I can’t remember ever seeing one of these. In Jim Cavanaugh’s article Part 7 on Indy 500 pace cars, he reports that there were likely onl 1,813 of these 1975 Buick Century Free Spirit pace car replicas ever built. And Joseph Dennis spotted this one at the Back to the Bricks car festival in Flint, MI. a couple of years back.
Actor James Garner, who had enough experience behind the wheel of fast cars, was entrusted with the actual Pace Car, which was powered by a 455 V8, undoubtedly breathed-upon too.
The replicas were apparently powered by the 350 CID Buick V8, which was rated at 165 hp. I’m not quite sure what the story is with the air cleaner; it doesn’t look like the usual arrangement. Maybe someone will explain.
Not much need to explain the very mid-70s graphics.
Buick returned to pace the Indy again in 1976, but this time with a turbocharged V6, the beginning of a grand(National) era.
Thank you for this post! I really love articles about these 1970s special versions that are a hard find nowadays.
Mom had a Mustang II stallion or black stallion version in the late 1970s and it would be a miracle if I see one now, even on car shows.
Happy New Year!
After I wrote about these, I got some shots of a real one at a local car show. Living in the Indianapolis area, there is more interest in maintaining and preserving Pace Car replicas than there probably is elsewhere in the country. They come out more in the spring and summer. A few more and I will have the makings of a decent CC piece.
Paul, are you talking about the air cleaner cover that doesn’t close or about the hose to the air filter? Buick used a hose to the air cleaner on most if not all 1975 models. I have that on my 1975 Electra but it was gone on 1976 models. There were also a few 1975 LeSabre convertibles with Indy 500 decals which weren’t used as a pace car but probably for promotional events.
Too bad the 1975-76 pace car replicas couldn’t be ordered with the 455 or the Turbo V6… 1975 is the year Buick stopped to offer the big block engines in intermediates and Turbos weren’t in production cars before 1978. I think putting a newer Turbo V6 in a 1976 pace car would be an interesting project!
In reference to the air cleaner lid. It’s the stock lid on a 350ci simply flipped upside down. It sounded way cooler that way when you stood on the gas and all 4bbl opened up.
er, Garner…
Thanks for showing me another car I’d never heard of.Didn’t AMC have a beef about Buick ripping off their Machine paint work or did they let them get away with it?
Looks like they have used a GM truck filter element to lift the lid.
It was common practice wayyyyyy back then to “flip” the air cleaner’s lid over to “give more power”; but all it really did was make more intake noise (which gave the impression of more power).
I’ll have to go with Guardstang’s explanation.
Yep, we used to do this in high school… like you said, it made more noise than it did a power increase.
Yup. The Quadrajet makes a nice noise with a flipped lid. That’s about all it does though.
+1
Did that on my 85 LeSabre. Can confirm that it sounded cool and nothing else.
Good times…
I can see where a larger filter would allow for more air flow, but I doubt that the flow of air into the engine is restricted anyway. This would bypass the preheating of incoming air.
The theory is more air more power however warm air from the engine bay will reduce hp not increase it.
Cool Buick. Even by Bicentennial standards, those graphics are loud.
Though equally as attention getting, I prefered the look of the ’76 version.
Actually, I really like the 1976 version better than the 1975. The ’76 really made a statement…
I also prefer the 1976, I inquired about this one two years ago but it needed a bit more work than I was willing to do on it.
The interior had seen better days but it had the extra-cost interior that was standard in the Regal S/R. My parents had a 1976 Century Custom but it had the regular white all vinyl buckets/console which were also available in the pace car.
My Dad would buy a new mid size Buick every few years in the 70s . I remember seeing these and wishing for the pace car model in 75 but instead got a left over 74 Century with a 350 but its a plain jane without a/c and only a am radio . In 76 my Dad goes back trades the Century in on a Regal with a 350 but at least it has air no more sweating in summer ! Then in 78 back once again on a 78 Regal with a/c and even has a am/fm but with the horrible 231 V6 this car goes on to give us nothing but trouble as this is the car I learned to drive on and left our family stranded often with various problems .
These were more common in the Midwest, and saw a few in Chicago, being a large Buick market at the time. Was a big change to go from 455 v8 to Turbo v6, showing future.
Buick should have stuck with ‘lux-performance’ and brought out more turbo V6 cars, and let Oldsmobile be the ‘old timer’ brand. But, GM bosses thought they ‘knew better’ and told them to swich places in 1988.
I have to say, those all white rally wheels look really strange. Not only does the white paint hide the wheel details, the bright center caps look really odd “floating” on a sea of white.
Perhaps Buick should have used the standard wheel paint pattern and replaced the silver section with white paint. That would have created a unique look, but kept the black paint in place to help define the wheel shape.
I tend to disparage many cars from the 70’s, along with almost everybody. However, I like the looks of this Buick. It has clean lines and seems nicely proportioned. I don’t know about its performance. I wonder if there are many survivors left. Doubt it.
There are 4 1975 Indy pace cars in Ontario Canada that are still original and driven to shows every year.
Dedicated to the free spirit in just about everyone!
I would figure someone who was a “Free Spirit” to be more of a VW person than Buick. But then again I wasn’t alive in the 70’s to know.
Cool version of a rarely-seen car in any case!
That’s funny, my parents had a ’76 Century Custom before I was born. In 1980, I remember him going with me (I was 3 then!) to the local Pontiac Buick dealer to test drive a 1980 Century 4 door but he bought a 4 door Rabbit L Diesel instead and he bought mostly Volkswagens throughout the eighties and nineties!
Here’s a picture of my mother when she had just turned 22 years old and pregnant of me in the late summer of 1976. My father was 27 when he got the car.
The father of two of my good friends got a new 1976 Century Custom just like the one my father had (but his had a bench seat) when he was 26. Now that they are both over 65 years old, my father drives a Honda Accord and my friend’s father drives a small Lexus IS 250 and I don’t think either would consider driving a new Buick now!
The last time I saw one was a 1976 version in about 1990 in a junkyard.
Someone had swapped a Chevy inline 6 into it.
That makes me want to let our Charlie Brown’s anguished cry of: “Arggggggggggg!”
Do I see the S Saginaw Halo burger in downtown Flint in the background of the final photo?
You do! I’m making Homer Simpson “aaaagghhh” noises right now… So delicious.
No longer in the Flint area?
No, but I try to make it back at least once a quarter. Still have a deep affection for my hometown and growing up steeped in its car culture. I toured all the major factories when I was a kid – watching G-Body Olds Cutlasses and Buick Regals being assembled at Fisher One, LeSabres coming down the line at Buick City, and even as recently as 2011, I watched new Chevy Silverados and GMC Sierras being built at Flint Assembly.
Oh yes! Truck And Bus! My first field trip to a car factory. Unique, nontheless.
The last car that came down the line at Buick City was 1999. Buick City was officially done in 2010
Nice car…I shot a ’76 that I’ll write up sometime. I only go to Back to the Bricks on weekday cruise nights now; the main event is preposterously overcrowded these days.
I can’t wait to see your pics of the ’76 F/S – I think I saw one of those before I ever saw a ’75, and was blown away by how they managed to make sporty what otherwise looked like a personal luxury car.
As for the main event at B2B, for me, it’s always like the best day of my life. I don’t ever remember even during the former UAW parades when downtown Flint looked so full of people, cool cars, life and good energy. Crowded or not, the Saturday portion of the festival feels almost like Christmas used to feel when I was a kid.
I’ll agree it’s a good thing for Flint, and I head down Tuesday or Wednesday and park my ’53 at Applegate’s used car lot and watch the cruise.
I have an almost pathological thing against crowds though–they make me pretty nervous. 🙂 Woodward’s even worse; my dad and I will go down and cruise around on Friday rather than Saturday.
Neat car. It’s hard to believe that some actually ordered these with the 231 odd fire V6’s but those were mainly stripper models.
Here is ours that we have had in the family for quite a few years now.
Another pic showing the engine
Hi do you still have the car? For sale?
I have a 75′ replica for sale. Tom 920-277-8050
Few photos of my pace car
One at a time..
Looks to be in beautiful shape and it’s full of cool details that aren’t on the standard car! Are the graphics original or did you have to source replacements?
would it be possible for you to contact me about your stripes on your Pace car?
Last one
I spent 5 years restoring a 1975 Free Spirit. I did a complete frame up restoration as I have the documentation from day one to date. I was surprised to see people’s reaction at shows as many never knew of there existence. A great piece of classic history. I am sad to say will be selling it this summer as a result of down sizing for a move.
The one left in Denmark and imported as new in 1976 with 350cui