455 V8 engine with 10.0:1 compression and 4 speed manual close ratio transmission with a Hurst shifter, plus a hood tach, G60-15 Polyglas tires on 7 inch wide V2 Chrome wheels, front air dam fiberglass rear spoiler, and outside color keyed sport mirrors. Special two color striping and GSX badging set off the exterior. Only two colors were offered, Apollo White or Saturn Yellow, which was a GSX exclusive color. Black was the only interior color.

Inside there was a custom interior with bucket seats, rally gauges and clock, 15' sport steering wheel, and special GSX identification. The chassis was loaded with goodies too- power front disc brakes, 3.42 rear axle with positraction, heavy duty cooling, large diameter front and rear stabilizer bars, heavy duty front and rear shock absorbers, and firm ride control arms and bushings. Quick ratio power steering was an often selected option, as was a Turbo HydraMatic 400 transmission.

But the biggest performance option of all was the Stage 1 455 engine, an additional $113 option for which the compression ratio was upped to 10.5 to 1 and the engine produced well in excess of its advertised 360 HP. There's a story there, but it's for another day.

The GSX sold rather well for such an expensive offering, with 678 examples assembled for 1970. Of those, statistics from the GSX Registry reveal that X00 had the Stage 1 455 engine and 479 had the Turbo HydraMatic transmission. Sensibly, a vast majority of buyers opted for quick ratio power steering- 613 in all. Color choices were a bit lopsided as well, with the Saturn Yellow accounting for 491 units and Apollo White only 187. But above and beyond its own sales, the GSX was a halo car for Buick and made the division's image more youthful and vital. After all, twelve year old boys don't hang posters of Electra Sedans on their walls. And yes, we were impressing the boys with our own 1970 Stage 2 drag car, but Buick decided to do it on a larger scale.

But was it really all that? In a word, a resounding yes. Motor Trend magazine got a hold of one and made a 13.38-second pass at 105.5 mph, prompting the magazine to name the GS 455 Stage 1 "the quickest American production car we had ever tested." Great plans were made for the future, including a Buick factory drag racer developed by Dennis Manner himself. But alas, it was not to be. The GM Corporate decision to reduce compression on the 1971 models triggered a swift decline for the supercars, and the GSX was quickly wound down. But the passage of time does not diminish the moment, and the 1970 GSX has a revered spot in the history of the performance car.

1970 GSX in Saturn Yellow

Another view of a Saturn Yellow 1970 GSX

The formidable 455 Stage 1 Powerplant

All '70 GSX models came with this black bucket seat interior

'70 GSX in Apollo White

Great shot of the spoiler- special striping was the same either color.