This 1972 Buick GS455 is listed for sale here on eBay with 2 days remaining in the auction. The car is one of the last offerings of performance by Buick until the 1986-1987 Turbo Regal was offered either in the T-Type, Grand National or GNX models. The car is located in McHenry, Illinois and has traveled 91,000 miles according to its odometer reading. The car is painted copper with a black interior. The car has new tires mounted on 15×7 Buick Rally wheels. The car is currently bid to $13,700 after 61 bids have been placed. We appreciate Mike P bringing this one to our attention.
The black interior looks nice but the dash is cracked. I am sure there is a company that restores these but it might cost $1,000 and removing a dash is sometimes tedious. Aftermarket gauges are mounted under the dash. I always find the mounting of under dash gauges curious because to me, they would be almost impossible to see and dangerous to look at when driving. The black bench seat looks to be in good shape as does the carpet and door panels.
The buyer states that this is a real U Code GS455 that is believed to have its original block. The engine was rebuilt 20 years ago and decked. The engine was modified with MSD ignition, Wiseco pistons, an aluminum intake, roller rockers, aftermarket valve covers and a better cam. For the exhaust, the car is equipped with long tube headers and dual exhaust. Fuel is fed through two electric fuel pumps to get to the monster engine.
While the car looks good from a few feet, the paint is starting to bubble in a few places indicating rust in the quarter panels which were previously patch with bondo. The seller describes the paint as an amateur application. The floor boards, rockers and frame are said to be in good shape. One of the pictures shows what looks to be a crack in the frame but that could be just a crack in the undercoating. With a little work this car could have its rust problems contained and driven daily.
Real screamer in what looks like a wannabe GSX paint scheme. I like it, especially that black interior.
Without care, a decked block leaves no stamping marks to determine originality.
71 and 72 Buick motors were stamped on the front of the motor so decking did not comprise originality of the engine.69 and 70 model year engines were stamped on the deck surface so those would be ground off in the decking process.
LOL…wrong.
Nice looking car although not a 4 speed. Definitely needs A/C.
Started driving in 1966 and didn’t have a car with A/C until 2009. Didn’t mind not having it until I had it. lol
First car I had with air was a 1969 El Camino that I bought in 1971. Almost all since have had it. I even put air in my 69 Corvair.
290 air was the best most fuel efficient A/C……2 windows down/90 mph.
In the northeast(& i bet even worse in this car’s home midwest area) it seems winters get colder & colder & longer & longer, & spring & fall gets shorter & shorter. We used to get 70 degree days in January – a long time ago. & less rain & more sunny days.
I’ll take 90 degrees high humidity, windows open & a 12 volt aftermkt car fan & no a/c in august anyday over this nonsense deep freeze now. lol
It’s a shame that the paint isnt in the best shape because that color is really neat, and looks great with all the black accents/ vinyl roof. Nice car 👍
It’s a shame that the paint isnt in the best shape because that color is really neat, and looks great with all the black accents/ vinyl roof. Nice car 👍
Factory fresh these ran 13.3 @ 106 in the quarter. With modern drag radials, headers, and some work on the tune this would be deep in the 12s – and it’s not a Cutlass or a Chevelle!
Darned right it’s not a Cutlass or a Chevelle. It’s faster.
I bought a new 1971 Stage 1 and it never ran in the 13’s. I was class record holder so I know what l’m talking about.
71 Stage one cars were down on compression but with a good tune you should have been in the 13’s Talking carb jetted and advance curve set up in the distributor. I tuned this cars back then and none I worked on had any trouble hitting the 13’s and some that played with rear end gears hit the 12’s All the 1970 Stage one cars were solid 12 second cars.
What was your consistent time though the traps?
Thanks
The 73 and 74 Grand Sport carried on the tradition but those bumpers were a hard pill to swallow for looks.From what I remember the 73 could still be had with a 4-sp trans.The GN started in 84 but the power was the intercooler version that started in 86.
In 1973 the Buick Gran Sport Stage1 with 4 speed number was 92 built.
Yes, I owned one. Very quick/fast car for a ’73.
Traded my 1967 GTO with 4 speed for a 71 GX455 with an automatic. It was copper like this car but with buckets, console and the “U” shifter. The Buick was a nice car though the distributor would get soaked by the leakage from the twin ram air set up, but it was still the dumbest trade I ever made.
My first car was a 1971 buick skylark.body style is almost exact to the one i owned.it was orange or maybe it was called copper color.it had a half white vinyl top.never seen one with a half vinyl top.it had a 350 motor with a two barrel.i had so much fun in that car..seeing this one brings back memories.
I love 73s. I saw a 12,000 mile black 455 Stage 1 with factory 4 speed at the 2018 MCACN in Rosemont, IL. What a beauty and fat better handling than the 68 to 72 cars.
Since you were referring to the colonnade 73′, was it a typo or
did you actually mean to say “fat better”? lol
That does sound like a cool car though.
Yep, that was probably my old car…Phil Roitman’s Harvest Gold Metallic ’73?
Oh, nevermind, you said Black…I know that one, too.
Dash pad is replaceable for reasonable money. I bought a NOS replacement from Year One for less than $150 some years ago. I had to buy an AC dash pad and use it in my non AC car, just meant I had an extra vent or two that didn’t do anything.
Nice car. Always liked those. 71;72 never as quick as 70 because 71s had to be able to run on leadfree gas and no one had premium unleaded until about 77 so compression ratios way down…
Dash pad is not that hard a job. Fiddly, and you need to be a bit of a contortionist.
One of the better looking Buicks I’ve seen on BF, the color and black striping make it .
No no unleaded wasn’t until 75 , when cars came with catalytic converters
That’s not correct, Thomas. Low lead and Lead-free, as they were originally called, started to show up in 1970. Most cars built from 1971 on, incorporated hardened exhaust valve seats to tolerate the absence of lead in the fuel. The use of catalytic converters in 1975 mandated use of unleaded fuel from then on.
13.3 on a STOCK 1970 Stage 1, yeah. A stock 72 GS 455, uh, no. The 70 Stage 1 cars were likely the most under-rated factory hot rod built. Legendary Hemi-killers.
Always labeled the elephant gun or Hemi killer, The ’70 GS 455 Stage 1 was one of the quicker cars that year, or any year for mid sized muscle, but personally I’d be more interested in a contest between the the Stage 1 and an LS6 454 Chevelle, or even a 455 W/30 Olds 442, not dolled up with modern stuff like tires but real world 1970 hardware. Especially the monster rat LS6 which also had low 13 second quarter miles stated back then. As far as the Hemi chasing, well, that engine is track proven a real race mill detuned for the street. Detuned. No other engine comes close in all out competition form, from stock cars to top fuel dragster. On the street I’d give the Buick an edge along with a few other cars, but in all out competition the Hemi all the way…its not even fair.
My Hemi-killer comment is referring to an OEM delivered car, stock, no re-jetting, distributor curving, etc. We all know the TF/FC NHRA classes are all dominated by engines based on the Hemi’s. The Top Alcohol Dragster’s and Funny Cars also run
engines based on the Hemi. Back in the day manufacturer’s were notorious for sending out test cars for the magazines that have been tweaked. Get some positive press in the magazines, sell cars! Remember the infamous red 64 GTO Tri-Power “389” test car from the Car and Driver Magazine article that was really a 13:1 compression ratio 421? But back to the Buick, I totally agree as a street car it may have been the best, again in totally stock tune. The W30, LS6 and a Stage 1 would indeed be a great shootout!
Pontiac was the most notorious for sending out ringer cars, even the SD455 was the one that didn’t meet emissions that we all read about. Another Royal tweaked GTO was the blue one out on Woodward Avenue in ’69 I think, all super tuned Ram Air V of it blowing kids doors off. Absolute brilliant marketing for such rides.
The strongest running Buick GS 455 I’ve ever heard of were Stage 2 powered assault weapons, but they were never available, maybe the parts over the counter in very limited numbers. Thanks for the feedback!
The Stage 2 pieces were service packages through the parts department only. There were 100 cylinder heads and a small number of camshafts. Those heads could only be used with headers manufactured by Kustom. The exhaust ports on the Stage 2 heads did not match any cast iron manifolds.
Someone was selling aluminum reproductions of the cylinder heads a few years ago, but I don’t recall the name.
Try this for seeing what these cars can do on factory size tires. https://www.fastdrags.com/
no console? column shifter? bench seat?
that’s 3 strike right there…
I believe the only low compression v8(8.4 to 1!) in the 13’s was the sd-455.
I didn’t know you could get 1 of these with a GSX hood, tach, & rear spoiler!
But they make dad’s chrome door mirrors look out of place here.
The engine was rebuilt 2000 miles ago not 20 years ago. It is less than 2 years old. The dash pad is $150 for a mint one. Finally the frame is rock solid. The speculation of such will definitely hurt the sellers auction.
Just an F.Y.I.,there was a G.S.in 73-74,but not a skylark,the skylark was on a hiatus until I think 76,when it got uglified like the nova did in 75,73-74 buick had an apollo, nova wannabe and the regal and century mid sized cars .
SOLD for $16,800.