This week I’ll be taking a break from Mopars and visit a stable that isn’t well known for wild muscle cars - Buick. America was going muscle car crazy by 1970, and everyone wanted a cool muscle car.
Chevrolet had the SS options, Pontiac had the GTO, Oldsmobile with the 442s, Chrysler and Ford had theirs going as well; everybody had wild looking muscle car - except Buick. Buick had the Gran Sport which were good performers but made in more or less subtle colors; came with no stripes - they were kinda sedate.
If Buick wanted to attract a buyer who wanted a fast car, despite being a luxury car brand, it still had to be comfortable. And that’s the cool thing about the Gran Sport, GS, and GSX; all these cars had a lot of sound deadening, nice carpets, comfortable seats, they were super tight and quiet to drive. You could drive them every day. But when an unsuspecting Corvette pulled up next you at the stoplight, and you wanted to flex your muscles; this car would get still get the job done.
The people at GM understood that the muscle cars were not the best sellers, however they did one heck of a job pulling people into the showroom. So, that’s where the GSX theme came from. They wanted to make a car that caught your eye when you drove past your Buick dealer, with a bright color, a wild stripe package, the GSX will get you in to look at the rest of the cars. Perhaps you saw the GSX from the street, but you came in and bought an estate wagon or something else.
The GSX is largely a sales tool, fortunately it’s also a screamin’ performer. There are certain camps where there is a firm belief that it goes faster than the HEMI Cuda on the quarter mile, although that has not been confirmed. This is an uncommon car, be sure take a closer look the next time you see a GSX.
