Just two weekends ago, I had taken the Amtrak from Chicago to Ann Arbor, Michigan for an overnight stay. My dad had been a professor at U of M, but at the campus in Flint (where we lived), so I hadn’t spent any significant amount of time on the main campus in Ann Arbor aside from participation in a two-week program in the summer of ’87.
It remains to be seen whether “Governor Blanchard’s Future Problem Solvers” on-site seminar made any lasting, significant contribution to my ability to untangle messes, but if anything, it did provide a useful window into what college life would resemble if I was fortunate enough to attend (which I was). The purpose of this visit was much more somber, as I was there for a celebration of the life of the mother of one of my closest and best friends since childhood (she and I have known each other since the summer of 1980), who has recently passed away.
The William L. Clements Library, opened 1923.
On the morning of the mid-day gathering of my friend’s family and loved ones, I was up early and had felt compelled to take a ride-share car into the area in and around campus just to walk around in the crisp, autumn air and take some pictures while everything was still washed in the warm glow of the Sunday morning light. For whatever reason, the students were already having a “fall break” (I don’t remember that even being a thing, twenty years ago), and there was no football that day, so the streets and sidewalks were mostly empty except for an occasional jogger or two. Quiet and calm were exactly what I needed that morning as I prepared to console my friend and her family. Walking around U of M, my late father’s employer and the sole source of our family’s income, felt soothing and was a powerful reminder of Dad and the ways he provided for us and positively impacted the lives of his students.
The Lawyers’ Club, built 1923 – ’24.
It also brought back a lot of memories of my own college experiences and made me realize just how much time had passed since then. I didn’t fear too much about appearing like some creepy, old dude (Steely Dan’s “Hey Nineteen” comes to mind) simply because there was no one around, it was pretty cold outside, and the buildings on campus are breathtakingly beautiful and worthy of viewing on their own merits. (If U of M isn’t currently offering an architectural walking tour, they should consider it.) Not every building is a beauty winner, but several of them along maybe a three-block stretch of South University Avenue, including the William L. Clements Library and the Lawyers’ Club were stunners and displayed real artistry and craftsmanship.
It was against this backdrop when another, man-made object with beautiful, old architecture came into view behind the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity house: our featured 1977 Buick LeSabre coupe. Darn it, Joe, I said to myself, as I wondered if I should risk having to explain to an unsympathetic, hungover frat guy what I was doing early on a (very cold) Sunday morning, taking pictures of his prized Buick. I manned-up, realizing I wasn’t doing anything wrong, and got a couple of frames before I continued on my way.
Buick… LeSabre… As I walked, keeping a pretty steady pace on foot, I kept repeating these words as if part of a chant. When I think back to my college years in Florida, this LeSabre would undoubtedly have been an object of near-universal derision, no matter what condition it was in. This big, beautiful, black bruiser would be the exact opposite of what would be found in my dormitory’s parking lot twenty-plus years ago: There were Hondas, Acuras, Escorts and other domestic small cars – pretty much anything that would neatly fit into one economy-sized parking space. (Granted, this LeSabre appears to be parked with room to spare on either side, but I suspect that these painted, yellow lines had a more generous width between them than those I was accustomed to while in school.)
A page from the 1977 Buick brochure, courtesy of www.oldcarbrochures.com.
Years later, though, this LeSabre is a certified classic (and not just an old car), and it’s parked on a college campus less than an hour west of the Motor City. There’s no doubt that Michigan pride in our homegrown products has trickled down to later generations that came along decades after the heyday and marketplace dominance of the Detroit Three automakers.
I’m guessing as to the model year (judging by the taillamps, it could also be a ’78), but I went with model year ’77 only because this LeSabre features the header panel of a ’77 Electra, which I think looks nice here. So what, if it’s wearing a slightly different face than it was born with? Isn’t that part of what college is about: trying on different hats in becoming a more fully-realized version of oneself? I know I did just that, and I have little holes in both earlobes and left nostril to show for it, as well as old pictures as receipts.
The conundrum with a car this size, and with this really nice example in particular, is that while it’s probably large enough for the owner to fit four people in the back seat (in a pinch) and another one in front (note that there are individual seats up there), would the owner really want to be the designated driver that night for everybody and risk some booze-related mishap occurring on the beautiful, beige cloth interior of this car? Thank goodness for the ease of Uber and Lyft, though I probably wouldn’t have been able to regularly afford that luxury back then as a student, myself.
These Buick road wheels are among my favorite designs of all-time, and they perfectly complement the lines of this car. They’re angular, but with just enough curvature to look harmonious with this LeSabre’s graceful overall appearance. Under the hood, standard power for ’77 came from a non-turbo 231-cubic inch (3.8L) V6 with just 105 horsepower, though I doubt many of these cars left the factory with one, given the coupe’s 3,500-pound starting weight. Ditto, for the turbocharged version of the same engine, which had an extra 45 horses. The top mill was Oldsmobile’s 403-cubic inch V8 with 185 horsepower. Sedans handily outsold the coupes that year, with 124,000 of the former produced against 67,000 of the latter, with coupes accounting for just over one-third of total production that year.
Aside from one other bonafide Curbside Classic spotted that morning (which, hopefully, will be profiled at a later date), I saw nothing else like this LeSabre during my brief jaunt to and from Michigan. On a college campus chock-full of vehicles like the Ford Escape, Kia Soul, Honda Element, and the like, this thankfully-preserved LeSabre truly looked distinctive and like a million bucks. It’s true that while the “B.M.O.C.” acronym as applied to this car could stand for the obvious “Big Man On Campus”, I’d like to substitute “Buicks Make Outstanding Cruisers” (note the faux-license plate up front). This LeSabre is holding it down for lovers of the era when “large” and “sporty” were not seen as being mutually exclusive.
Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Sunday, October 13, 2019.
The CC effect strikes again. I was in Ann Arbor this past weekend, and Friday evening and saw this car pulling out of a gas station near campus.
I was in Ann Arbor this past weekend, too! Oh, wait, I live here.
That is a gorgeous Buick, which is my favorite of the B-bodies. Now I feel the need to troll that area of campus, looking for that Buick.
Nice find Joseph Dennis, hoping the kids don’t destroy it like we did in college.
You bring up an interesting point: As much as I hate to admit it, I still struggle to positively ID the annual trim changes between the 77, 78 and 79 full size GM products – except for the Cadillacs, which I know like the back of my hand. Also, I am wondering about the Electra front clip – was there a way to actually get that on certain LeSabre variants? It’s kind of like the Bonneville getting the formal C-car B and C pillars, or the recycled (leftover?) Cadi steering wheels that found their way to a few highly optioned Park Avenues and Riv’s for about 5 years.
For the LeSabre, all 3 years had slightly different grills, but ’77 & ’78 used the same tailights.
I believe that the LeSabre & Electra front end sheet metal is the same, just a different grill pattern in the same opening, so it would be an easy swap.
Thank you, Stainsey – and I think Dan is correct, below. I think it’s interesting that the B- and C-Body Buicks were so similar up front. Even the Chevy Caprice and Impala had different header panels.
I always liked these big Buick coupes. I thought they were among the best of the GM B-bodies, especially with the road wheels. Classy and tasteful, these Buicks exemplify the marque.
Those Buick black-and-chrome, all steel road wheels complimented ANY car they were attached to! Be it a Buick or some other lesser GM brand.
” a non-turbo 231-cubic inch (3.8L) V6 with just 105 horsepower, though I doubt many of these cars left the factory with one”
I think you might be surprised at the number of these they built. I recall walking through a Buick dealer’s lot during this period and being both amazed and disappointed at how many V6s were in the lot. I later drove one occasionally at a place I worked, and it was slooooooow.
This may be the best looking one of these I have ever seen. The wheels, the black paint and the lack of a vinyl roof all come together to make a striking car. I have been sitting on shots of one of these for a long time, and pale yellow just doesn’t come across the same way.
I have come around on the design as a whole, but I am still amazed by the weakness of the tail end. There is absolutely nothing distinguishing about it. The Electra at least had the little finlets at the back and made a statement.
Thanks for the brief tour of the campus, too. I have not been to UM so I appreciate the brief tour. And isn’t it true that a place can carry memories of those we have loved.
I would really like these cars but like you, the dumpy rear end just kills it for me.
JP, I was actually sort of waiting for your comment regarding the rear styling! Personally, I like it. I think it’s understated and classic-looking. I may be biased, having grown up surrounded by Buicks (especially these) in the former world HQ of that make.
One of my next door neighbors in Flint, Mr. E., had a really nice LeSabre coupe of this generation – as did so many others. I dig ’em.
I doubt the subject car has the V6, That motor was so stressed pulling this weight, I doubt many lasted 100K miles. I have yet to see or hear of a mid-70’s big buick that has survived!
I was emotionally scarred by living with V6 lesabres during my formative years…A while back I even wrote about it here, partially as therapy 🙂 🙂
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/comment-classic/comment-classic-i-grew-up-with-two-1976-lesabre-v6s-and-survived-their-slowness/
Clarification: I meant a mid-70’s big buick with a v6 that has survived! (many V8s have of course)
Andrew, that was a great read – and the ’76 was substantially larger and heavier than the downsized ’77s! I can’t imagine what it must have been like in your grandfather’s V6 LeSabre *with the A/C on*.
Thanks both for that article and also for chiming in here.
Yes- according to the page of a buick book I found that discusses the LeSabre, the 1976 was 655 pounds heavier than the 1977!!
Great pictures of U of M by the way- I’ve never been there but work with someone who did and his son is currently attending the school. Looks great!
Great Buick and a great location. I agree with JPC above that this particular car accentuates all of the good characteristics of this LeSabre’s design — particularly the combination of the black paint and road wheels. I suspect this car may not originally have been black, but it doesn’t matter… it sure looks good.
There’s a ’79 LeSabre that lives near me and is still used as a daily driver. It’s in rough shape, but even in this condition, it still has presence — much more so than the 4-dr. or wagon.
Eric, you bring up a good point. I hadn’t noticed that the paint color may not have been “factory”. I might have looked up the available factory colors on the http://www.oldcarbrochures.com website. Regardless, I think black suits that LeSabre coupe perfectly. (And I hope you write yours up!)
In 1982 a college friend of mine traded in his parent’s hand-me-down, mint condition ’77 LeSabre 2 door on a new Mazda RX-7.
He said that he was tired of driving an “old man’s car” (he was 22 at the time) and wanted a “chick magnet” car.
Three months later he lamented that he missed the comfortable Buick, it’s freezng c-c-cold air conditioner (SO very desirable in hot and humid New Orleans!) and wanted it back.
The monthly car payment and the more than doubling of his car insurance (which his parents did not pay for) may have influenced him also.
There is just nothing in a Buick new car showroom to attract me today.
So Sad.
I wouldn’t mind having a Cascada (call it a Cicada?)
Boy is that true. For 2020 Buick’s entire showroom floor is but a Regal away from being an all CUV brand. A true second generation Malaise era all over again.
Actually, since we have kids & need space, I picked up our 4th Enclave for the family car (my wife’s daily driver)- this and the prior 3 enclaves have been great. I bought the top trim (Avenir), at a significant discount off the MSRP and got a good trade on our 2016…the enclave has every bit of modern technology you could want at least in Avenir trim (not that I care about most of that stuff), and has useful items like: 310HP, new 9 speed transmission, selector switch for front wheel drive or all wheel drive (saves gas when you don’t need all wheel drive), and a sport switch to make the suspension tight which I use on the highway for trips. Car cruises quietly at 90+MPH. It’s not a sports car, but 0-60 was tested by one of the car mags at 6.6 seconds, 15.1 quarter mile so when it needs to it is as fast as a 1978 911SC I had years ago (or an early C4 corvette).
My biggest complaint is the start/stop “technology” for the motor and lack of a defeat switch for that, but within a day I learned that if you drive the car in “L9” it is the same as it being in Drive, but defeats the start/stop function. My buddy has a grand cherokee that has a start/stop defeat switch and it’s second nature for him to start the car, hit the defeat switch and put it into gear. For me I start the car, shift to low, and pull the upshift lever 9 times to indicate L9 on the dash and I’m set. My wife doesn’t care as much, but I notice she defeats it when driving in traffic or in the NJ shore area where there are a bunch of stop signs.
If you don’t need an SUV, I definiteily get the complaint that Buick doesn’t have another product that stands out. But for myself I buy used sports sedans as dailys and used sports cars as weekend rides…so outside of the enclave, I’m perhaps not the target Buick customer.
I always found it odd that while Buick gave it’s buyers a bare minimum of guages, in this car they styled the shift indicator to look like a round guage instead of just a strip like everyone else had.
I’d keep my fingers crossed that there’s an actual Buick 350 under the hood.
Those are the nicest chrome bumpers I’ve seen on a GM car of that age in… Forever.
Uncle Tim (Dad’s Brother) was driving a 1977 Lesabre coupe in a fire engine red with cream vinyl landau roof in the early 90s. He had gotten it out of his father in law’s barn where it had been sitting for several years. The chrome was flaking and pitted, the rims wouldn’t hold air (which he found out after putting 4 tires on it) and the hubcaps wouldn’t stay on the vehicle.
Eventually he got 4 new steel rims and slapped some baby moon hubcaps on it minus the trim rings. He had been hired on at a factory while construction was wrapping up and given his ride the construction crew was convinced he was actually an undercover cop.
Principaldan, that does actually sound like a pretty sweet ride.
I have always considered the 1977-79 LeSabre coupe to be the best-looking of the first generation of downsized B-bodies and the example in these photos shows the clean lines to their best advantage. As was noted above, the black paint, road wheels and lack of a vinyl top, combined with the gorgeous U of M architecture (really is one of the prettiest college settings in the U.S.) really allows this car to shine. It’s a shame that Buick no longer produces cars imbued with American character reflecting the aspirations of upscale young(ish) professionals.
Great article, Joe! You really set the mood and I could picture myself walking around a quiet campus on a Sunday morning. Of course, that was easy for me because I love a solitary walk around a campus. There is nothing quite like a campus for reflection and peacefulness. Sorry to hear about your loss.
I attended for a couple of years Miami University of Ohio, which doesn’t have as much in the way of standout, knock-your-socks-off marquis buildings, but does have an unusually high degree of architectural continuity and is overall a very pretty campus. The balance of my education was at Arizona State, which has a completely different campus character. It is not without its charms in a more modern, palm-treed fashion, but I don’t think it is nearly so attractive as the older, classic style campus. Certainly not much in the way of grass and big trees.
Regarding taking pictures of cars, I am always aware of appearances and that it looks strange to the “civilian” population when a guy is taking photos of a car. However, unless the person in question is wearing a badge, or is the owner, I find that I just don’t care what they think as much as I want to get good photos. If it’s the owner, he is likely to be glad to talk to someone about his car, especially if it is an actual classic or interestingly obscure. When I was younger, I was very concerned with what people I didn’t know thought, but the older I get, the less I am bothered by what I imagine they may be thinking about me.
Bold choice to not lead with a photo of the car! I love the car, it’s a great example even if I didn’t already fall for any big, old Buick. The black color is fantastic and it looks to be in great shape. Given the long weekend, I would bet the car is owned by a professor or more likely support staff of some sort. Hopefully not a student who would leave it outside all year and drive it in the winter!
I speculate that the Electra grill is a replacement from an accident, since finding 77-79 body parts is probably not that easy these days and even I would not have noticed right away that it’s not correct. I do notice that the window moldings are black, which is definitely not original unless it is a Sport Coupe, but none of the other Sport Coupe trim is present (I think). No matter, it’s a stunning car in a beautiful setting.
Thank you, Jon – and you make some great points. The truth probably is that if the owner had seen me taking pictures of this LeSabre, he (I’m assuming it’s a “he” given that it was parked outside the fraternity) might have been willing to talk about his car or maybe even pop the hood.
The U of M Campus and some of its buildings really took me by surprise. Some really beautiful structures there. I have also heard of Miami University in Ohio – one of my former coworkers had attended there.
I agree with Jon — I like the bold choice of a non-car photo to lead off this piece. Well done.
Thanks, Eric (and Jon). I was slightly worried that I might be pulling an “Infiniti” by not leading with a picture of the car, and after toggling back and forth, I knew I had made the best decision.
Since I had started this essay with my reason for being there, I thought I’d lead with an image from that morning that captured the reflective place I was in.
While I love all B-body’s in general the LeSabre was probably my least favorite of the bunch. I never liked the odd cloth they used on the seats as much, they never had an optional gauge cluster option like the Bonny and Olds 88, bucket seats were only offered on the Turbo coupe for 78-80 which meant you were forced into the carbureted 231 turbo V6 and the vast majority of these seemed to be equipped with either the 231 2 BBL V6 or 301 2 BBL V8. The best engine used in these was the Buick 350 which made a very healthy 280 LBS FT of torque at a usefully low RPM.
With that said this car does look sharp in black with the Buick chrome rims.
Is it me, or is there a bit of Peugeot 504 Coupe in the Le Sabre Coupe’s roofline and glasshouse, and bit iof Cambridge’s Kings’s College Chapel in the Lawyers’ Club?
Looking at the “Lawyers’ Club” building I wouldn’t have guessed that was on an American college campus.
It’s funny, when I saw Joe’s Lawyers’ Club picture, I did a double-take because it looked so similar to part of the University of Missouri campus. The picture below (admittedly of poor quality, but it’s just a quick web-grab) shows the small AP Green Chapel on left and the large Memorial Union behind it. This is memorable to me because my wife and I were married at the AP Green Chapel — great venue for a wedding.
To see the Lawyers Club in person (and not just from this angle), Roger, it looked like something from your part of the world, for sure. Just beautiful.
I’ve always seen these more as an American take on a Fiat 130 coupe.
Yes, I can see the Peugeot 504 in the roof line and glasshouse now that you mention it. The sloped trunk is 504ish too.
Hey Nineteen was a favorite high school jam and now only in my forties can I appreciate the creepiness of Donald Fagen’s character in that song.
As always, Joseph, great job.
Thanks, CJC, and *right*, regarding the lyrics of that song! I find myself paying more and more attention to lyrics these days. I love The Dan, though. I got to see them in concert (Walter Becker was still with us) maybe 7 or 8 years ago. They still killed it. Love them!
Having owned a 1977 Lesabre Sport Coupe with the 403 V8 , I can say that in the Mid 90’s for $800 .. these car’s absolutely were left for dead, but were they ever powerful, comfortable and held their own on the highway. Trash cans and objects of the front bumper’s desire were no match for the big Buick.
There is a rare Lesabre Sport Coupe Turbo.. Hemings posted some articles years back.. these were the precursor to the development of the 3.8 that went into the GN about 6 years later Also worth noting is the dash used electro luminescent glow inserts in the passenger side side that was shared with the Park Ave and Electra. The cars that had the clocks over there didn’t get them, but the optioned Up Lesabre .. did. Usually they are in op, but really funky feature from a late 70’s car
Always made me think of a sort of poor man’s Rolls Royce Camargue. Am I alone in this?
Jeffery, I see this as well. Thanks for pointing this out!
This is off topic, (My love of Buicks in general and B/Cs in particular would render anything I can say about any ’77 LeSabre redundant, LOL) But “Hey Nineteen” has lyrically always be bugged me. Especially the line “Hey 19, That’s ‘Retha Franklin,…She don’t remember Queen of Soul”. This was written in 1978!. The 19 year old girl would have been born in 1959 at the latest. How in the wide, wide world of sports does any one born in ’59 NOT know who Aretha Franklin was. I am three years younger than this broad and in 1978, I damned sure knew who Aretha Franklin was!