By 1974, domestic convertibles were on the way out. While it’s true that they were falling out of favor with buyers, the long wagging finger of the Fed’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was threatening new rollover standards further dampening the viability of convertibles going forward. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at what Buick was offering in the waning days of drop-tops.  This 1974 LeSabre is located in Darien, Illinois and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $2,225 with nine bids tendered so far. Thanks to Larry D for this tip!

Buick offered two different LeSabre models in ’74, a “Luxus” version, which includes this convertible, and a standard LeSabre model. Perched above the LeSabre Luxus was the large and in charge Electra available in Limited, Custom, and Deuce & A Quarter trim levels – no convertibles, however. The total LeSabre production count in ’74 was 113K units with about 3,600 being ragtops.

The seller states that this LeSabre belonged to his uncle who passed a few years ago and this 82K mile example has been sitting in a garage ever since. The images are poor, so it’s hard to get a comprehensive look at this convertible in totality. It’s definitely ’70s brown, and really dusty but there are no obvious indicators of rust or body damage. Even the convertible top still appears to be sound. While the storage conditions are less than ideal, they have at least protected this big Buick from the elements.

While the listing is not too specific regarding this Buick’s power plant, and there is no image included, the VIN indicates that it is a two-barrel carburetor equipped, 150 net HP, 350 CI V8 engine. The seller states, “the engine won’t turn over”. Does that mean it needs a battery, a starter or is it locked/seized? No way to know for sure without digging deeper. Of course, if this LeSabre were a runner, it probably wouldn’t be too impressive trying to push 4,500 lbs. around with a measly 150 HP. And that reminds me of the story of this rather eccentric friend of my father. I’ll refer to him as Mr. B. and he was a car guy to the max. He had several old, interesting cars squirreled away in rented garages all over town. But in ’73, he bought a new Buick Centurion convertible, very similar to this LeSabre, that was equipped with a 350 CI engine. He actually let me drive it and it was a dog of a performer. Well, Mr. B. thought so too so he took the car back to the Buick dealership and had them swap the engine for a 455 along with the appropriate automatic transmission. My father told me this story and I had a tough time believing it as it seems it would have made more sense to just trade the car for a more powerful version. I saw Mr. B. at a party that my parents were throwing and I asked him about the motor swap story and he said absolutely he’d had it done. He even tried to sell me the car in later years but I was saddled with an old Chevy convertible that seemed to only run on alternate Thursdays, and I turned him down.

Get a load of those seats! They look like they are covered in “bacon-inspired” seat covers. I hate to be so definitive but those are down-right ugly with a capital U. Fortunately,  they appear to just be seat covers over tan vinyl upholstery so they can probably be easily removed if the next owner so desires. And if the next owner wishes to retain them, so be it. There are numerous close-up shots of different parts of this LeSabre’s interior and it all seems to be in good nick. Interestingly, there is a trio of auxiliary gauges that have been added beneath the dash, something usually not found in a car of this nature.

On the surface, this LeSabre looks like it has potential, the biggest issue being the engine’s condition. But I have a thing for full-size convertibles so I sometimes see an “upside” that really isn’t there. That said, hope springs eternal, right?