Sometimes a car will come along, and there is just something about it that appeals to your own personal taste. For me, this 1974 Buick Gran Sport is just such a car. The combination of style, color, and wheels just works for me. I have to thank Barn Finder Rocco B for referring the Buick to us. If it also catches your eye, you will find it listed for sale here on Craigslist. It is located in Lutz, which is just north of Tampa, Florida, and is being sold with a clean title.
One of the things that I find interesting about the text for the ad on Craigslist is the fact that the owner doesn’t make wild or outrageous claims about the mileage on the Buick. When a car looks this good, that would be so easy to do. The presentation of the car is incredibly good, with a nice shine on the Royal Red paint. The vinyl top looks really good, and it is hard to find a flaw in the car. It is also solid, and I’ve included a photo gallery at the bottom of the article that includes a number of shots of the underside of the car, and it’s as clean as they come.
The car comes equipped with a 455ci V8 and 3-speed Hydra-Matic transmission. A bit of research has confirmed that the owner’s claim that this is 1 of 579 Gran Sports built in 1974 with that engine is correct. The car comes fitted with power brakes, power steering, and ice cold air conditioning. As with the outside of the car, the engine bay also presents incredibly well, and it is hard to find fault with it.
While the interior generally follows along with the rest of the car with its presentation, there are a couple of deviations from original. The original radio is still in place in the dash, but there is an aftermarket CD player mounted under the dash. The clock has also been removed from the dash, and there is an aftermarket temperature gauge located in its place. Otherwise, the interior looks good, and while the owner doesn’t elaborate on it, the car does appear to be fitted with power windows and a tilt wheel.
This Gran Sport is a nice looking car, and it does appear to be a car that has been well maintained and cared for. However, nice cars will always come at a price. The owner has set an asking price of $22,500 for the Gran Sport. Take a good look at the photos and see what you think.
Nice color combo and desirable options. Maybe a bit pricey but not ridiculously so. I’d love to park it in my garage.
If it had a 4 speed I would be climbing on an airplane (one-way ticket)
Nice car! Price too high, not a muscle car. Basically a sedan with two doors and a big block.
$22,500.00 for a car with 69k miles?
Find another `74 this nice for the money with a 455. A cold beer says you won’t.
Amen – like them or not, mid 70’s A bodies are about to jump.
Now we’re talking! Outstanding color combo, presentation by the seller, and provenance to boot! I agree this ain’t no muscle car, but it would have been the natural progression for me back in the day after going through a 67, 68 and 69 Skylark wishing they were Gran Sports. Can’t believe there’s a CD player and not a CB radio — this would be concurrent with the CB craze of the mid-70s. Asking price is about all the money, though, for this colonnade coupe.
The font for ‘gran sport’ is soooo perfectly 1970s… :-)
Excellent car, not unreasonably priced. And while Keith doesn’t think so, this IS the very last of the muscle cars. If you consider a muscle car a production coupe with an optional “hi-horsepower/big valve” big block, you had three choices left in 74 (and probably 73 too) – a 440 Charger/Road Runner, a Super Duty Firebird and a Buick Gran Sport. This particular car is a base 455, but the Stage 1 cars were still very much a runner, even tugging around 4400+ lbs. These cars were Jr stock class winners back in the day, are still actively raced and quite competitive in current day Stock Tire drag series. The 73-77 Colonnade A-bodies did it all well: handled, braked and rode best in class. The Buicks were the only ones with any significant motor upgrades. Given that kind of pedigree, 22k doesn’t look so out of line
To be fair back in 1978 my friends mother had one of these with the 455 4bbl and we use to take it out and roach the rear tire (open diff) so I must say it was pretty fast considering where the HP ratings were back in the mid seventies. Still not a muscle car but had good performance.
We had a 1974 Century Luxus that my dad bought in 1975. Kojak dark brown with a dark brown vinyl top and white interior. It had the 350 2 barrel and I remember as a 16 year old trying to get it to break a hundred miles per hour. It couldn’t do it. Kojak must have had the 455 as I don’t think that thing could have caught an old lady in a motorized wheelchair.
It got about 10 miles per gallon and would routinely stall until it was completely warmed up. The emission controls on these were awful.
It rusted to the point where the rear bumper actually fell off onto the street in 1984. The quarters were rusty by 1979 or so. Oh well. I still have fond memories of that car, even though its build quality was the beginning of the end for GM.
This one’s in pretty amazing condition considering how fast these things rusted. Looks like it’s been completely gone through in fact. It was a labor of love because there’s no way the guy is going to even get near the asking price, much less what he has in it. Nice example from a not-so-nice era in American cars.
The colonnade coupes are growing on me. Lose the body coloured wheels, pull the 5 MPH bumpers in and you’d have a smart looking GS.
Colonnades are hen’s teeth in Australia, so this one would get plenty of attention. Wouldn’t take too much to wake up that 455 either.
I agree last of the Muscle Cars.
Bit of over-resto underneath. But you cam tell its been cared for..
17,500.00 anyone ?
Thanks for a Buick that isn’t black.
Love it. I’m 99.9% sure this is the same one that was on ebay maybe 10 years ago or so that I bid on. The color is actually called Cinnamon (code 66), not Royal Red.
yes …it is a 455 … but a very detuned 455 …not a muscle car …. nice cruiser …. not worth the asking price
Very nice car! Would love to have it in my garage. Only change I would make would be to swap to a set of full chrome Buick rally wheels in place of the color matched ones that are on the car now.
Not quite grand and definitely not sporty, indeed we have here a Gran Sport in all its rarity. (I actually kinda’ like it)
I am sure this is the same car-http://phscollectorcarworld.blogspot.com/2016/04/on-block-1974-buick-century-gran-sport.html
Bidding Stalled @ 15k and it didn’t sell then by the looks of it.
No it is not muscle but these 455s had more than enough power.
Nice it survived….like !
WOW a 2018 GS regal is $43K and this 1974 GS is $23K it really is cheaper to be cool who would of ever of thought . I’d definitely rather drive this jewel…