The Buick Wildcat was a performance-oriented full-size automobile produced across two generations from 1963 to 1970. I always found that name to be an odd choice for a car slotted between the family LeSabre and the luxury Electra. But it never used an engine smaller than 401 cubic inches, and the 1970 model came with a 455, Buick’s largest V8 motor. From that run, the seller has a 31,000-mile survivor that’s been in the same family for the better part of 50 years. Located between Wausau and Appleton, Wisconsin, this beauty is available here on craigslist for $16,000.
In fairness to the Wildcat, the name came from a series of concept cars from the 1950s. But in an era where Buick used names like Gran Sport and Riviera to describe its posh and powerful machines, the Wildcat just seems out of place. It was born in 1963, the same year as the Riviera personal luxury car, and when Pontiac was ramping up the full-size Grand Prix as well. So, GM clearly thought buyers wanted big cars with big engines, along with a flood of creature comforts. So, here we have the Wildcat.
Buick chose to rebrand the Wildcat as the Centurion with the car’s redesign in 1971. Production of the Wildcat in 1970 had its smallest numbers at 23,615 cars, with the Custom Coupe like this one coming in just 1,244 units. It wears its original dark green paint, black vinyl roof, and a lush interior that looks like the 31,000 miles the auto has been driven in 56 years. Clearly, this car has been babied and could be one of the nicest examples left.
The 455 V8 that resides in this Buick was rated at 370 hp back in the day. So even though this was a big vehicle, it certainly had ample performance to garner attention. We’re told it still does its job wel,l and nothing is needed to keep this beautiful machine out on the road. If you’re a Buick fan and want one that may be harder to find these days, how about this Wildcat to rekindle the fires of your youth? Thanks for another great tip, Barn Finder Barney!
Wow! This car is great! It’s so well preserved. I hope the new owner keeps it exactly like it is! Although I wouldn’t, my test driving that 455.
Sorry, talk text I said mind not my.
Nice! You know, Pontiac gets a lot of thunder, and a “Buick”, oh, please grandpa, but there was viable contender in the personal luxury cruiser, and it was right here. “Wildcat”,,,just the name conjures up fierceness, and certainly not for the “top fuel” gang. A more sedate, well off confident person, that if needed, had plenty of punch. Successful businessmens wives drove a Wildcat. I never saw’r those kinds of seats before, looks a bit corny, and even for 131K, it was well taken care of. Engine just isn’t clean enough for 31K. This baby could roll with the best and still could. There is the issue of the single digit gas mileage( these, I read, actually got better mileage in the city) but the price to pay for greatness, I suppose.
As an old man, my only remaining mission is to show younger generations what wonderful cars we had to choose from, one better than the last. Hopefully they can see why people really would rather have had a Buick.
I could not afford to drive that 455 around the corner. Gas cost for a gallon of 91 octane is $6.99 here in Mountain View, Calif. My 2013 Ford’s check engine light comes on when using anything under 91octane.
6.99 is high, sorry for that pain.
I had friends that ran 2 cycle V8 beaters in the day.
First chore of the evening was to buy as much gas as 4 punks can afford to scrape together, plus that quart of oil it would burn through every night when it could even run.
Good times but not easy on the allowance back then either.
Those 60’s big Buicks…. March 1969…. my friend had a clean used 65 Electra convertible and his dad recently bought a new 69 Wildcat 4 door… so we decided to race them…. I got his Electra and he the Wildcat…. straight out to the local ”drag strip” road…. side by side 120….. and they were floaty… loping over the undulations in the road….
As a precursor to this, on a previous occasion I was in the back seat of the conv. with a Polaroid camera taking pictures of the buried speedo as we again cheated death. We chose a Polaroid so if the pic didn’t come out, we would just do it again.
It was nuts but we were 19 and both facing the Draft….. our horizon view was not distant….
All things considered, that’s a modest price in today’s classic car market for what you are presumedly getting.
That is a real fast Green Machine…!
Correction: 1244 is prod number for CONVERTIBLE, not coupes.
This is one good looking automobile. I’ve always been a fan of “sleeper” cars. I guess I got that from my dad. If the pics do this beauty justice and, if a preferred FLM product isn’t sitting right next to it, this old Blue Oval geezer would really rather have THIS Buick. (Might prefer it anyway!) Hope it finds a fabulous new home with a new owner that will stretch that 455cid out the way the engineers intended! (For justification of fuel prices, just don’t take the spouse out for Saturday night steak and lobster – YEH RIGHT!) Beautiful car.
Buick placed the Century in between the Special and the Roadmaster, remember, and so Wildcat between the LeSabre and the Electra is perfect Buick tradition. In the 1930s, the Roadmaster was the GRAND Buick, big engine, big body, and full sustantial luxury. The Special was the entry level Buick, smaller body and engine, less luxury. Well then they took that smaller and lighter body, decked it out with the luxury of a Roadmaster, used the big Roadmaster engine, and had themselves a factory-made hot rod! They called it the “Century”, because it would go one hundred mikes per hour! Pretty dandy for the late 1930s.
The early Buick 455’s were a very fierce competitor. I’d love to own this car. That seat upholstery looks kinda odd.
this is 1 sweet looking cat. packing a 370hp 455 can’t no better than that. love the colors and for what is presented looks to worth the asking price. there are not many like this left for sure. with my70 le sabre had that 455. gas is high to really drive these like you should but i get enjoyment out of just looking at it.
lighter Special body, decked it out with the luxury appointments of a Roadmaster, used the big Roadmaster engine, and had themselves a factory-made hot rod! They called it the “Century”, because it would go one-hundred miles-per-hour. Pretty dandy for the late 1930s.