Buick was founded in 1899 by David Dunbar Buick, incorporated in 1903, and that same year moved its headquarters from Detroit, Michigan, to Flint. The following year, Buick almost went bankrupt, but by 1908 had overtaken Cadillac and Ford to become the nation’s top-selling automaker. General Motors was originally formed as a holding company for Buick’s assets, and Buick’s 120 years in business make it the nation’s longest-continuously operating carmaker.
Buick was the first auto manufacturer to move the valvetrain from the engine block to the cylinder head, establishing the overhead valve system that became the basis for the overhead cam engines found in most cars today. During its century-plus of producing cars, Buick has been responsible for luxury nameplates like the Riviera, the Skylark, and the LeSabre. During the muscle car boom of the 1960s and ’70s, Buick also produced some cars that fit squarely into that category, but Buick’s muscle car models weren’t as coveted as some of the more popular and highly valued muscle cars of the era. Let’s take a look at a handful of the muscle cars that Buick produced and examine why they are underappreciated by collectors today.
The Roadmaster first appeared in 1936 and Buick brought new generations of this style in the ’40s and ’50s. The last edition remained in production for two years, after which the nameplate remained dormant until an eighth generation was brought back for the 1991-1996 model year. Years of style. The first-generation Roadmasters were available as a coupe, sedan, convertible, and estate and were powered by one of two eight-cylinder and 5. 2-cylinder engines; Inline and V8 editions that were introduced in the sixth generation, which was developed between 1954 and 1956.
The 1957 and 1958 styles were supplied with a 6. 0-liter V8 that made more than 300 horsepower and approximately 400 lb-ft of torque. The 1958 Roadmaster was the last to retain the vintage style of the style; The Roadmaster edition of the 1990s had a unique oval shape that was not unusual in sedan and truck frame styles. The van had 3 rows of seats and grained wood paneling, but those suburbian-friendly features masked a bestial future hidden beneath the Roadmaster’s skin; The 1996 model year came with a 5. 7-liter V8 that made 260 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque.
Martyn Schorr, who handled public relations for Buick at the time, told Car and Driver the Roadmaster was not to be trifled with. “Those were serious road warriors — complex, quick, and fast,” he said. “Everything was custom, including the four-wheel Brembo disc brakes, fuel-injection systems, and NASCAR-type coolers for transmission, the engine, and the rear end.”
The Special is another Buick model with a beginning in the 1930s and a fragmented production history. Like the Roadmaster, it debuted in 1936, and that first generation remained in production through 1949. First-generation Specials got either a 3.8 or 4.1-liter inline 8-cylinder engine, and with the first update in 1949 came an array of new inline 8 and V8 options. That second generation stayed in production until 1958, after which the nameplate sat idle. The third generation appeared from 1961 through 1963. The final generation that ran from 1964 through 1969 came in sedan, coupe, and convertible versions and offered buyers a choice between a 225 cubic inch V6 and two 300-inch V8s, the stronger of which produced 250 horsepower.
Changes to the Special’s styling and larger engines came in 1966 and 1968; For the final two years of production, the Special will be available with either a 250-cubic-inch I6 or a 350-cubic-inch V8.
Although it weighed more than 3,500 pounds, the 1968 Special can go from 0 to 60 in 8. 4 seconds and surpass the 100 mph mark.
Perhaps one of the coolest car-style names ever given to a vehicle is the Wildcat, a nameplate that Buick first used on a series of 1950s concept cars before applying it to a production coupe style of the Invicta in 1962. The following year it was split into its own styling and received two new variants: a convertible and a four-door sedan. First, 401- and 425-cubic-inch V8 engines were offered; The larger engine provided either 340 hp or 360 hp depending on the car’s carburetor selected by the buyer. For 1966 alone, Buick released a Performance GS (Grand Sport) package with dual exhausts, upgraded suspension, and a positive-drive rear axle. 1,244 GS Wildcats rolled off the rally line, of which only 22 were supplied with the 360-horsepower “Super Wildcat” quad-car dual carburetor option.
1969 saw some styling tweaks and the arrival of a 430-cubic-inch V8 that made 360 horsepower. The following year, the Wildcat received 15 more cubic inches and 10 more horsepower under the hood.
The Invicta was introduced in 1959 to update the Century and came in sedan, convertible, or estate form. Under the hood was a 401-cubic-inch V8 that made 325 horsepower, and on the outside were spectacular fins. that lasted the car’s entire life. A third row of seats was added to the truck in 1960 and the wings were reduced, but the Invicta retained its low appearance and rugged V8. The jet-era Invicta remained in production until 1963. however, Buick picked up the call in 2007 and implemented it in a concept car unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show.
According to Car and Driver, this styling “looks like a teaser for the next-generation LaCrosse,” and Buick is unlikely to use the Invicta model in a production car in the near future.
Like Buick’s other powerhouse car offerings, the Invictas of the ’60s are overlooked in conversations centered around more popular models like the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang.
Production and sales numbers were also low compared to other GM muscle cars of the era: Buick made fewer than 30,000 Invictas for the 1961 model year, and production of the model peaked at less than twice that number the following year (in contrast, Chevy sold almost 500,000 1961 Impalas).
Another Buick style that debuted in 1959 with sweeping space-age lines and impressive spoilers for the duration of the frame, the Electra, which remained in production for six generations until 1990. The debut of the Electra sounded the death knell for the original design of the Roadmaster; The new style is named after Electra Wagoner Biggs, sister-in-law of former GM Chairman Harlow Curtice.
The first-generation Electra was offered as a coupe, convertible, and sedan, and a larger variant of the Electra 225 was also offered, named for its 225-inch-long frame. The first two generations of Electra were powered by a 6. 6-liter engine. V8 with 330 horsepower. Starting in 1962, Buick sold only the 225th edition of the Electra, and the fourth generation that made print in 1971 brought with it two new engine options: 5. 7-liter and 7. 5-liter V8s, the latter generating up to 251 horsepower.
The mid-’70s oil crisis forced a momentary downsizing of the Electra’s engines and body, but ’80s models saw a return of motors as big as the first generation Electra’s 403 cubic inches(6.6 liters) and a body weight that swelled back up to 3,900 pounds. As it did with the Invicta, Buick recently brought back the Electra nameplate for a Beijing Auto Show concept car, this time in 2020.