Is Buick the rarest muscle car brand?

Discussion in 'The Bench' started by 442w30, Mar 12, 2012.

  1. Robroy455

    Robroy455 Well-Known Member

    You are right about the model not really fitting in under the muscle car category, but I can promise you that the sb V8s in these cars were HOT :3gears:
    Opel spent a lot of money in modify and upgrade them to be high performance machines to beat the crap out of the Mercedes on autobahn

    I use to have a 65 4d Diplomat with a 283 and it was a lot hotter than the 283 in my Impala or in my friends Malibu
     
  2. Gary Bohannon

    Gary Bohannon Well-Known Member

    Biggest appearance improvemnt for 68/69.....BIG WIDE TIRES ON REAR.....accents the fat fenders for a serious muscle car profile.
    Like changing FAT into MUSCLE.
     
  3. 442w30

    442w30 Well-Known Member

    I dunno . . . those rear fenders hardly scream "muscle car profile" to me. The 1970 was a BIG improvement.
     
  4. Hawken

    Hawken Hawken

    Nice article, Diego. I had to look at the Buick Opel Isuzu comment a second time. I remember those Buick-badged Isuzus thingies from my childhood .... they seem a far cry from the true Opels sold by Buick years earlier. I have to tread and criticize lightly, though. If I am too harsh on Buick for rebadging an Isuzu (no doubt for fuel economy) and confusing its Customer base ... I might have to also ask the same question of Buick building a muscle car (the GS) as it was not exactly consistent with the overall market positioning or product line of Buick, nor did these models set sales records (as explained in your article along with FMC's Mercury brand musclecars). But..... I sure am glad someone talked Buick Execs into building and "upscale" musclecar.
     
  5. DaBears

    DaBears Well-Known Member

    didnt know it was a link lol
     
  6. John Codman

    John Codman Platinum Level Contributor

    I was thinking of the supercharged 289 V8 Studebaker Larks, but if you accept John DeLorean's definition of a muscle car - and I do, the Studebaker is not a muscle car.
     
  7. Nailhead

    Nailhead Gold Level Contributor

    What is DeLorean's definition?
     
  8. smokum

    smokum Well-Known Member

    Fitting, as it seems Mercury was also the scarcest car on the road in general in the years since the muscle era-- culminating in their failure as a brand.
    By the way, Diego, as an automotive blogger I like your writing style. You blow away the doofus they're using at Yahoo. I'll occasionally read that guy Justin Hyde's "Motoramic" drivel and I can't believe he's employed in that capacity. He recently reported on testing a ZR-1 and it was obvious he had never even been to a drag strip. I think he could only manage high 13s with that car! It's like they have their I.T. guy filling in for a car aficionado.
    Maybe you could freelance for Yahoo and get him back to hacking or whatever he should be doing-- instead of automotive writing.
     
  9. bammax

    bammax Well-Known Member

    A midsize platform car using an engine sourced from the fullsize platform.

    That deffinition means no small block muscle cars and pony cars don't count either. So a 350 GS isn't a muscle car but a 455 Skylark is. Also the deffinition goes screwy in the later 70's when the fullsize cars got smallblock engines since it basically meant that any v8 midsize was a musclecar.
     
  10. John Codman

    John Codman Platinum Level Contributor

    ...but as a practical matter, it's a big block engine from a fullsized car. I would not consider any small-block engine in a midsize to be a musclecar. To me, the 383 Mopar is about the smallest cubic inch engine that I would consider as a musclecar powerplant. I know someone is going to come up with an engine that is smaller and fits the bill; I just can't think of one.
     
  11. Ken Mild

    Ken Mild King of 18 Year Resto's

    LOL I was thinking the same thing!

    ---------- Post added at 02:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:04 PM ----------

    I have to agree with you, and I own a 69. The 69 is very sleeper looking. The 70 was more in your face.
     
  12. 442w30

    442w30 Well-Known Member

    Thank you, Sir! :)

    I really wish I could do more wordsmithing in the articles but I don't have the time. Some guy in the comments section down below told me the article was horribly written, which I thought was wrong but I know I could spend more time tweaking it. I found out the guy complaining is a freelance writer who's done a bunch of tech articles for MCR and others, but I think he was being critical because he felt I was slurring the Buick brand.

    It's funny you mention Justin Hyde because I sent him an email 3 weeks ago asking, "How did you get into this? Know any opportunities?" but I never heard back from him. He used to be in Jalopnik, I think, and now does the Yahoo thing. I have mixed feelings about Jalopnik that I don't really need to get into, but the guy who runs it was part of the Internet new wave 15 years ago and now has a nice, comfortable position doing a mediocre job writing about cars.
     
  13. robs71redriv

    robs71redriv robs71redriv

    Those of use that consider a GS Riviera a muscle car - ok not by the light weight /stripped down definition -- but at 2 1/2 tons - its pretty amazing that they run not that far behind some the exotics and pull off the line quicker than many - stand rivs do too- its all about he torque . and low production numbers

    1971 -- 3,715
    1972 -- 2,171
    1973 -- Stage 1 1,234 (GS 3,933 but just handling package)

    ---------- Post added at 10:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:39 AM ----------

    PS 1972 Montego GT - fits the muscle car definition about as well as boattail
    from Diego's blog

    The Cyclone disappeared for 1972, replaced by the Montego GT, whose sales rose to 5,820. However, most high performance offerings were eliminated. To Buick's credit, the GS still was plugging along with the Stage 1 455. But it's amazing that for all of Mercury's racing exploits in NASCAR and NHRA, with Cale Yarborough, Dyno Don, and Dan Gurney, Mercury sold less mid-sized muscle than Buick

    less mid size than Buick twice as many as GS Riviera -

    and with the two-barrel Windsor 302-cu.in. V-8, which was standard on the Montego GT, eeked out 140hp;he optional two-barrel 351C was rated at 163hp; and the two four-barrel Cleveland options, with and without the cold-air Cobra Jet package, were rated at a respectable 266hp and 262hp, respectively. The 172hp, two-barrel 400-cu.in. V-8 seemed pointless (more cubes for less money?), and the once-mighty N-code 429 had been trimmed back to an embarrassing 205 rated horsepower-50hp less than the smaller 351 Cleveland four-barrels.

    Wouldn't you rather have a Mercury?

    1972 Stnd Riviera Engine 455 cu in. V8 250 hp, Riviera GS 455 270 hp@4400rpm, 390 lb-ft@3000rpm
    I think even with the extra 1/2 ton weight, I'd rather have a Riviera -- and look at that Merc in my rear view mirror. giving a thumbs up to the guy in the Skylark with the Riv engine that's passing us both.
     
  14. nekkidhillbilly

    nekkidhillbilly jeffreyrigged youtube channel owner



    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambler_Rebel look at the 4th gen rand 5th gen amc had muscle cars my friend with the 66 rambler rebel package and the 67 up rambler sst.

    as for the larks l the gran turismo hawk is one also it is not a compact car like the earlier models as for the lark yes it is more along the lines of a nova which makes it not really a muscle car in technical terms

    ---------- Post added at 11:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:13 AM ----------

    amc also had the machine like you mentioned and the matador x coupe even though this was after the 60s but a 73 gs is still a muscle car even though its not as fast as a 70.
     
  15. LKBUMM

    LKBUMM Well-Known Member

    1966 L79 327/350 Nova.

    My brother bought one new and it ended up running 11.9's with the small block.

    Also, Bill Jenkins did "OK" with one of these.

    Definately a muscle car.:TU:
     
  16. robs71redriv

    robs71redriv robs71redriv


    boattail under sign.jpg Buick an Opel have been associated for many years - the Opel company was acquired by General Motors in 1929
    1929 Buick introduces a smaller 6-cylinder sedan which is named the Marquette. It is discontinued by 1931.

    the new Buick Regal is an Opel - same car is Vauxhall in the UK
     
  17. bignastyGS

    bignastyGS Maggot pilot

    To think my first car I owned was a 1967 Mercury Comet Cyclone with a 390 and 4 speed that I beat to hell and back. I remember it took forever to locate the front 2 1/4 inch front H pipe and I hit a dog one day ruining it Bent the pipe to all get out..I pounded the tired 390 so bad that I ended up replacing the 390 with a 302 and the mounts etc from another Comet Caliente..Never was the same running that car with the wussified 302..
     
  18. nekkidhillbilly

    nekkidhillbilly jeffreyrigged youtube channel owner

    mid sized car with full size engine...............the gran turismo hawk is that
     
  19. bhambulldog

    bhambulldog 1955 76-RoadmasterRiviera

  20. nekkidhillbilly

    nekkidhillbilly jeffreyrigged youtube channel owner

    thats sweet
     

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