The GTO’s introduction and surprising success in 1964 ignited some internecine strife among the other non-Cadillac divisions at General Motors. Of course, the 4-4-2 was already established, albeit with a 330-cubic-inch small block that was replaced with a new 400 in 1965. Buick waited until spring of 1965 to introduce their GTO contender, the Gran Sport, which had the basic 401 that you might find in your uncle’s Electra. Despite its relatively tame tune, the Nailhead was adequately potent when pushing around several hundred fewer pounds of Skylark, and even if it never quite achieved the image that the GTO afforded Pontiac, it’s still a handsome and fun collector car today, 60 years later. Barn Finder Scott spotted this one on craigslist in Edmonds, Washington. A dealer is selling it as a two-owner car that was last owned by an 84-year-old, and the asking price is $37,950.

I have to say that I am suffering from a pang of envy regarding this Gran Sport, as I own a “regular” ’65 Skylark and a Riviera with a Nailhead, and therefore I can imagine how much more fun the Skylark would be with a 401 nestled between the fenderwells. Ahem, it’s a 400, by the way; as Car Life reported in its April 1965 issue, “Buick [bills] it as a ‘400’ engine, so that it will meet certain political requirements within the GM structure.” It was, however, the 401 all right, the same 401 with the same 445 lb.-ft. of torque that Buick had been using in its big cars for a half-dozen years by 1965. Its 325 horsepower was competitive with, if not superior to, its competition. Car Life’s preproduction four-speed car accelerated to sixty in 7.1 seconds, but production automatics settled down in the 7.5 to 8 second range in most tests. Quarter-mile times were reported to be in the 16-second range or a little faster, depending on the road tester (usually with two-people aboard), although Motor Trend posted a disappointing 16.6 at 86 miles per hour. The faster times were in the range of a four-barrel GTO, but not quite up to a tri-power for performance.

And indeed, most GS models had the Super Turbine 300 two-speed automatic, which probably didn’t hamper performance as much as you’d think. With the Nailhead’s torque and the Skylark’s lighter weight (and a “getting racy” 3.36:1 axle ratio), Motor Trend complained loudly about traction, as their test car didn’t come with a limited-slip differential (which might have explained its mediocre quarter-mile times). While Pontiac was sending “Royal Bobcat” ringers to the car mags, Buick couldn’t even send them a car with a posi, which says a lot about the difference in corporate culture between the two.

The interior also didn’t quite live up to the GTO’s fully-instrumented image. The standard longitudinal speedometer was still in place, and aside from some sporty bucket seats, a console, and a floor shifter for the automatic, one could be forgiven for thinking they were riding in a standard Skylark. (Well, this one has a console-mounted tach, and there is a “Gran Sport” badge on the glove box.) The steering wheel in this one is from a later Buick, but everything looks nearly perfect in here, and this is also an air-conditioned car (more likely to be found in a Buick muscle car, I’d say). There is an aftermarket radio, which may or may not be a selling point, as the dash was cut for it to fit.

The ’65 Skylark is a great-looking car in its own right, and with beautiful “Bamboo Cream” paint (which was really a shade of yellow), Buick Rally Wheels, redline tires, and a coordinating black vinyl top, this one might be the most attractive of them all. Even after owning mine for 22 years, I still can’t get enough of the “wall-to-wall” taillights, and with 84,000 miles on the odometer, this car is certain to afford the new owner many years of trouble-free cruising. Was Buick’s first attempt at a muscle car effective? Not as much as the GTO, but you also won’t see one at every cruise-in, and there’s something to be said for that.