(first posted 4/3/2017) Buick’s ‘Banker’s Hot Rod’ of the 1970s was the Centurion. It replaced the Wildcat, which in turn had succeeded the Invicta and Super. Despite the name changes, the Centurion was much like its forebears in that it followed a simple formula: take a regular full-size Buick, give it a bigger engine, and price it for less than the flagship Electra.
By the 1970s, the full-size market was embracing cars like the Ford LTD and Chevrolet Caprice, which offered luxurious accoutrements and commensurately upscale styling. The concept of a sporty full-size car had become almost outré—Buick, of all brands, was the last man standing. Perhaps so as not to cripple the Centurion’s chances of success, Buick had made the car as anonymous as possible and avoided making it look overtly sporty. Even Buick’s trademark Ventiports were gone, meaning the Centurion was visually less decorated than the LeSabre from whence it came. Interior trim was slightly nicer but not dramatically so, and there was no bucket-and-console set-up like in past sporty full-size cars.
The Centurion, therefore, seemed a full-size Buick for those with discerning tastes. A buyer who simply had to have the largest V8 available, who preferred a firmer suspension and more agile handling. Somebody who watched Car & Track on CBS. That buyer would have seen Bud Lindeman’s review, where he called the Centurion the best Buick he’d ever tested and the best buy in the entire Buick fleet. The late Mr. Lindeman also extolled the virtues of the Centurion’s surprisingly agile handling, drawing a sharp contrast to the wallowing, overtly plush dynamics of other Buicks.
For those in the know, the Buick was a good buy. For everybody else, the Centurion was an unknown quantity. The print media campaign for the Centurion didn’t serve to explain what the Centurion was other than the fact it came with a wide range of Buick features like AccuDrive. Visually, the car looked 95% like a LeSabre but for a funny little badge on the back. “Hey, Merv, what the heck is a Centurion?” “I don’t know, Maude, that looks like a LeSabre to me!”
Opting for a Centurion over a lesser LeSabre would have cost a shopper around $300-600. For that extra cash, the buyer received Buick’s 455 cubic-inch V8 with a 4-barrel carbureter instead of the LeSabre’s standard 350. The big-block packed an extra 80 or so horses than the 350, with a recorded 315 hp (gross) or 225 hp after the ’72 change to net horsepower ratings, and it reached 60 mph in around 9.5 seconds. Blame the 4500-pound curb weight for that number which, to modern eyes, seems quite slow considering the sheer size of the engine and the accordingly awful gas mileage.
A column-mounted three-speed manual was initially the standard transmission but was quickly discontinued, with Buick making the three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic standard fitment. Optional was a high-output version of the 455 with dual exhausts, good for an extra 20 or so horsepower. All Centurions came with a firmer suspension tune than the regular LeSabre.
Total volume for 1971 consisted of 15,345 hardtop sedans, 11,892 hardtop coupes and a measly 2,161 convertibles (no post sedan was offered). Much as the sporty full-size coupe had almost entirely disappeared from the market, so too had the full-size convertible—Chrysler and Ford had discontinued theirs in 1970 and 1972, respectively, leaving only GM in the segment by 1973. Sales had been dwindling since the late 1960s and the threat of proposed rollover standards would eventually lead to the style’s demise.
Surprisingly, sales increased each year the Centurion remained on sale, from 29,398 in 1971, to 36,435 in 1972 and then 44,976 in 1973. That wasn’t bad for a model with no name recognition and relatively niche appeal, although many of those sales may just have been from buyers looking for a LeSabre with a more powerful engine. But those buyers would dry up very quickly after the oil crisis of 1973 as fuel economy became a serious concern.
Model year 1973 brought bigger 5-MPH front bumpers and a new standard engine, the Buick 350, but it would be the Centurion’s last. All was not lost, however. A Buick buyer in 1974 could option a LeSabre Luxus with the Ride and Performance package, consisting of the 455 4-bbl V8 as well as special mouldings and a custom steering wheel. No mention was made in Buick brochures of any suspension enhancements in this package, however.
Even reviews of the early 1970s discussed Buick’s rather crusty image, a complaint that has endured even into the 21st century. It’s therefore rather fascinating to see just how hard Buick worked to combat these preconceptions. Beyond the Centurion, there were athletic offerings like the GS and Century GS and boldly-styled cars like the boat-tail Riviera.
While the oil crisis sealed the fate of Buick’s big-block engines and cars like the Centurion, Buick was back at the task of wooing enthusiasts by the end of the decade with the Century Turbo Coupe and LeSabre Sport Coupe. The brand may still be fighting a stodgy image today but they have never been without at least a moderately sporty offering for long, even during the 1990s and 2000s. And in the 1970s, they had the Centurion when cars like the Ford XL, Plymouth Sport Fury and Pontiac 2+2 were long gone.
Related Reading/Viewing:
Bud Lindeman’s review of the Buick Centurion
Vintage Review: 1977 Buick LeSabre Sport Coupe – Gran Sport By Another Name
COAL: 1971 Buick LeSabre Convertible – A Breath of Fresh Air
The Centurion might have been my favorite Buick of its era. 1973 was the first year I got a reasonably complete collection of sales literature and I read them all, over and over.
I had never understood the performance angle, but saw the Centurion as a slightly sporty big Buick that was only offered as a hardtop or convertible.
I thought Centurion was a great name that should have been more successful for Buick.
Hear, hear. I worked P/T at an A&P grocery store in Westfield Mass. in the mid-1970s, and the assistant manager Frannie Shea had a white ’73 Centurion convertible with a maroon top and I think it had that odd scissors top. I just remember the rear seat was full-width, not the cramped, narrow seat like other convertibles had. It was his pride and joy. I rode in it, a few times, and it blew my 20-year-old mind just how fast that car was for its size. Good-looking, well-equipped, and understated elegance as opposed to the in-your-face ostentation Cadillac models exuded. I haven’t thought of that car in years, but if someone dropped one of those into my lap right now I would certainly accept it with a smile.
For that matter, I’ll press my luck and accept one of each body style – the convertible, and one each of the two- and four-door hardtops. Thank you very much!
What a wonderful deviation from the stereotypical big B-body. Big engine, better handling, and in black – what’s not to like?
Like JPC said, the Centurion name is terrific. I can almost see its re-emergence on a CUV or SUV.
Indeed, and if I were to live in the US it would make perfect sense to me as something still usable for a long transcontinental trip even today (with one or two sensible modifications).
One minor nit… Ford had a full size convertible ’til 1972….. I know, I really wanted a ’72 LTD Convertible. Not sure about when Mopar stopped theirs, however.
“… full-size convertible—Ford and Chrysler had discontinued theirs in 1970, …”
Other than that, nice write-up! This is one of the few cars that pulled off the 5MPH bumpers, IMO. That ’73 Century GS looks pretty nice, too. Especially with those Buick Rally Wheels. I’d even take it in “That 70’s Creme” as pictured.
Fixed.
These are always cars that escape my memory due to their short production span, and the constant renaming of the “sporty” Buick model. I must respect Buick’s execution of the Centurion though – performance upgrades with no visual gimmicks – strictly business, as Buicks have usually been. This generation full-size Buick was certainly a nice looking car though, and the Centurion coupe in all black is a stunner!
How to sell a Buick Centurion convertible (By Rudy Russo):
“While the prestige alone of owning a Buick Centurian can’t be measured in dollars and cents.”
Great scene, great movie.
Also: “Polish, eh? I’m Rudy Polanski.”
I used to park in the same garage as a mustard-yellow Centurion convertible. Even I, who love these old boats, had no idea it was a performance model. Given the lack of fancy trim, I actually thought it was a cheap-o version, a Buick Scotsman if you will.
I have to disagree with JPC about the Centurion name. It’s not a bad name, but does nothing to describe the car’s place in the lineup. If it had a Wildcat badge on it, you’d probably have figured out what it was all about.
I couldn’t gather whether the pictured Centurion from the car show had a 455. In ’73 when the 455 was optional, there would’ve been call-outs under the “Centurion” badges.
Considering it’s overall size, width and weight, this car was quite agile and drove like a car much smaller than it really was.
By 1973, the raison d’être for the Centurion really had vanished, since that year the LeSabre Custom could be ordered with the Centurion interior trim (notchback front bench with folding armrest). Plus, you could add the 455 V8 to the LeSabre line as well.
For his first company car, my Pop got a ’73 LeSabre Custom 4-door hardtop with the upgraded interior (though I’m 99% sure his car had the Buick 350 V8). Since it was a big Buick sedan, he expected it to be comfortable, not a “handler” so the LeSabre fit the bill perfectly.
Road Test magazine reportedly said “‘AccuDrive,’ a name given to a suspension geometry that reacts against centrifugal force. Up to a point, the harder you corner, the harder the suspension on the outside pushes back against the body’s tendency to lean. The same principle also works on undulating straight sections of road, in gusty crosswinds and when you’re passing or being passed by a large truck or bus… [w]hat is more remarkable is that a link-type stabilizer bar is used only at the front, not the rear.”
Be sure to come back tomorrow to see Road Test Magazine’s review of the 1971 Centurion 🙂
Nobody is going to mention how bizarre that car looks with the steering wheel on the wrong side?
The license plate is queensland…
…the rear turn signals are amber retrofits…
Never even noticed it – must be the right side. 🙂
Which almost certainly makes it a ‘back in the day’ import. These days if its older than 30 years here in Queensland, it can stay LHD. It beats an expensive conversion any time.
Not sure if William has mentioned it, but this was at on of last years All American Days at Lakeside Raceway. A 10 minute drive from home.
Definitely a name that should come back, along with Invicta and Wildcat. Buick had some of the best names in the business–toss Lacrosse (which they can’t even use in French-speaking Canada) and name it the Invicta. Make a performance/handling version and call it Centurion. Rename Verano to Century (it’s been 20 years, probably enough time for the old person car stigma to wear off) and put Wildcat on a sporty coupe version of the Cascada convertible.
Or, as Jason proposed, make Centurion an SUV. It’s better than not using it at all. Though it doesn’t fit the “E” theme.
As near as I can tell from my Edmunds price guide, the Centurion’s suspension was standard Buick with a number of options available, including a firm ride and handling upgrade.
The 1971 AMA specs don’t show any differences in standard spring rates between a LeSabre and a Centurion. The Centurion had the 0.97-inch front anti-roll bar of the Electra 225 and LeSabre Custom; the base LeSabre had an 0.94-inch bar.
Accu-Drive was a suspension geometry thing, and I think was used on all full-size Buick models as well as the Riviera, starting in ’69.
Nice to see a well maintained Buick Centurion but I prefer the 1971-72 grilles and front end over the 1973’s due to the smoother looking front end’s as well as the powertrain’s not being fully smogged on the 1971-72 cars.
I always felt the Buicks were the best looking of all the GM biggies of that era.
Centurion was just mid level trim, not a ‘performance model’ like the early Wildcats or Olds Starfires. More like the Delta 88 Royale.
A Centurion so nasty it hurts.
http://christopher-king.blogspot.com/2010/04/kingcast-presents-buick-so-nasty-it.html
The 1973 Buick Centurion is still the preferred convertible for our Royal Family.
Nice! Love that big ol’ boat. What, 10-12 mpg right. Next to that our 1993 chariot is absolutely new school LOL….
The story goes that a Saab Convertible actually was considered, when they initially wanted to replace the Centurion, but after testing it, they decided to keep the Centurion.
Oh that’s a hoot. Where are you? Is it a German-speaking Country?
That’s cool. The Dutch Royal Family still has their ’72 Ford LTD convertible.
Damn dude you’re taking me back…. in the U.S. Ford was using cheap metal and no galvanizing so those cars rusted through so fast it made your head spin.
Should have been massive consumer class actions suits on this, as the car was basically no longer a durable good i.e. 3 years I think it is LOL…
🙂
Looks like Denmark. Thanks, MarkIV75!
I always appreciate Buick’s past sporty efforts. For a company so conservative and upper middle class as them, when they wanted to be sporty, they delivered sporty. The Wildcat, the GS and GSX, this Centurion, the Grand National. These cars proved that Buick could make performance cars and make them very well. Of course, we’ll never get a sporty Buick again, but it’s nice to look back on these cars and remind ourselves “Yeah, Buick used to be cool.”
I agree with many people here that Centurion is a great name and that I would like for it to see a comeback. Of course, Mr. Schaffer’s idea of an SUV with that name is not a bad idea, I could see it being built on the Suburban platform, making it a bit nicer, and calling it the Centurion. Sure, it might cannibalize the Yukon Denali and make that redundant, but it’s not the worst idea you could do.
I’ll go out on a limb here and speculate that the reason an upscale Buick SUV would never be called Centurion is because there is a well known conversion company that already uses that name on trucks and vans.
Well one of the smaller Buick sedans I think is still in production with a manual transmission….. The Regal dropped it last year but it’s back this year. That’s really cool actually!
I wonder now that Opel has been sold to the French what will the sporty Buicks be based on – they may still have dibs on the new Insignia platform (which is bigger than the outgoing model, apparently one of the best in its class and would lend itself to being “Buick-ised”) but for the next model?
Years later, no cars at all at Buick/GMC dealers, and certainly, no Opels.
The Centurion (particularly the convertible) seemed like a more tasteful, restrained alternative to the boat-tail Riviera.
While I’ll always love me some fuselage Chrysler 300, I’d be hard pressed to take one over the Centurion for a daily-driver back in the day.
Yeah, I was just thinking that — something you might choose if you liked the idea of the Riviera and couldn’t stomach the boattail roof. The deletion of the boattail for ’74 would have been another nail in the coffin for the Centurion, in that case.
I wish Buick would go back making a RWD car with both a V6 as standard and a V8 as an option, I wonder what would be a good name for that particular Buick.
Introducing the Buick Coûteux. Because our LaCrosse can already touch 50 grand and we can sell Cadilac sedans fast enough.
Well, that’s an interesting point now that the source of some of Buick’s sportier models is no longer – see my post above.
@cjguy: I can see that there may be room for a competitor to Chrysler’s 300C – if done right (as I understand the current Cadillacs, they aim at the person who would buy a BMW or a M-B, not a 300C).
You are right, they aim to be a bit more “athletic”. But how in the hell would a RWD Buick fit into their lineup and price structure that exists already? In between a Cadillac CTS and the XTS? Redundant.
If Cadillac avoided sub $40,000 cars and Buick refused to touch north of $50k, I’d agree. As it stands currently, no way. That’s exactly why the Chrysler 300 series works; its not competing with internal riff raff OR a viable alternative for the money. Throw in a $45,000 LaCrosse to Buick’s mix and the lines get blurred considerably.
I was not aware of Buick’s price range (am in the EU where we don’t get Buicks anymore) but, as you have described it, yes there will be some overlap which could be problematic (even if the Buick should appeal to a completely different driver than current Cadillacs).
Wow… what a diet:
http://www.autoblog.com/2016/12/07/2018-buick-regal-opel-insignia/
Opel’s announcement previews many of the details we’ll see in the new Regal. Based on a new chassis, the Insignia is 386 pounds lighter than the previous car. The wheelbase is 3.62 inches longer and the track is .43 inches wider. Opel tapered the front and rear overhangs, so there’s only a slight gain in overall length. The interior has more room, Opel says, and features a touchscreen with GM’s IntelliLink system. The car will also have several drive modes, which tailor the chassis, throttle response, and shifting dynamics. Other technologies includes a head-up display, 360-degree camera, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and cross-traffic alert.
Thank you for giving some attention to this long-vanished nameplate. The last Centurions may have rolled off the assembly line during 1973, but the Centurion has always remained in the forefront of my automotive interests and garage. My Dad bought the ’71 Centurion Formal Coupe during December, 1970, and I have kept the car all these years. With more 160,000 miles, it’s been a long-term trouble-free cruiser. I eagerly await the summer and an opportunity to enjoy more miles behind the wheel.
I quite agree with you, Brian. I had a 1973 Centurion 455 convertible, and it was a delicious car. Supremely comfortable and capable, it was understated and discreet, and a joy to drive. Absolutely nothing flustered it; docile in town, it ate up the miles on long journeys with consummate ease.
John, thank you for your reply. It’s great to know that others here have enjoyed the Centurion’s comfort, performance, and style. It’s unfortunate that Buick never really promoted the series, appearing to rely on loyal Wildcat owners to buy the Centurions.
You really nailed the problem with the Centurion’s marketing. GM never explained what this model was supposed to be — after spending most of the 60’s building equity in the Wildcat name. If anything, with the missing ventiports and the fact that they all came with vinyl seats (you could get cloth in a LeSabre), Centurions came off looking like base models.
Also, taking any sportiness out of the interior was a mistake, IMO, that Buick continued through the late 70’s LeSabre Sport Coupe. The Wildcat had interior pizzazz. In the late 70’s and a couple years into the 80’s, you could get buckets and console — and some real gauges on the dash — on an Olds Holiday coupe, for heaven’s sake, but not on any LeSabre. I believe the turbo Sport Coupes had some kind of a boost gauge but nothing else.
Buckets and console shift were available on the 1979-80 LeSabre Sport Coupe. Other features like 4 wheel disc brakes were available too. I’d really like to have a ’79 with these options!
The next one I see with buckets will be the first. Curiously, 1979 literature that I looked up says the buckets were available on the base LeSabre coupe and the Sport Coupe but not the Limited.
About the car that replaced the Centurion, the 1974 LeSabre Luxus did get the same interior trim as the 1973 Centurion (an upgrade from the previous year’s LeSabre Custom) and it was now available with the “Stage 1” package as well as ride and handling package which included a rear stabilizer bar.
As for Centurion’s predecessors, they were the Wildcat Custom, Invicta and Century (not the Super).
The Wildcat had been available with lower “base” trim levels after 1963 (only after 1966 here in Canada) that matched LeSabre’s interiors was replaced by the “LeSabre Custom 455” in 1970. That car’s model number even matched the previous year’s base Wildcat as it began by the numbers “46”. Even the new Estate Wagon (which also had a standard 455) had a model number that began by “46”. The “LeSabre Custom 455” was still available for 1971-72 and made the sales of the 1970 Wildcat and later Centurion models look like they were declining sharply compared to previous years but in fact, the Centurion replaced the Wildcat Custom which accounted for about half of the Wildcat sales before 1970.
One more thing to note about sales figures of the Wildcat, Invicta and 1950s Century models: I have yet to see books that include models built in Canada before the 1967 model year (full size Buicks that were made here previously were the LeSabre Custom and Wildcat Custom models). So when you see that “less than 100,000” Wildcats were made in 1965, that’s not true. (BTW I own one 1965 Wildcat that’s not counted in those figures!).
Another thing that’s not quite exact is the production “increase” of 1967 Wildcats over 1966 as the 1967 figures do include models that were now exported from the US in Canada. The Canadian GM factory in Oshawa made only mid-size Buicks for 1967 model year and after, and some of those were exported to the United States as the result of the “auto pact” agreement.
During the 1974 model year, the height of Gas Crisis I, doubtful there were too many customers looking for a 455 Stage-1 LeSabre. Planning for this was during the heady days just before OPEC Embargo, and Motor Trend predicted GM would sell “5 million cars” for ’74 MY.
Big changes at Buick for ’75: No Stage 1, no dual exhausts, return of v6, new small cars, and catalysts with unleaded gas.
Minor trivia nag: This car’s pre 1959 forbearer would have been the Century. The Century from the 30s thru the 50s was the “sporty” Buick and was a “B” Body. The Super was a “C” Body, so in 1971 a base Electra would be a Super. They could have done the “Grandville” trick of grafted a “C” roof on a “B” body, and called that the Super. Come to think about it Pontiac and Buick should have swapped the GrandVille/Centurion concepts in the first place!
Found this price comparison written up presumably for a customer in the back of a 1973 Buick brochure in my archives. 4BN39 is the LeSabre Custom 4-door hardtop. 4BP39 is the Centurion 4-door hardtop. If I’m reading it right the 455 engine was $46.00 cheaper in the Centurion however the base LeSabre was $173.00 cheaper than the base Centurion hence the LeSabre Custom 4-door hardtop with the 455 was more affordable than the identically equipped Centurion by $127.00.
For 1973, the Centurion had a standard 350-4 barrel and the 455-4 was now an extra cost option. I guess the 455-4 was a more expensive option in the LeSabre because the base engine in that year’s LeSabre was the 350-2 barrel and the 350-4 was already an extra cost option on this model.
looks like the last comment was 3 years ago – I just got my 1973 back from a mechanic that finally was able to get it running reliably and well. I got the car in 1983 when my dad drove it back east from his home in central California.
Buick Centurion was not promoted as some kind of “hot rod” in sales brochures, just a step up from LeSabre with a 455 base motor. Hardly any print or TV advertising, too. Was hardly ever mentioned as an aspirational model, like Electra.
When Centurion name was dropped, didn’t care at all. But, was concerned Bonneville would also, since it was a mid level trim. Was so good to see it return to top level in 1976.
If Buick had just stuck with the Wildcat name it would have defined the car’s position much more easily. The first Wildcats after the Invicta, from ’63-’64 were highly contented two door hardtops. Buick then decided to make a full line of Wildcat models. I think that the early Wildcat always included the 401 engine with the 425 as an option. Buick even degraded the name with a four door post sedan with plain bench seats. The premium Wildcat sedan was a four door hardtop that was available with buckets and console. That would be the one to have.