A Forgotten V8 Muscle Car Legend

While not entirely obscure or forgotten as, say, any AMC muscle car, the Buick Gran Sport is tragically underrated. In 1970, the street super predators were the Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 and the Dodge Charger Hemi R/T, but the Buick GS 455 could smoke them both. Buick isn’t a brand generally associated with high performance, so this may be a contributing factor to the relative anonymity of one of the greatest rides of the Golden Age of American Muscle.

Founded

1903

Founder

David Dunbar Buick

Headquarters

Detroit, Michigan, United States

Current CEO

Dan Akerson

Status

Active

The second-gen Gran Sport had some dynamite style that made it sexy and threatening at the same time, while its 455-cubic-inch V-8 engine was a marvel of science. The special edition ’70 Buick GSX still gets a lot of attention and often overshadows the GS, but they are the same car in terms of tearing up the blacktop. Actually, the standard issue GS had an advantage over the GSX, which was only available in Apollo White and Saturn Yellow, because it could be ordered with cooler paint codes. Here’s a chance to get reacquainted with an overlooked yet killer muscle car from the classic era.

1970 Buick GS 455 Breaks Free From GM’s BS

GM unwittingly gifted the bulk of the Golden Age to Dodge and Plymouth with their ill-conceived ban on big engines. In 1963, the year before the GTO unleashed the muscle car craze, GM decided that none of its divisions could participate in racing activities, and part of that arbitrary edict was banning engines over 400 cubic inches in intermediate cars. Mopar had no such ban in place, so their 440 and 426 Hemi-equipped cars ruled the streets. In 1970, GM mercifully lifted its pointless displacement limit, and its divisions went big-block crazy, with Buick boring out their 400 to get another 55 cubic inches.

1970 GS 455 Power and Performance

Also in 1970, the Buick Gran Sport got some new sheet metal, making for the most aggressive-looking version yet. Combined with the new-for-’70 455-cubic-inch V-8, the GS 455 was the recipient of some amazing serendipity that made it one of, if not the baddest, muscle car of the year. It had a bold stance that could intimidate a Chevelle SS or Charger R/T, with enough power under the hood to back off any challenger or trash-talker. There wasn’t anything wrong with the ’69 GS 400, and it was actually a pretty hot car, but the ’70 GS 455 was on a whole different level of awesomeness.

455 Stage 1 V-8 Brings The Noise… Literally

Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac all had 455-cubic-inch V-8s, but the one that graced the Gran Sport was truly special. Made with thin-wall construction, the Buick 455 was considerably lighter than other GM big-blocks, weighing 150 pounds less than the Chevy 454. The stock 455 was rated at 350, but the Stage 1 performance upgrade with improved induction took that up to 360 ponies. Both were comically underrated, as the GS 455 had the kind of performance of a car with over 420 horsepower. The 510 pound-feet of torque rating, however, was right on, and the insane rotational force of the 455 could launch this sucker off the line with great vengeance and furious anger.

Mopar Meets Its Match In The Buick Ranks

Dodge and Plymouth muscle cars got used to ruling the road with 440s, 440 Six Packs/6BBLs, and 426 Street Hemis. Heck, even Mopars with 383s were beating up on some of the top-dog GM muscle cars prior to 1970. The first time a Buick GS 455 lined up against a Charger Hemi R/T at a red light, Mopar was put on notice, and the entire dynamic of the Golden Age shifted. A Hemi Charger or Road Runner was likely a 13.5-second car, but the GS 455 could blaze a quarter-mile in 13.38 seconds. The only thing that kept the GS 455 from wearing the crown of King of the Streets was the 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda, which had a 13.1-second ET, but the Buick was definitely done being pushed around.

Buick Skylark Flexes Its Muscles

When John DeLorean put a powerful V-8 under the hood of a Pontiac Tempest and rebranded it as the GTO, the classic muscle car was born. The idea of going fast and looking cool resonated with younger buyers, and the GTO was a major hit, which meant that all other automakers tried to copy it. In 1965, Buick created a special performance package for their intermediate Skylark two-door coupe called the Gran Sport. It included an engine upgrade from the Skylark’s 300-cubic-inch V-8 to a 325-horsepower 400-cubic-inch Nailhead, which was the maximum displacement allowed by GM at the time. Technically, the 400 was 401 cubic inches, but they called it the “400” lest they invoke GM’s wrath.

Buick Gran Sport Production Numbers

• 1965–15,780 units
• 1966–13,816 units
• 1967–19,626 units
• 1968–26,345 units
• 1969–19,257 units
• 1970–20,096 units

The Gran Sport was so popular that it became its own model in 1967, known as the GS, which was available with either the 340 or 400 engine. Also that year, the aging Nailhead was replaced with a new 400 V-8 that had an actual displacement of 399.95, which was safely under GM’s silly limit. The new 400 produced 340 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque, which was a significant improvement. In 1969, Buick introduced the Stage 1 performance package for the GS 400, which kicked things up by 10 ponies. The ’69 GS 400 Stage 1 is one of the rarest Buick muscle cars ever produced, with only around 1,500 units sold.

1968 Next-Gen GS Gets A Swanky Style Update

In 1968, GM’s A-Body cars received significant redesigns, which meant the Gran Sport, Chevy Chevelle, Oldsmobile 442, and Pontiac GTO all got a hell of a lot cooler. Prior to the generational shift, the GM muscle cars were existing models jammed with performance, but in ’68, they got designs more suited to the time. They all basically got longer hoods and shorter decklids that tapered, as well as some Coke bottle curves that are more associated with classic muscle car styling. The Buick GS 400 distinguished itself with its own set of lines and front fascia that was just a little badder than its cousin cars.

1970 GS Refresh Brings Out The Muscle Charm

Because the Gran Sport started out as Skylark trim, the generations are a bit confusing. The Skylark was introduced in 1961, while the Gran Sports came along in 1965, which was its first generation, but the Skylark’s second generation. When the Skylark hit the third-gen, it was actually the Gran Sport’s second-gen. Things didn’t get any less complicated in 1970 when the Skylark and Gran Sport were completely redesigned, because it was a refresh and not a new generation. Things did get a lot more visually stunning, especially for the Gran Sport, which got all-new sheet metal, making it the looker that took on Mother Mopar.

The Other Buick Gran Sports

The most famous Buick Gran Sport variant was the one-year-only 1970 GSX. As was mentioned earlier, it was only available in Apollo White and Saturn Yellow, the latter of which was by far the coolest. They were all hardtops and came equipped with the 455-cubic-inch V-8, with the Stage 1 package being optional. Just 678 were built and, in a coup for lead feet everywhere, most of them had the higher-performance Stage 1 engine, 400 to be exact. The point of the GSX was to showcase the new body style of the GS and to bring some traffic into the showrooms, which it most certainly did.

GS California/Gran Sport 340 And 350

The Dodge Super Bee and Plymouth Road Runner were introduced as stripped-down, affordable speed machines, which definitely resonated with thrifty horsepower junkies. Buick attempted something similar with the GS 340 and GS California, except there were no killer engine options. The GS California, unleashed in 1967, was billed as an economical “high-performance family sports car,” but the 260-horsepower 340 small-block and 16.7-second quarter-mile said differently. Initially, the GS California was only sold in the Golden State, but in 1969, it went national, before it was promptly discontinued and replaced by the GS 350, which wasn’t much better.

1970 Buick GS 455 Collector’s Market

Chevelles equipped with the mighty 454 LS6 V-8 and Chargers with matching-numbers 426 Street Hemis are some of the most collectible (expensive) classic muscle cars, with pristine examples selling for over half a million bucks. The 1970 Buick GS 455 isn’t quite in that territory, but they are consistently six-figure rides. As somewhat of a surprise, the much rarer special edition GSX is not the top-selling ’70 Buick muscle car, with that distinction going to a super-low-mileage GS 455 Stage 1 convertible. The drop-top GS 455 beat the highest-selling GSX by almost $50,000 at Mecum Kissimmee 2024.

1970 GS 455 Top Recent Auction Sales

• Buick GS Stage 1 Convertible – $285,000
• Buick GS Stage 1 – $209,000
• Buick GS Stage 1 Convertible – $192,500
• Buick GS Stage 1 Convertible – $162,250
• Buick GS Stage 1 – $128,700

(Auction prices sourced from Classic.com)

As with most classic muscle cars, the Buick GS 455 convertibles are the priciest, but there are a couple of hardtops that definitely broke somebody’s bank. While production of the GS 455 in 1970 was fairly large, the Stage 1s were limited. Only 2,465 Stage 1 hardtops left the factory, with just 232 convertibles produced. The 1970 Buick GS 455 may not have the same reverence as a Chevelle SS 454 LS6 or a Charger Hemi R/T, but it’s hardly a forgotten classic, and the big-money auction prices prove it. The GS 455 is more of an insider’s ride that only real muscle car enthusiasts know about and appreciate.