(first posted 7/25/2016) Buick has been so long the butt of so many a geriatric joke that it may be hard for some to see its appeal; not as flashy as a Pontiac or Cadillac nor as popular as a Chevrolet, Buick has often occupied a sort of niche market. It’s the automotive equivalent of Vernors ginger ale: wildly popular in Michigan but less well-known abroad. If it’s summer in Flint, however, you’d think that every car ever sold wore the tri-shield. People here remember Buick City vividly, and although its absence can almost be measured now in decades, the pride remains.
This week, the subject is the Sloan Auto Fair, and if I’m driving to Flint I’m driving a Buick, in this case, my beloved ’53 Special. Here, I’m parked among some Reattas, looking for all the world like Ozzie Nelson landed in the middle of a George Michael concert; however, the ’53 Special blossomed in the midst of “Peak Buick,” the halcyon years of the early to mid-1950s when Buick could do little wrong. The 1970s, although not unkind in any way to Buick, was a decade where Electras, LeSabres, and Regals sailed a wide sea of all rightness. No better or worse than many of their contemporaries, they nonetheless deserve a Flint-style homage.
In shades of blue that recollect my Special, the lead-in car is a 1975 Electra 225 Limited, almost certainly 455 propelled, a love-it or hate-it car from a love-it or hate-it period. Big bumpers, big length, big fuel consumption; this boat is the pinnacle or nadir of American wastefulness. Even with its undeniable bloat, it carries itself with a certain elegance.
Not too far away, like a gaping crocodile is the proud ancestor of the ’75 Limited, the artist’s earlier rendering if you will, the 1972 Electra 225 four-door hardtop, black on black on black.
I am a bit smitten by this one, which is perhaps the most perfect and clean ’72 Electra in the land. In 1972, the big 455 had not yet been too smogged out and was more than capable of playing the draft horse to the Electra’s ample plow, even though the new “net” horsepower ratings emasculated the big-block on paper to the tune of 225 horsepower.
The inside is as perfect as the rest, with its up to the minute “coved” instrument panel that leaves passengers with little to do but marvel at the vast spaces in which they are surrounded.
The back seat is capacious enough for any number of chores.
Unfortunately, the Electra is not parked in an advantageous position for picture-taking, but this roaming security officer seems as taken aback as I am. The ’72 is a pleasant surprise; normally, my passion for 1970s B and C-Bodied cars is reserved for Chevrolet models only.
Many automotive instances have proven that the first year or two of a design is the most attractive version of that design; for example, the ’66 and ’67 Rivieras are certainly better looking than the ’70, and a ’70 Camaro makes a ’74 look a little putrid. This ’75 LeSabre, when compared to the ’72 Electra above, is no exception. Of course, government crash standards must take a preponderance of the blame; however, the blockiness of the ’75 almost makes the ’72 look svelte, although they say black is slimming.
Along with the grille, the dashboard cove is flattened, and the cool black-on-silver instruments are a dead giveaway that you’re driving a Buick.
Perhaps the most successful styling elements of the big ’70s Buicks are the creased quarter panels, although this picture accentuates the massive overhang indigenous to the design.
A car more fitting for its time is this ’77 Regal, V6 powered if you believe the fender badge. The personal luxury coupe was all the rage in 1977, although the new downsized B-Body undoubtedly stole a few Regal sales. Of course, the Cutlass and Monte Carlo absorbed most of the GM personal luxury spotlight, though enough of these Regals were sold to make them not uncommon at a local get-together.
The V6 is an interesting element on its own. After selling the tooling to Kaiser-Jeep following the 1967 model year, Buick bought it back in reaction to Energy Crisis I. The 3.8 at that time was the “odd-fire” version, where each cylinder did not fire an even 120 degrees after the preceding cylinder. Instead, the variations were split between 90 and 150 degrees, which was determined by the cylinder’s location in the firing order.
This created some odd vibrations that Buick attempted to tame through motor mount tuning. Some time in 1977, however, Buick redesigned the engine with split crankpins to create the “even-fire” 3.8, creating a much smoother engine, one that would continue to be refined all the way up to the first decade of the 21st century.
And Buick turbocharged that engine in 1978, using a two-barrel or a four-barrel carburetor. A far cry from the Grand National’s 1987 high point, this turbocharged engine was Buick’s first step in what turned out to be an intriguing, but perhaps ahead of its time, engine combination. Interestingly, the carbureted turbo 3.8 was used in several GM cars, including the Monte Carlo.
The engine is wrapped, in this case, in one of the most controversial body styles of the 1970s, the Aeroback Buick Century “Turbo Coupe,” a 1979 model that predates the namesake T-Bird by four years.
The aeroback was not well-received, and only lasted a couple of model years. Their spectacular weirdness and 1979 model status ensure that this is a fine place in which to adjourn. Many readers will no doubt weigh Buick in the 1970s with a crushing “Meh.” Please judge kindly, however, because throughout the decade, these behemoths and tentative technological first steps created a lot of pride and wealth in a city that could sorely use it today.
I do like the blue ’75 Electra 225 pictured prominently. It may be a boat, but I think it’s a good-looking boat! And to think, people all over the country actually drove cars like this in the not-so-distant past.
I love it too. And I thought domestic full-sizers just got too damn big in the 1970s, and I also thought most of the B & C-Bodies got too damn visually bulky by ’74, ’75. And yet, that ’75 Electra is an absolute stunner. It wears its bulk well and the details are just gorgeous.
Love them all. The ’75 LeSabre is probably my least favourite though, purely because of that awful roofline they grafted on the coupes. I feel that that roofline, even more so than the 5MPH bumpers, contributed to the car’s visual bulk.
I agree on the roof. It just never worked for me.
That 72 is absofrigginglutely stunning.
Agreed; by far the prettiest of the GM biggies.
True dat.
Having owned a ’71 for years, I fully agree! IMHO the ’71-’73 Electras were the best looking of the ’71-76 “C” Bodies.
A friend had one. They ride like a dream.
+1
Having arrived at the age of awareness during the mid to late 1970s, these are what define a Buick to me.
When I was about five or six, my Uncle “Ron” was about to be married. His in-laws to be were visiting Grandpa “Albert” and Grandma “Iris”. When I asked him what they would be driving, my uncle said “A Buick so big they’ll need your grandpa’s ten acre field to turn around.” That caught my attention.
They showed up in a green 1972 Electra. Incidentally, they were recent transplants from Michigan.
I suspect that Turbo Coupe is the catch of the day.
Aaron65, your 1953 Special Riviera is a beauty. Buicks have always been a bit exotic to me. I was too young to drive my family’s 1950 Riviera legally on the road, but I remember the car sounded a lot like an inboard motor boat and felt heavy and smooth. Steering was really hard, and that no-post look was kind of sleek and new to the world back then.
I agree that the 50s (and early 60s) were peak years for Buick.
The super fast GNs and GNXs seemed to me to be a bit out of style for what were usually stately vehicles. Kind of like seeing a favorite older maiden Aunt wearing a too-short skirt.
Nice Monday morning reading.
I had a look around one of those immense two door barges several years ago, one turned up roadside in McGraths hill with a for sale sign on it a 74 RHD it must have been converted either new or upon arrival a hell of a lot of car for only two doors and far too heavy on fuel for my means at the time, and if something broke? I didnt see another until I returned to NZ so parts could have been difficult, I ended up spending some money on the car I had and driving it another six months until a profitable season appeared to replace it. Nice car though green with black vinyl top.
That ’79 turbo coupe reminds me of an oversized Chevette, especially from the rear. It doesn’t have a hatchback, does it…
I still find it charming though.
This body style was also offered as a 4 door, but no, they never came with a hatchback. The closest GM in the U.S. would come to offering a “midsized” hatchback would be the Malibu MAXX of 2006-2008 or 2009.
They were, and remain, a strange beast. Not strange like ugly, not like some GM cars from this era, just….strange.
And a strange fit for the Buick brand: I’d have thought you’d try out a visually challenging body style on another division, rather then the corporation’s Conservative Luxury department. Wasn’t Oldsmobile supposed to be Experimental, and Pontiac Excitement?
And considering that the roofline is shared with the four door, isn’t this ‘really’ a Turbo Sedan? 😉
No “hatch”. My brother and his wife had the “Olds” version. Leg room for driver was a bit tight. Rode, drove nice.
Seeing the Regal with the 3.8 V6 and knowing that it was also offered in the Lesabre, makes one wonder about an alternative 1977. What if the C bodies had maintained their size and GM had just worked on the cars loosing a little weight. A fleet model with the 3.8 the mainstreamer with a 350 and a few 455s for Riviera and Park Avenue. Would the big Buick have bit the dust in 1981 during the full size kill off, or would it exist today? A 225 inch Electra eating into crew cab sales.
The fourth picture from the bottom with the red car and gold car actually looks like a photo taken in the 70s. Usually a shot like this is “ruined” when some current model photo-bombs the set, but this shot is primo — don’t even need to squint my eyes.
I’ll ignore the new age neon yellow crosswalk sign…
Thanks for sharing these pics! I have a similar 1975 Electra Limited that was built in Flint and I hope I’ll be able to keep it for a very long time! I went to Flint in 2003 with my also Flint-built 1967 Riviera GS (I still have that car too). The last time I was there last year was to get two more GM products, a 1935 refrigerator and a 1967 self-cleaning range that I have in my kitchen at home now both were made in Dayton but they must have been popular in Flint with all the GM employees.
I drove there with my small Toyota pickup and I didn’t feel comfortable being one of the very few not driving a vehicle from the big 3 but there was no way I could fit a range and a fridge in the trunk of one of my Buicks! I wish I could find a nice Clamshell Estate Wagon for that purpose!
If there was a car late in the life of the 71-76 C body that really beautiful, it would be the Electra. The Cadillac was OK, the 98 was nice, but the Buick made you really want it.
I remember in 1974-75 when GM offered a few non-metallic shades reminiscent of the early 50s, and that blue was one of them. I really liked them, but I don’t think they sold all that well.
Actually they did sell in the South, likely because the lighter shades were popular in the hot climate. I remember a lot of these blue ones, and also the non-metallic light yellow was popular too (my mom’s ’75 Ninety-Eight was yellow with a white top).
Well Buicks especially large Buicks from the mid-1970s (1975-76 Le Sabre and Electra 225s) for some unknown reasons were also known as “doctor’s car”.
They were “the doctor’s car” because many doctor’s drove them. It gave them an upper class, professional appearance, but not too upper class like a Cadillac. Doctors used to make house calls so their cars were very much a part of their practice. They were also visible by their license plates, which read “MD XXXX”. The MD standing for Medical Doctor. In the days before phones it was very helpful to know where the doctor was in town in an emergency. I haven’t seen an “MD” plate since the 80’s. Too many jerks were causing cars accidents with doctors, knowing that they could sue and receive quick settlements. They faded away fast once that started.
Doctors not too upper class? Maybe in America, and maybe nowadays, but in my childhood the doctor was the top of the social order. My family doctor drove a Daimler 2.5 V8, my grandparents’ one had a Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn. I remember feeling better already just looking out the window and knowing that someone who drove a car like that had come to see me!
In the US, doctors especially specialists and surgeons, could easily afford a Lincoln, Imperial or Cadillac. But those cars were flashy and imposing, where as Buicks were not. Sometimes we referred to Buick owners as “quiet money”. It was more about image than affordability.
It’s quite amazing how the whole “Sloan Ladder” thing went out the window years ago. I know families pooling resources to buy a Mercedes, but also millionaires driving cheap little Kias or Hyundai s to the grocery store and are perfectly happy. Cars and trucks really have no status anymore. Everyone gets what works for them and they are happy.
HAve grown to appreciate Buicks. Grew up with Pontiacs, however My father turned to Buick in 72, Bringing home a new Centurion 2 dr. Mom Stayed with her 73 grand prix until late 77 when she took a new 78 Regal as her own. it was Buick thereafter. The 72 centurion was a beautiful car. Garnered attention even as it aged through the latter 70s as dad had retired in 77 and had no need to purchase a new car until replacing it with an 81 Lesabre. Then an 86 Regal, and finally a 91 Lesabre Custom, that car was his last new car and I now own it. Still looks, rides and actually handles well, for it’s size and age. Buicks are, in my mind, underappreciated. Having this 91 in my fleet brought me to find and purchase one of the final iterations of a sporty big Buick, a 1987 LeSabre T-Type.
i spent a lot of time in my youth in the back of my best friend’s mother’s electra 225s. i remember the windows wide open. my own mother had the humbler lesabre. these cars say everything about america’s optimism and naivete. i absolutely love them.
While I like the 50s Rivieras, my favorites of those pictured here are the turbo-coupe (fastback and all) and the red Regal.
In the mid 70s a co-worker bought a new Regal and while it may not sound great I thought that triple light blue coupe was a real sweetheart of a car.
A few years later I was quite surprised when my very conservative uncle traded his beige Chevy wagon for the 1st of 2 or 3 Regal coupes he would own before he passed away. That triple light green Regal was the sportiest looking car any of my 12 uncles would own in my lifetime.
It’s one of the few cars I would like to own if a nice, low mileage example could still be found. I almost wwouldn’t care about the color. (But black over red would be sweet.)
Aaron, you had to know this post was going to be my jam! Love it.
Your ’53 Skylark is just gorgeous. Actually, I like most of these cars. The baby blue ’75 Electra is just okay, but I love the black ’72. Looking at your interior shot, I could smell that brocade upholstery. Family friends came to rescue us in one of these when our ’77 Volare left us stranded on the side of US-23 in the mid-80s.
I’ve always liked the styling of those ’76 and ’77 Regals (and related Centurys and Specials).
The ’79 Turbo Coupe also caught my eye at this show. I normally dislike the 2-door Aerobacks, but I didn’t hate this one! You got some great shots of it.
Looking at your pictures makes me homesick…not to worry, though – I’ll be back in a few weeks for the Flint River Flotilla. 🙂
I knew you’d like this selection! I’m sure you’ve got a few pictures up your sleeve to show us. 🙂
I’ve never been a fan of the Colonnade cars, but that red ’77 Regal makes me think twice. Love that triple black ’72 Electra as well, but your ’53 Super really is the star, a fine representative of “peak Buick”.
I like them all, even the aeroback models. In the late ’80s my uncle Ed had a ’78 Century aeroback 4-dr. , red with a red cloth interior. It was sensibly sized, rode pretty well, and could seat 4 in real comfort, 5 with a little juggling and 6 in real pinch. I do rather miss that car.
I doubt that the 455 engine was really thirstier than say a 1963 with the dynaflow (turbine drive).
Great post and I love these cars! Your ’53 Special is stunning, and I also especially like the Electras (both ’72 and ’75) and the Regal. But they are all interesting and nice to see in such good shape.
Buick in their heyday was all about delivering comfortable, quietly stylish, upscale cars–it was great business for many years (and still is today, just ask Lexus).
Beautiful. I’ve always like the ’75-’76 B and C bodies though they’re not so popular it seems here. Their bulk leant itself to the big bumpers of the time.
GM has burned so many bridges, it’s sad to think of what’s been done to Flint by the withdrawal of Buick. And now they’re making them in China and exporting them here. Sad.
The Aeroback A-bodies sure seem to work a lot better with 2 doors than with 4. Regardless, it was foolish either way to make them with trunks instead of hatches.
I’ve often thought it was stupid not to have offered the areobacks as hatchbacks, too. However, I’m guessing GM thought it would make the Buicks look “down market” and since they also offered a wagon, the hatchback would be redundant.
I put quite a few miles on a 1972 Estate Wagon with the same clamshell tailgate from Chevy. That gate was always temperamental…and always leaked a little
As mentioned, the 455 never struggled to move the car confidently. Just like the 460 in my grampa’s ’72 Continental, even a light tap on the accelerator caused the whole barge to leap into immediate action. Torque is a beautiful thing!
I had one of the odd fire V6s in a 75 Special coupe. In the best of tune, they ran rough as hell. With deferred maintenance, they barely ran at all. I hated that car.
I got to drive a pair of ’76 Electra 225s, a tan one and my sister’s blue one just like the first photo, sans vinyl top. There’s nothing like maneuvering one of these through the nineteenth century streets of an eastern city. She traded hers for a Rabbit GTI!
Congrats to the owner of the 72 Electra. Rarely have I seen a car of this time period in such great shape!
Too bad its not a ’72 Chevrolet Caprice (just like below) which my father came within a hair’s breath of buying. Always regret him not buy that car.
My late grandfather bought a new Buick every 4 years or so, his entire life, from getting out of the Army after WW2 to shortly before his passing in 2008. Every picture of my mom growing up is one of her posed in front of whatever Buick they had at the time. A 1976 Electra hardtop is the first one I remember. I was 6 when he bought that one and even as a small child, it knocked my socks off. Wow. What a car! I was so proud to ride in the front seat. Similar to the lead car here, it was metallic light blue with matching vinyl roof and crushed velour, pillowback seats. Around 1980, he got a company car, a 1980 Skylark (yep, the X car crap). What a letdown. My stepgrandmother said he cried when the buyer drove off in the Electra. I remember as a 10 year old thinking the Skylark was a terrible, cheap feeling car. Things improved from there, with a 1984 Regal coupe (triple light green!), a 1988 Century, a 1992 or so LeSabre, then three Park Avenues before his passing. But that’s what has forever changed about the automotive landscape, especially for Buick. Being an “old person’s car” had the benefit of the repeat buyers returning year after year after year. Who does that anymore?
Love this post! I’ve always had a soft spot for the 70’s Electras–the most handsome of the big B/C-bodies for sure. The interior on that black ’72 is absolutely fabulous–black brocade is evidently stunning. Who knew? And I think they wore the ’75 facelift quite well, unlike the silver LeSabre with its awkward round lamps in a square nose. The addition of the C-pillar window on the sedans worked well, as opposed to the unfortunate coupes where the sleek hardtop roofline with slender c-pillar was replaced by the bulky affair you see on the LeSabre.
Also, I love that Turbo Coupe! I have a soft spot for the aerobacks in general–I find the weirdness appealing, if somewhat impractical. Generally I prefer the Olds versions. But that TC just looks right. Sign me up!
For the fans of the 1979-80 Century Turbo Coupes, check out the picture I took at Back to the Bricks in 2012. Mine is the blue one. I am 2nd owner. The other two are original owners.
Perhaps the only time you’ll see more than one of those in the same place! Nice lineup, and good on you for keeping up such a rare and controversial car.
I would have liked to see that in person! The last time I recall seeing a ’79 Century Turbo coupe was in the parking lot of a Costco a long time ago! These and the LeSabre Sport Coupe from that year are favorites of mine! I also like the “Sport Wagon” version of the Century which had the same grille and decals but I don’t think it was available with the Turbo V6.
You are correct. The turbo V6 was not avail. in the wagon but was in all other models of the Century. When I go to car shows, some people do not know what it is or think that Buick never made it. Some are drawn to it because it is so rarely seen. I had one guy pull up beside me (at 35 mph) & ask me about it. Here’s another pic. To see more, go to 1979-80 Buick Century Turbo Coupes on Facebook. Don’t forget to like the page & thanks for interest.
Here’s another picture from the Back to the Bricks car show.
I had forgotten about the Aeroback Turbo Coupe. Hopefully, I can now forget it again!
Quoting my almost upper middle class Grandfather; who managed to survive the Great Depression and WWII unscathed: “Gangsters, politicians and the ‘nouveau riche’ buy Cadillacs. Conservative, restrained ‘Old Money’ buys Buicks.”
Buick didn’t really become an old people’s car until the Century That Wouldn’t Die in the 80s and 90s.
The ’75 Electra is my favorite here. So ridiculously massive, and the design of the grille makes it look even bigger than it is, running the full width of the car, a worthy update to the 1950s toothy look. The 1976 would get a redesigned front that made it look like a generic late-70s big American car. Still, these were the last big Buicks with that distinctive downward-sweeping side sculpturing. The downsized ’77s would have to share their doors with the Olds 98 making both cars look too similar.
> The aeroback was not well-received, and only lasted a couple of model years.
The sedans only lasted two years, but the coupes as shown here lasted three. The aeroback coupe is less awkward than the sedan, but like most buyers I’d take a Regal notchback instead.
Incredible how the rough, odd-firing 231 V6 evolved into the incredibly smooth and torquey Series III 3800.
Fantastic photos and article Aaron, thank you! They are all gorgeous. I really liked the Aeroback coupes at the time. Wished they were more popular. It was the four door version I thought was hopelessly awkward.
I prepped and posted a Photoshop here eight years ago, what I thought the four door might have looked like. Same wheelbase and length. Could either be a Nova-style hatch, or a trunk.
Daniel, why weren’t you working in GM Styling back in the seventies? That is just what this car needs.
Thanks Peter! I like picking up the pieces on failed styling efforts. 🙂
On another (now defunct) site I started a “facelift the Aztek” thread – object was to pretend you were a GM/Pontiac designer and make the most subtle, easy/cheap-to-implement modifications that would make the Aztek look good, or at least not laughably atrocious.
That would have been a welcomed challenge. One of my favourite Photoshops I’ve posted here, was a very simple one. Improving the too short wheelbase on the Eagle Premier. Looking significantly more Mercedes-like with the extended wheelbase.
The worst part of the Aeroback isn’t the greenhouse but the slanted rear fascia, which you’ve fixed here.
My dad drove a ’78 Century 4 door to work for 6 years. He really wanted the handsome Regal, but couldn’t get over the impracticality of 2 doors. I think the back seat was used twice.
Buick has been so long the butt of so many a geriatric joke that it may be hard for some to see its appeal;”
Seemed like started around the time the Grand National was dropped. And the W body Regal was chromed up compared to Grand Prix.
So much so, a car site that caters to younger fans [J******k] assumed the 1970 GS 455 was a “sales flop”, not a limited edition, saying “I guess no one anted a Buick muscle car then” One of many times wanted t reach in the computer and ….;-P LOL
Looks better, but I don’t see much Mercedes in it; more like a Peugeot or maybe a Mitsubishi Galant.
That set of proportions now (often derisively) called “front-drive proportions” with a long front overhang and the wheel openings right up against the front door has become unfashionable. Ironic that the first two modern American FWD cars, the Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado (’67) both had large bladed fenders in front that made the overhang look several inches longer than it really was.
(this was a reply to the Eagle Premier photoshops. Certain conditions in WordPress seem to make comments appear at the bottom instead of after the comment the reply was to.)
1974-76 Electras have been favorites of mine since I was a kid (I was born in 1977). I still own a 1975 Limited. I also wish I could get an early Turbo Buick, but my first choice would be a 1978-79 LeSabre.
Here’s a picture of the 3 Buicks I still have.
They’re all nice, Phil (but I love that Riviera)!
I feel the 70 Estate was one of their best designs in a wagon.
My 1969 Buick Electra was sold new in Flint, Michigan. Its been here in Norway for almost 20 years.