A '71 Buick GS 455 Convertible
Rare and Wonderful
by Bill Holder
photos by Phil Kunz
Straight-laced and as conservative as you could get. In the mid-1960s, it was an image that Buick was trying to shake. Buick machines were initially as out-of-place with muscle machines of that era as could be imagined.
Buick might well have been the family car that your parents grew up with. It was also a sign of success in business. So if this brand was to compete in the land of burn-outs and stop-light challenges, some changes were definitely in order.
But enter the Gran Sport model in the mid-1960s and nothing would ever be the same. The classy GS model would be introduced in 1965 and last through the 1972 model year. Buick had created an authentic muscle car, and it continued to develop an unforgettable muscle reputation during the period.
Like many of the General Motors muscle cars, the Gran Sport began life as an option of another model, in this case, the Skylark. That first GS power plant was capable of an impressive 325 horses from its 400 cubic inches.
By 1967, that 400 engine was producing 340 horsepower and sporting hood scoops. That model also had a new grille design and body striping. The following year, the GS became a model on its own with the two Gran Sport models being known as the GS 350 and GS 400 for their engine displacements.
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