While there is a bit of work ahead to return this 1970 Buick GS 455 Convertible to its best, it is a car that could potentially be worth the effort. If it is completed properly, the end result should be a pretty potent package that would be guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face. It is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and is listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has made its way to $5,700, but the reserve hasn’t been met.

What you can see in this photo appears to be the worst of the rust that is present in the Buick. There is also some of the usual rust that we have come to expect in the lower panels, and while the underside of the car has a pretty heavy coating of surface corrosion, it still appears to be structurally sound. The Seamist Green paint has definitely seen better days, but the white soft-top looks like it might respond well to a good clean. One interesting feature of that top is that the rear window is glass, and is fitted with a factory defroster. The external trim and chrome pieces are all present, and the majority of it appears to be in good condition.

The original Pearl White seats have been removed from the vehicle, but they generally appear to be in good condition. The trim that remains in the car also looks pretty decent, and I suspect that they would present well with a good clean. The dash also seems to be free of cracks or problems, and the car does come loaded with some nice features. These include air conditioning, power windows, a rim-blow tilt wheel, floor console, speed alert, and gauge pack.

The engine bay of the Buick still houses a 455ci V8, but unfortunately, it isn’t original. The owner says that it is of 1975-vintage. This will probably mean that it runs a lower compression ratio than the original unit, and probably comes up shy of the 350hp that the car used to produce. It is also fitted with a Turbo 400 transmission, power steering, and power brakes. The Buick doesn’t currently run, and we have no information as to whether the engine even turns freely. This is one that will need to go to its new home on a trailer, but if the car can be returned to something close to its old self, then it should be capable of accelerating from 0-60mph in 6.8 seconds, and galloping through the ¼ mile in around 14.7 seconds. It sounds like a lot of fun with the wind in your hair. I wish that there was a better shot of the engine, but at least this one shows you the amount of corrosion that is present on the underside of the hood. That is pretty indicative of the sort of corrosion that you will find on the car’s underside.

If this Buick GS 455 Convertible was a full numbers-matching car, then once restored, it would be worth a figure in excess of $40,000, and could even potentially command a price of twice that. The fact that the original engine has vanished is certainly going to impact the value, but it could still be expected to be worth somewhere around the $30,000 mark, or possibly more if the restoration work is completed to a high standard. It is structurally sound enough to be able to be restored to that sort of level, but is that a project that you would be willing to take on?