(first posted 10/4/2015) The above advertisement provides a clue as to two of the vehicles in the second part of our Top 10 list of obscure limited-run Buicks. While the early Regal turbos are nowhere near as collectible as the later Grand Nationals, they don’t quite qualify as obscure. The turbo Riviera pictured? Well, they were never as popular as the regular V8, but Buick did offer the S-Type (later, T-Type) Riviera throughout the entire run of the 1979-85 Riviera, one of the most popular generations of Buick’s personal luxury coupe. So, let’s take a look at the much less popular 1979-80 Century Turbo Coupe and 1978-80 LeSabre Sport Coupe, as well as three other obscure models from Flint, Michigan.
LeSabre Sport Coupe
Production years: 1978-80
Total production: 12,998
Before the supercharged family moved into the neighborhood, the turbocharged family had made Buick City their home. GM had dabbled in turbocharging in the 1960s with the Chevrolet Corvair and Oldsmobile Jetfire, but must have put the schematics in a storage closet and forgot about them until 1978. Buick used the rediscovered technology on something else quite old – its 231 cubic-inch (3.8 liter) V6, recently brought back from retirement – and placed the new 3.8 turbo V6 in the downsized-for-’78 Regal. The Regal wasn’t the only recipient of the technology, as the LeSabre Sport Coupe featured prominently in Buick’s advertising campaign side-by-side with the Regal, touting the availability of a technology that previously was only available in Saabs and Porsches.
As with many engine innovations in the late 1970s and early 1980s, turbocharging was presented as either a sensible option or a comfortable compromise. A recurring point in Buick’s turbo advertising was the ability for the engine to motor along with the efficiency of a V6 but give you a helpful kick of V8-like power when demanded. Of course, the performance potential of Buick’s turbo V6 was soon realized and it would go on, after numerous improvements like fuel injection and better electronic engine controls, to power the legendary Grand National and GNX.
In 1978, though, the turbo 3.8 was still carburetted: there was both a two-barrel and a four-barrel version. On paper, the engine lived up to the hype: with 170 hp and 265 ft-lbs in the 4-bbl version of 1979, it had torque equivalent to Ford’s 351 V8, and more power than both the Ford engine and Chevy’s 305 (the 2-bbl version had just 150 hp and 245 ft-lbs, but disappeared after one year; the 4-bbl initially had 165 hp and 285 ft-lbs before a head re-design in ’79).
Road & Track compared the Sport Coupe with a LeSabre equipped with the optional 350 V8 and found that, although the 350 felt stronger in the low-end, the 3.8 quickly eliminated the difference and actually posted a one second faster 0-60 time (10 vs. 11 seconds). As an added bonus, their turbo tester averaged 16.5 mpg while the 350 was good for only 13.5 mpg.
Still, some critics found the turbo V6 a little strained in the 3500 lb LeSabre. The 265 ft-lbs of torque was an impressive figure but that was at 2400 rpm, 400-800 rpm higher than rival V8s. And although Buick tried to appeal to the pragmatism of buyers by highlighting the usefulness of the technology, it restricted the use of the engine in the LeSabre to the Sport Coupe. The sporty LeSabre featured blackout trim, bucket seats and console, fast-ratio power steering, ‘rallye’ suspension with thicker stabilizer bars, and GR 70 x 15 radial tires with chrome rally wheels. It handled quite adeptly for a full-size and had no direct rivals from Chrysler or Ford, as sporty full-size cars had become almost extinct after 1970.
The Sport Coupe wasn’t particularly popular; 8,000 units were sold in ’78, but that slumped to 3,582 in the coupe’s sophomore year. Buick continued to offer the package in 1980 when the LeSabre was heavily revised with new sheetmetal and a more formal roofline. This would prove to be the model’s last year, and there would be no more turbocharged B-Bodies from 1981 onwards. Could the turbo have proved more popular if it was offered throughout the LeSabre lineup, or were turbo buyers and LeSabre buyers two discrete groups? Just a few years later, Chrysler would roll out turbocharged engines in a range of sedans, wagons, hatches, convertibles and minivans, advertising the efficiency and flexibility of the technology. Buick went in the other direction, harnessing the technology for purely performance-oriented applications. Buick’s efforts were regarded by enthusiasts as being legendary, but which company sold more turbocharged cars?
Century Turbo Coupe
Production years: 1979-80
Total production: fewer than 3,000 units
Buick introduced its turbocharged 3.8 V6 in the ’78 Regal and aforementioned ’78 LeSabre, but waited a year to introduce it to the Regal’s A-Body platform-mate, the Century. For 1979, the turbocharged 3.8 became available in all Century Special, Custom and Limited models except the wagon, at the cost of $470. Those seeking the ultimate turbo Century could opt for the Turbo Coupe.
1979 Century Sport Coupe
Below the Turbo Coupe sat the Sport Coupe, which featured hawk decals, blackout trim, Rallye suspension and a rear spoiler. If it was sport in appearance, it wasn’t necessarily sport in performance: the standard engine was the short-lived 3.2, a cut-down version of Buick’s 3.8, mated to a three-speed manual. Standard seating was also thoroughly un-sporting, with a front bench (buckets were optional). You could, however, opt for the Pontiac 301 with a 2 or 4-barrel carburettor, or the Chevy 305.
Opting for the Turbo Coupe added the turbo 3.8, power brakes, dual exhaust, turbine wheels, a hood bulge and a standard automatic, although bucket seats were still an option. The boosted V6 also offered quite commendable power for a 1979 car: 175 hp and 275 ft-lbs. A shame, then, that the package seemed a tad unfinished with its generic interior and standard slushbox.
The availability of sporty Centuries did absolutely nothing for the line’s popularity, as sales nose-dived with the “Aeroback” revision. While Regal sales had been mostly unaffected by its downsizing, the Century’s European-inspired styling failed to strike a chord with buyers who were left scratching their heads. To add insult to injury, the Century was Euro-inspired in another way as, like the Lancia Beta Berlina and other European fastbacks, that hatchback styling failed to contain an actual hatchback. After two short years, the four-door Century Aeroback was axed in favor of a more starchy, conservatively-styled sedan that would double Century sales for 1980. The two-door, including the Turbo Coupe trim, stuck around for 1980 before disappearing; production volume for the 1980 two-door was a measly 1,074 units. How many of those were Turbo Coupes is anyone’s guess.
On the note of unverifiable rarities, the Turbo Coupe model may have been rare, but it is possible that turbocharged versions of the regular Century and Century Limited were even rarer as they were offered for just one year. Suffice it to say, the late 1970s may have seen a lot of sensible LeSabres and Regals leave Buick dealerships but there were plenty of oddities gathering dust at the back of the lot.
Century Gran Sport (86)
Production years: 1986
Total production: 1029
The LeSabre Grand National wasn’t the only one-year wonder limited edition in Buick showrooms for 1986. Dusting off an old nameplate last used in 1974, the Century Gran Sport sought to provide a little excitement to the conservative Century range. However, like the LeSabre GN, it did so without turbocharging. That’s not to say the Century Gran Sport was a subpar offering. On the contrary: the Gran Sport came with a compelling mix of both performance and visual upgrades.
Like the ’86 Century T-Type sedan, the Gran Sport’s only powertrain was the fuel-injected 3.8 V6 mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. However, the Gran Sport had larger 15-inch wheels, fatter Goodyear Eagle GT tires and a stiffer suspension tune with heavy-duty shocks, springs and stabilizer bars, as well as a tuned exhaust system to provide a throatier note.
Cosmetically, the Gran Sport was distinguished by its decklid spoiler and its menacing mix of black paint and blackout trim. Inside, there were black-and-gray bucket seats with a center console.
No, there was no turbocharger but the Gran Sport looked mean (well, as mean as a FWD Century could look) and offered quite decent performance for the time. Unusually, Buick dropped it after only a year, even though they had not yet announced the upcoming new direction of the brand which would lead to the extinction of almost all their sporty models. Was the Gran Sport’s slow sales performance an omen that helped steer Buick towards its repositioning as the makers of “Premium American Motorcars”?
Estate Wagon
Production years: 1970
Total production: 28,306
Mystifyingly, Buick chose to exit the full-size wagon market in 1963. The powers that be decided the intermediate Sport Wagon – riding a 121-inch wheelbase instead of the regular Special Deluxe’s 116-inch span – was a sufficient presence in the wagon market. Perhaps there was some logic in this and some facts and figures to back this up that we are not privy to. Why, then, did GM go to the expense of tooling up a full-size Estate wagon for one year only?
The full-size B- and C-Body Buicks were scheduled to be replaced in 1971, and there was to be a new wagon body shared between the divisions with an intriguing power “clamshell” tailgate. Did Buick feel it needed to re-establish a presence in the segment before launching its bold new 1971 model?
One of the plushest station wagons available for 1970, the Estate shared its front-end with the Electra but its distinctive side feature lines more closely resembled those of the B-Body LeSabre on which it was based. Underneath those sharp creases was woodgrain trim. The wheelbase was 124 inches long, as on the LeSabre.
As befitting Buick’s rung on the Sloanian ladder, the Estate was available only with the 4-barrel carburetted 455 cubic-inch V8. However, you could choose between a three-speed column-shifted manual or a three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 400 auto. The big 455 was good for 370 horsepower (gross) and 510 pound-feet of torque, although it had to haul around 5,000 pounds of big Buick.
The ’70 Estate may have been a last-minute launch, but with 28,306 units produced, it outsold the Mercury Colony Park and Chrysler Town & Country. Buick apparently hadn’t gotten too rusty with the whole full-size wagon thing.
Century Sport Wagon
Production years: 1978-80
Total production: ?
Once in a while, the domestic automakers would launch a sporty, special edition wagon. For example, there were the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare Sport Wagons of 1979 and the Chevrolet Celebrity Eurosport wagons of the 1980s. Even more obscure than those is the Buick Century Sport Wagon. It’s so obscure, that were it not for its cameo role in H.B. Halicki’s 1982 film The Junkman, there might not be a single photograph of it on the internet.
The Sport Wagon option package, priced at roughly $500 each year it was offered, featured sport wheels, “designer accent paint”, fender hawk decals and, somewhat rare for a late 1970s domestic car, body-color bumpers. The Sport Wagon wasn’t just “sport” in appearance, either, as it featured a firmer “rallye” suspension tune. Initially, engine offerings were the Buick 231 V6 or Chevy 305 and 350 V8s. For 1980, the 305 was supplanted by the Chevy 265 and the Pontiac 301. Or did the 301 arrive in 1979? Figuring out GM’s engine lineup in the late ‘70s is a nightmare. Don’t even ask what was available in California.
Production numbers aren’t available for the Century Sport Wagon but given the niche appeal of the product, they can’t be high. As for survival rates, that’s anybody’s guess. If anybody reading this is the proud owner of a Century Sport Wagon, do share in the comments. It appears to be the only Buick on this list that doesn’t have owner photographs available on the internet.
That’s it, 10 obscure models from Flint that prove not every Buick was a plush and cushy sedan. Although that type of car has almost always been a strength for Buick, GM has realized at times that there is a fine line between being a purveyor of plush, comfortable and refined sedans and being a manufacturer of cars desirable only to elderly folk. After all, you can sell a young man’s car to an old man but not the other way around. Many of the sporty cars in this top 10 were flops, but take a look at the Buick lineup today: plush, comfortable and refined sedans (and now crossovers) abound, but there’s also the sporty Regal GS and a boosted Verano that undoubtedly sell in much smaller volumes. There’s nothing wrong with plush and comfy cruisers, but GM learned the hard way that when they only offer thoroughly un-sporting cars, Buick’s average buyer age shoots up and its image takes a hit. A Regal GS now, a Wildcat then: it keeps things interesting and it keeps Buick alive. To paraphrase an old slogan, “Wouldn’t you really rather have Buick alive?”
Related Reading:
Future Curbside Classic: 2008-09 Buick LaCrosse Super
CC Capsule: Cars I Never Bought – 1984/5 Buick Riviera T-Type
Nice writeup, thanks. I’ve long had a thing for the ’78-’80 LeSabre Sport Coupe, my all-time personal favorite B-body. I’d driven lesser LeSabres from the same era, but never that one, sadly.
I had the fortune of driving an oddly equipped 1979 orange LeSabre turbo coupe that didn’t have A/C but had power windows and a bench seat. I was graduating from high school and was looking for a car. The price on this car was 3200 bucks which was a little out of my range at the time but I still wanted badly to drive it. I distinctly remember the familiar sound of a Buick 231 V6 with that little turbo lag on the low end. After that the hair dryer came online and the feel of a really strong running 350 V8 was felt. It was an odd sensation hearing a Buick V6 whistling with abundant V8 power.
Love seeing more of the rare Buick packages. One note: the LeSabre Sport Coupe was actually introduced for 1977, while the turbo was added for 1978.
The Buick stylists must have been looking at pictures of a Fiat 130 Coupe when they designed the ’77 LeSabre coupe. The resemblance is especially evident in base form with the thin, un-decorated B pillar.
Here’s the 130 coupe for comparison…
Yes, I saw the resemblance as well. And then they went and dumbed it down with the formal roof rebody. I know formal roofs were the in thing in the US back then, but did it really have to look so gawky?
Ad the way the trunk door tapers reminds me of other European cars.
The Peugeot 504 is one of them.
https://flic.kr/p/zhcXge
I’d like this one (with the young lady riding shotgun).
+1!
The turbo LeSabre and Century areoback intrigue me. I knew the turbo LeSabre existed but not the Century version.
Very cool and it is unfortunate that they didn’t live to see the fuel injected, hairy chested, Corvette killer GN engine. Even slightly detuned for refinement that would have been a compelling choice in a luxury B-body coupe.
Very interesting!
There are a many of my favorites among these!
The GS package was still available on the Century and the Riviera in 1975. In 1976, it was replaced by the short-lived S/R package (which had been introduced on the Apollo/Skylark the previous year) on the Riviera and Regal.
I remember driving a LeSabre Sport Coupe a couple of times. It was owned by a customer at the Firestone where I worked in the early 80’s. For time and place, it was a very nice car. The turbo V-6 was interesting and, as I recall, seemed a little peppier than the smog-choked V-8’s of that time.
That monstrous Estate Wagon is neat. I’m equally puzzled why they’d go to all the trouble for only one year. I don’t know that my garage is long enough, but I’d like to have one.
I consider the ’82 through ’85 Riviera convertible to be a special edition / limited run too – fewer than 4,000 examples over four model years.
The car had an unusual (and expensive) production procedure. It was built as a white or red coupe in New Jersey, shipped to Lansing to ASC for a top chop, new windshield header and different (smaller) rear seat before getting the convertible top mechanism.
In the market it seemed to have been a failure as it could cost almost double what a regular Riviera coupe went for. A lot of the Riviera convertibles ended up sitting on show rooms for months – unless freed up for dealer wive’s around town duty.
It is not a well remembered car and, looking back now, it seems like a waste or resources by GM.
That procedure was not unusual at all for the time, in fact ASC helped bring back a number of convertibles using that procedure. It terms of cost of the vehicle it may have been more expensive but in terms of cost and risk to the MFG it was almost non existent.
Wow, as rare as a 2 door FWD Century is/was, that Gran Sport model must be a true unicorn….I can’t say I’ve ever even seen pictures of one before.
I actually like the Century (Areo-back) Sport Coupes, and wouldn’t mind owning one. An alternate choice would be one of the Century Sport Wagons….one of the few cars of this era that looks good in maroon/silver.
I also like the slant-back Centuries (and the concurrent Olds Cutlass Salons). It’s been an eternity since I’ve seen one though.
Imagine my dismay when I went to trade in my 1984 (lemon) black Century Limited Coupe for a brand new, in the showroom, ’86 Century Gran Sport at my local dealer and they told me they didn’t want my ’84 in trade. What? After three engine rebuilds of that horrible 3.0 litre V-6 in only 50,000 miles you should be glad I am still interested in your product, let alone want another Century! Well the sad thing is I loved the comfort and drivability of my ’84 even if it had a dog of an engine. I was excited to see the Gran Sport and knew the 3.8 V-6 HAD to be better than my awful 3.0. Plus I had no idea how rare that car would be. I ended up going to another dealer outside of my home state and they were willing to take my car in trade, but they were only giving me $3500 for it so I decided to keep it a while longer. I did get to drive a Gran Sport at that other dealer, though. It was like my ’84 on steroids. It felt FAST to me and handled like a dream. The only negative was that it rode like it was on rocks because of the beefed up suspension and Eagle GT tires. I didn’t care and almost signed on the dotted line but I woke up the next day deciding it wasn’t worth giving up my current car away for such a little amount.
I used to see a Gran Sport in RI that was driven by a young kid, looking totally beat up. I’m sure he didn’t know or care that he was driving a very rare car. There was one on E-Bay a few years back with only 30k miles on it and it was going for well over $10k.
Buick’s decision to stay out of the full size wagon market in the ’60s like Oldsmobile sat out much of the ’50s wagon market, is one of the most puzzling things to me. Perhaps these events marked when GM began to go “Soft in the head….”
What’s puzzling to me is that Oldsmobile and Buick walked away from the full-sized wagon market….then both decided they needed to be back in, when their shares of the wagon market would have been small and shrinking. I’m guessing they left because their share of the market (in the late 50s for Olds, and the 60s for the Buick) placed them at the bottom of the buyer’s list.
Why GM decided to stop making “true” fullsize Olds and Buick wagons, and why they suddenly rushed back with the one-year-only ’70 Estate Wagon, were discussed in the comments to this article:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1966-oldsmobile-vista-cruiser-the-kiddie-wagon/
Why they stopped: Late ’50s/early ’60s Olds and Buick B-body wagons were not strong sellers, as it seemed like buyers in this price class weren’t really that interested in wagons. Due to the low volume, GM subcontracted fabrication of the Olds/Buick wagon bodies to an outside vendor (the Olds/Buick wagons used the normal Olds/Buick B-body wheelbase, so their bodies weren’t identical to fullsize Chevrolet and Pontiac wagons). When that vendor lost the ability to continue supplying GM with the bodies, GM apparently questioned whether it made sense to set up to produce such low-volume vehicles internally. They ultimately decided to try something different in this market space, going with the stretched A-body Vista Cruiser/Sportwagon instead.
Why they came back so abruptly: Chrysler successfully exploited GM’s absence from the “true fullsize near-luxury wagon” segment, carving out a nice little niche for the Town & County. This caught GM’s attention, and they decided to get back into this segment, going all in as part of their 1971 clamshell wagon program. Even though the T&C’s sales numbers weren’t really all that big, GM was apparently sufficiently annoyed with what Chrysler was doing that they wanted to put a stop to it sooner rather than later, and didn’t want to just sit around and wait for the ’71 clamshells to arrive.
The reason for the one-year 1970 Buick Estate Wagon was that the A-body cars had new fender creases (on the old shells) for 1970. Either Buick tooled new fenders for the A-body Vista Cruiser shell or tooled new fenders for the B-body wagon shell. The A-body Buick Sportwagon hadn’t been popular, so Buick did new B-body wagon fenders for 1970, then replaced it with the clamshell.
The Olds Vista Cruiser had been relatively popular, so Olds tooled new fenders for 1970-71 (then carried it to 1972 with the other carryover A-bodies).
My Grandpa had a ’63 Buick wagon, but switched to Chrysler T&C in ’66 and again in ’69. My Grandma loved her Buick Electras that time, and disliked the Mopars. She tried to get him to buy a Chevy wagon those years, but he wanted the ‘mid-lux’ brand.
He passed on in ’71 and I remember showing my Gran pics of new Estate Wagons when she was in market for new Electra in ’72, and she said “He would have liked them”.
Regarding the wagon market, just before the first Oil Crisis, they sold like hotcakes. Lots of Olds/Buick clamshells in upper middle class Chicagoland, competing with wagon king Country Squire. May have been small marker share, but was profitable.
Oil shocks killed wagon sales long term. But also, vans and SUV’s were starting to take hold and took off later on.
“competing with wagon king Country Squire”
I hadn’t thought of that previously, but in this era Ford was selling a very high volume of fullsize wagons — in addition to the T&C, GM may have felt that the Country Squire was attracting a fair number of would-be Olds and Buick wagon buyers as well.
Here’s another one that comes to mind when I think of obscure Buick special editions: the one-year-only 1980 Buick Regal Somerset. Special paint and–ahem–unique interior trim. Buick even issued a small catalog devoted to this car.
The Somerset Regal was gone for 1981, though the name did return as the series nomenclature for Buick’s N-car offering in 1985.
In fact, the Somerset was still available after 1980. They didn’t have the unique indigo/beige interiors of the 1980 model but the name remained on some RWD Regals through 1984.
1981:
http://www.hardtuned.com/cars/img/SCG_vintage_carshots/H2705.jpg
1982:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3092188/1982-buick-regal/
I’m not sure if it was available for 1983, I don’t recall seeing a 1983 Regal Somerset and I didn’t find anything about them with a quick internet search.
Here’s a 1984 Regal Somerset (in the link and picture below).
http://imganuncios.mitula.net/1984_buick_regal_somerset_8250015441816030638.jpg
OMG. That interior is ‘different’ I wonder if the knife is for slashing the seat covers? They’re that horrid. And this is from a Buick owner.
The “knife” is actually an umbrella.
Way back in 1967, Buick offered a version of the Skylark called the California GS; I recall reading a road test in Car Life; I also believe they offered another special edition that year called the St Louis GS. I believe they were built in an assembly plant in Missouri; it may have been Wentzville. Can anyone confirm this?
The Wiki page for Buick GS has a section that explains the California GS:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_Gran_Sport
Another rare sporty Buick is the 1987 thru ’89 LeSabre T-Type. Available in Black, White, Burgundy, and Silver. Unfortunately not a turbo as in the Regal Grand national, but still a good handler. ‘T” for Touring more than Turbo. They had a GN inspired Black & gray bucket seat and console interior, Anti-sway bars front and rear. shock tower struts, Special wheels, a front air dam, amber rear turn lights, and on the final 2 years, a discrete rear deck spoiler. Really are nice cars. Here is my 87 in black
I liked the Electra T-Types (rear ends looked really nice)…..I find them far more scarce then their Le Sabre counterparts
big fan of the limo version of the Le Sabre T-Type as well…the carriage light and blacked out trim is just classy
The hell? I had to look this monstrosity up on the Google machine because I could not believe it existed. Concept Coach out of Milwaukee started with a coupe (Delta 88 or LeSabre) and then stuck a sedan front end on.
I once held the belief that the worst thing to come off the C/H-body was the ’86 Fleetwood 75 limousine. I recant that belief–this is the worst thing. And the best. Imagine showing up to a car show in this!
lol yes its crazy – props to the guy on Facebook who posted it to the brougham site
Egads! I love the *idea* of a T-Type limo but that execution should be executed. Truly hideous.
If they were going to use two cars anyway, why didn’t they just use a LeSabre sedan nose, cut just ahead of the rear wheelwell, and a T-Type rear section, cut somewhere in between the A and B pillars? You’d have to fab up a door using parts of the other two, but it would have looked so much better…Then take all the T-Type parts off the unused coupe nose and transplant onto the finished product.
I could never understand why Buick felt the need to put vinyl roofs on wagons?
Its cheaper than proper metal finishing for paint and saves a lot on sound deadening material and the punters think its a luxury feature win win
Blame Pontiac. They were putting vinyl roofs on station wagons as an option as early as 1965.
“A shame, then, that the package seemed a tad unfinished with its generic interior and standard slushbox.”
O.K. I’ll give you the Bench seat as a minus but the Standard Automatic trans? C’mon.
Maybe six people would have opted for a Stick Shift Buick anything in the late 70s.
Look at a real “Sport Coupe” like Camaro and Firebird from 1977-1981. Automatics were desired, even preferred.
I have to agree with Sean, in a Buick the auto box would have been preferred. Unless you had some real hard core motor head buying the car, but then, they probably wouldn’t be buying a Century…
I bought a new ’78 Buick Turbo Regal… worst car I’ve ever owned (and the last GM car). Expensive engine repairs at approximately 75K miles and I’ll never forget the experience of a twin-stick Dodge Colt powering by me on a sweeping exit from NB 57 to the EB 91 in Orange County, Ca. Definitely a Malaise Era car.
You beat my turbo Trans Am by…70k miles. Seriously, after my TA spent it’s one year of ownership at the dealer half the time sorting out the hinky turbo and electronics, I replaced it with a Mustang. Not much better. Finally crossed over to Japanese in ’81 and haven’t looked back.
Loved this post. It hasn’t occurred to me until now just how much better the 1977 – ’79 LeSabre roofline looked than the ’80+ versions. And somehow, the Aeroback Century Turbo Coupe doesn’t look quite as hideous to me as the Olds Cutlass Salon 4-4-2.
I also agree on that. I had the chance to buy one of the rare 1980 LeSabre Turbo with nice options like the buckets/console but I passed because I don’t like the 1980 restyle. The 1977-79 LeSabre Sport Coupes look awesome. Among my favorite cars. I wish I could get one of the Turbo versions someday. If for any reason the engine is missing of has been replaced, then I’d try to find a fuel injected and intercooled version to replace it!
Awesome idea, Phil – that would be quite the sleeper!
I’m surprised the automatic transmission wasn’t standard on the 1970 Buick Estate wagon, I wonder how many of them were built with the 3 on the tree, the 1970 Buick Estate wagon is one of my favorite station wagon’s of all time.
You know my soft spot is wagons and those are some really nice offerings!
wow, the advert with the people in Halloween costumes… what is going on there?
Great series!
“…the Century’s European-inspired styling failed to strike a chord with buyers who were left scratching their heads…”
Which is to say, it was FUGLY.
That could only be considered “European-inspired” if the Europeans habitually grafted the back end of a greyhound onto the front end of a cow. Or is it the other way around?
I remember when the Aeroback Century’s came out in the fall of 1977. I was at the local Buick dealer (Straub on 86th Street in Brooklyn NY) checking out the new Park Avenue’s when an elderly couple were in the showroom ordering up a 78 Century sedan. They loved the car, but hated the fact that the rear windows didn’t roll down. I chucked when I heard the wife say to the husband, “who care! You and I aren’t going to sit back there anyway”. They ordered the car in brown with a camel interior…
Anyway, I always thought the 78/79 Century Coupes were pretty good looking. I know it was a bit odd that they looked like hatchbacks but they really weren’t. Bring that car out today, and it would pretty much be in style as so many of todays cars have fast back roofs (Caddy CTS Coupe, Audi A7, etc..). It may even sell… Just call it a Wildcat or something.
I went to local Buick dealer in fall ’77 for a small reception, when the 78’s were introduced. There were two 30-something women in the showroom who loved the Aero-backs, looking to buy. But, I think they were the only ones in whole USA!
Sometimes I wonder if the dealerships caused the demise of a certain model. If they didn’t believe in it or were afraid of it they wouldn’t order it. The safe and easy way is to order the mainstream models and such.
I knew a family with a 70 Estate wagon, and got to ride in it from time to time. To show how much attention I paid to GM cars back then, it never occurred to me that it was a one year wonder.
Theirs lacked wood and was that light yellow paint with medium brown vinyl interior. It hardly seemed to me like a high end wagon. I much preferred the family’s blue 67 Wildcat convertible.
“Why, then, did GM go to the expense of tooling up a full-size Estate wagon for one year only?”
It probably didn’t cost all that much to take the B body wagon and add the existing Electra/LeSabre front clip and interior. The side sheet metal and tailights were unique compared to Chevy/Pontiacs. But, GM could afford it, and profits were high.
Buick dealers remembered lost customers, like my Grandad, who switched to Town & Country, and wanted them back.
Count me in as a fan of the Aerobacks, always have been, probably always will be. That turbo Century is a sharp looking car, all these years later.
I’d forgotten about the A body FWD Century Gran Sport up until recently, I saw one on Facebook and thought to myself: “now there’s a unicorn!”
The Century for 1978/79 came with the 3.2 liter Buick V6 std in aero back coupes and sedans. Wagons had the 3.8 liter 231 std or optional on coupes and sedans. For 1978 only the Chevy 305 was the only option for 49 state cars in 2 or 4BBL versions. For 1979 the 305 moved to California only and the Pontiac 301 was substituted with either 2 or 4 BBL versions. For 1980 the 3.2 was dropped as well as the aero sedan and the 3.8 231 was std across the board. The Pontiac 4.3 liter 265 V8 was optional and the top engine for 49 state cars was the 4.9 liter 301 4BBL V8 (305 4 BBL for California). There was never any 5.7 liter 350 V8 offered on 49 state cars for Buick mid sizers in these years.
I remember as a 20 year old assisting a very nice elderly lady loading her groceries at our local P&C supermarkets with a super rare 1980 Century sport wagon with it’s blacked out pillar’s, body color bumpers, bucket seats, gauge package and turbine smooth 4.3 liter 2 BBL V8 under hood. It had the Buick chrome sport wheels but oddly did not have a floor shifter or center console. That was probably the only Century sport wagon I have ever set eyes on and I was very disheartened to discover this very same vehicle in the junk yard with the back end smashed to smithereens about 10 years later! Amazingly the 4.3 liter V8 was listed as good running and the front bucket seats were still intact and in good shape despite having over 120K on the clock.
This little economy oriented 265 Poncho V8 is often picked on today for it’s pathetic low 120 Hp output by today’s standards but I remember one of our customers back in the 90’s trading her 1980 Lemans wagon in to our dealership with that mill and being surprised how smooth and quiet it was and it didn’t feel all that slow in every day driving.
When I was attending Kettering Institute (formerly GMI) in Flint 1984-86, I got to see several of the performance Buicks right on campus, as they had an annual spring semester car show and the Buick R&D guys would bring over their test mules (which had 140mph speedos in them) which included some of the cars featured in these articles.
I actually got to see the 1986 Century Gran Sport there; up until now, I thought that this was just a prototype car and did not realize that this car even made it into production. It was a very sharp-looking car (black, of course) and I was amazed to see all-blacked-out trim on a grandmamobile Century. I have never seen one out in the wild. I would love to have one today as the fuel-injected 3.8l in that size car makes for more-than-adequate performance.
Another car I have never seen in person is the 1980 LeSabre Sport Coupe. They borrowed the 1976-79 Seville rear quarter, that’s for sure!
I’ve always had an irrational love for the aeroback A-bodies, and that Century turbo coupe is perhaps the ultimate version. Though the LeSabre Sport Coupe is also compelling–those were such good-looking cars until the 1980 reskin. I like the post ’80 sedans (at least once they got a vertical bar grille for ’83) but the coupe looked so much better ’77 to ’79.
Hey! It’s amazing 🙂
My mom had a 1979 buick lesabre turbo sport coupe. She said it was pretty fast. It would rip on corners if you gave it a bit of gas.
I ordered a 1978 Century Sport Wagon in Salina Kansas. It was the steel blue and silver with 305, buckets and console. Quite unique and fun. They mis-ordered and it came with chrome rear view mirrors that I had the dealer change out for the body color that I had originally ordered. Not many stations wagons out there with bucket seats! Bought a 1980 Trans-Am Pace car and alternated between these fine vehicles.
Never saw very many on the road. The other popular color was maroon and silver.
Here is a 1979 Buick Century Sport Wagon from Canada with an olds 301.
is it yours? I really like it!
Yes sir. Just picked it up last week.
Here is a great example of the 1979 buick sport wagon.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1979-buick-century-wagon/
Curiously, the front seat is cloth and the rear vinyl.
It’s interesting to see the Century Sport Wagon in “The Junkman” with someone leaning out the back door window which we all know infamously doesn’t open. Looking at the other pics here and on imcdb, it’s shown with back windows “down” throughout; the movie production must’ve removed the glass entirely.
I assume those are alloys on the ’86 Century Grand Sport, but they do a fair impression of (granted, nice looking) hubcaps.
Other than that, it’s pretty cool.
The base 231 doesn’t belong on anything which claims any sporting credentials whatsoever.
I’ve had the Chevy and the Buick 231s in NA form and both were sad and sorry with the slowness. But the Chevy was a bit better.
I think all those sporty Buicks were Lloyd Ruess’s children during his tenure at Buick. When he left there all those sporty models more or less disappeared.
Didn’t Buick even campaign a turbo V6 at Indy about that time too? Granted it was not the same one you could get at your local Buick dealer.
The fact that he green lighted the Buick GNX tells me Lloyd had a little John Delorean in him. The Corvette was always a respected halo car for GM from the 60’s on. The fact that a GNX could beat a Corvette in a quarter mile had to raise a few eyebrows on the 14th floor.
Please correct me if I’m wrong but my fuzzy memory seems to recall that.
The 350 V8 offered in the late 70’s Century was the diesel.