Buick GS455

           

    

When people reminisce about classic General Motors muscle cars, the Buick GS455 isn't often the first car to come to mind. Chevrolet Chevelles, Pontiac GTOs, and Oldsmobile 4-4-2s leap quickly to mind, along with cars that didn't strictly fit the muscle car formula, like the Chevy Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, and Chevy Corvette.

It's a shame the GS455 never achieved that degree of fame, because it was one of the leading lights of the muscle car movement. It was a little less rabid but more subtle and refined than cars like the GTO and 4-4-2, while still packing the kind of viscera-stirring performance as its siblings'.

This was back when each GM division still made their own engines; the 455-cubic-inch Buick engine in the GS455 was a real sweetheart and gave the car much of the character that differentiated it from its stablemates. Torquey and smooth, with aggressive but restrained lines (a restraint that quickly vanished with the GSX appearance package), the GS455 is one of the great overlooked hero cars from the late 1960s.

The Stage 1 455 produced a healthy (and likely understated) 360 horsepower and massive 510 lb. ft. of torque for retina-tearing performance. However, the GS455 in its highest-horsepower glory was only around in 1970; in previous years it was available only as the still-potent GS400 (likely a future Car Lust), and in 1971 the inevitable detuning began as the automotive landscape began its inexorable shift towards emissions controls.

Thanks to Buick Street for the photos of these stunning examples of the GS455--a truly lovely car that had a short but brilliant peak.

--Chris H.

Comments

[Brian on January 27, 2011 at 12:51 PM]

The GSX was more than appearance. The Stage I GSX is considered by some the fastest of all the production cars, ranking well with the Hemi 'Cuda & the LS6 Chevelles. And the special order Stage II, was supposed to be even stronger.