1970 Buick GS 455

Description

Buying a vintage car today is often about making up for when you weren't able to buy your childhood dream. That's why it's so important to find one that keeps an eye on quality, because you want your hero to live up to your expectations. This rare and ultra powerful 1970 Buick GS 455 Stage 1 is exactly that kind of gem you've been searching for.

In 1970, the GS 455's design perfectly blended Buick's upper class image with performance touches that reflected the serious muscle car power it was bringing to the road. It starts with the great looking factory-correct Diplomat Blue paint. It looks so good you know it can only come from an investment in a professional respray using the best in modern clearcoat. This hue is the perfect complement to the premium black vinyl top. Plus, this was one of the final years before chrome bumpers had to sacrifice style for federal regulation. You see it, especially in the rear, where the one-piece bumper creates an entire panel that's crafted to integrate the angular rear fenders and trunk. While this was mature styling at its finest, the Gran Sport lived up to the latter part of its name, with aggressive features like red striping on the rocker panels, functional hood scoops, correct GS Stage 1 badging, and the iconic Buick Rallye wheels with cool Goodyear Polyglas reproduction tires (a $2200 investment alone just in the rubber.)

The interior carries this same upscale performance attitude. The factory-correct pearl white vinyl looks amazing, and you even get rare power windows. The bucket seats have a cool vented pattern that you'd expect from a classic German car, but of course, the design is more for sustained driving comfort. The same can be said about the center console, and once again, the performance feeling immediately comes back once you lay your hands on the horseshoe shifter. The original steering wheel is a cool piece that you wouldn't see survive on lesser classics. Beyond that you see the full factory gauge package that includes a tachometer. The dash looks amazing with wood paneling outlining features like the heat/defrost and optional AM/FM radio that still has the cool B-U-I-C-K presets.

With such an impressive preservation so far, you won't be surprised to know that the 455 cubic-inch V8 is a seriously stout Stage 1 powerplant. TA Performance Products in Scottsdale, AZ built this motor to make sure it was bulletproof. This is important for a Stage 1 car like this because it added performance goodies such as a special four-barrel carburetor, higher compression pistons, and a high lift camshaft. Buick rated it at 360 hp, which was a bit of an underrated fib for the insurance companies that were beginning to crack down on such muscle cars. So having a professionally built version of one of the last true muscle cars means buying performance piece of mind. Plus the restoration has gone to great lengths to give the engine bay a time capsule appearance. Everything from the chalk marks on the firewall to the sticker on the air cleaner makes this feel like 1970 all over again. The big block is mated to a Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 three-speed automatic transmission. The stout gearbox not only easily handles all the power, but also it was only 1 of 1,785 coupes ordered from the factory that way in 1970. Plus, this Buick's comfortable nature is never far away with great driving features like power steering and front disc brakes.

The Buick GS 455 was true muscle car royalty. It outran just about any blue oval, or Mopar on the streets, and it did it with style and grace. This example is the true king that can prove its bloodline with documents like the owner's manual, restoration receipts, and the GS Historic Society paperwork that proves it's a Stage 1. So if you're quick enough to snap this up, you can wear the crown. Call today!!!