Photos from the Cohort by Jerome Solberg.
How does Buick play sporty? Conservatively, of course. Uniquely too. And this ’66 LeSabre Sport Coupe displays those qualities to a reasonable extent. The model carried a nicely tailored suit, distinctive and muscle-car-like, but not too showy. It straddled a fine line between luxury and performance, which was something of a Buick tradition actually.
1965 brochure image.
Full-size Buicks were completely restyled for 1965 and rode on the new perimeter frame shared with GM’s B-Bodies. The models featured rather chiseled lines with a nice amount of Coke bottle styling on the sides. Qualities that looked even sharper on the Sport Coupe with its semi-fastback roof. Not as attention-grabbing as Pontiacs from the period, but quite proper for a Buick.
1966 models would arrive with the usual styling updates, but sticking closely to the previous year’s themes. For ’65, the LeSabre Sport Coupe had arrived following a Buick tradition of providing a smaller V8 than Pontiac or Olds on its full-size models. Something already covered in a vintage Car Life review of the model in “400” package guise.
Upgrades arrived for ’66 however, with the LeSabre’s standard engine growing to 340CID (upping Olds by 10 cubic inches). That meant 220bhp, mated to a three-speed manual or two-speed automatic. The “4oo” package remained, now providing 260 bhp, with the aid of 4-barrel carburation, a high 10.2 to 1 compression, and the outstanding Super Turbine 400 automatic. In the words of Buick’s 1966 brochure, “…it’s a package, you’ll like it.”
So here we have this surviving sample, a weathered ex-luxury ex-sporty offering. Not quite so luxurious nowadays, perhaps somewhat sporty (depending on what’s under the hood), but certainly attractive in its unique way regardless of condition.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1966 Buick LeSabre Hardtop Sedan – Shoes Matter
Vintage Car Life Road Test: 1965 Buick LeSabre 400 – Small Block, Big Body Buick
Nice to see that another one has survived and is looking proud. For 67 they made them even more conservative by reducing the amount of chrome trim, leaving the Wildcat to fill the need if you wanted the sweeping roof and more glitz. Buick B body cars are some of the cleanest looking cars of the period and the 260 hp 340-4 delivers plenty of power.
Gnarly survivor. It’s got the requisite Buick steel styled road wheels.
I have seen this one a number of times, didn’t get a good shot of the interior as I was in a bit of a hurry.
This car generally looks good, but It strikes me that the trunk is slightly too long in proportion to the hood, it gives it a slight “cab-over-engine” feel, but that might be exacerbated by the primered panel.
I remember my uncle had a Buick Special from around this time, it always looked good.
Thanks for posting these pictures!
GM really hit it out of the park with their redesigned B-bodies for 1965-66, especially so for the 2-door hardtops, or sport coupes as they were called. Back in the day, I liked the 1967-68 refreshes even more, but today I’m conflicted with their greater lengths and weights plus swoopier fastbacks.
I often vacillate between Olds and Buick on which I might have chosen in a given year, but I find the 65 Buicks far more attractive to the Olds 88 of that year. Although I think I would have chosen a Wildcat with the bigger engine.
This particular example is vintage CC material!
My father went broke in 1970. He bought one of these used and it was a great car. I liked the tilt wheel which was a new thing then. One day he revved er up and rapped it off a few times and said to me ” I bet you thought I didn’t know how to do that” He was right !
A nice survivor, I hope it gets a respray and spends many more decades out on the road where this beautiful vehicle belongs .
-Nate
Buick hit the right notes for a long time. Fancy enough, with enough power to be satisfying. They were the cars for confident people comfortable with their position. I’m not saying that they were perfect, but they were pretty darn good. I get to experience the last glow of Buick’s radiance with my current Riviera. I miss cars like this.