We’ve recently posted vintage reviews of two other Buicks: a 1963 Riviera and a 1964 Electra 225, both powered by the 325 hp 401 cubic inch version of the classic “nailhead” Buick V8. Both of them performed excellently; the Riviera somewhat surprisingly so, with a sub-8 second 0-60 time.
But for those that wanted even more power, there was also the optional 425 cubic inch V8 available, the “Wildcat 465” (as in its torque) with 340 hp and the “Super Wildcat” with 360 hp (dual four barrel carburetors). Car Life tested a Wildcat coupe with the Super Wildcat engine backed by a four speed manual transmission and 3.91:1 rear axle. Yes, it was fast, but it struggled to put those 465 lb.ft. of torque to the ground through its skinny tires (7.60-15). And who really wanted to bother shifting four gears when two would have been quite sufficient?
Car Life dubbed it the Executive Hot Rod. I guess that works, although I tend to see the buyer of one of these as the owner of a small business, like a machine shop or tire shop or such. And he was of course a hot rodder in his youth, and like so many of them, he fell under the spell of Buick’s nailhead V8.
It powered many a successful drag racer of one kind or another, including “TV” Tommy Ivo’s ultimate exhibition rail, powered by no less than four of them. The nailhead’s small valves — hence the name — ultimately limited its success in the early ’60s, but in the ’50s, thanks to creative ways to make it sing, it was quite competitive. And it earned a rep for being…tough as nails, which probably was the biggest reason Ivo used Buicks, as he was the first to make a living on the drag strips, even if they were exhibition runs and not all-out competitive races.
Not only did the Wildcat “EHR” have the most powerful stock nailhead ever made, but as noted before, it was backed by the four speed manual, and a 3.91:1 rear axle ratio. All of this should have made it faster than the 401-powered Riviera, with its old-school Dynaflow automatic and 3.23:1 rear axle gears. But it didn’t.
The rear tires just weren’t up to the task; larger 8.00-15s would have helped some as well as a lower (numerical) axle ratio. The Wildcat’s rear tires just didn’t want to stop spinning, even on dry pavement.
The result was a 0-60 time of 7.7 seconds, just a hair quicker than the 401 Riviera. And in the quarter mile, the Wildcat tied the Riviera with an ET of 16.00 (16.01 for the Riviera) and a very slightly faster trap speed of 87 mph vs. 85.71 mph. What does this tell us? That these high-torque, high-output engines weren’t really all that suitable for the task they presumably were intended for, certainly not with a 4-speed, a low axle ratio and the standard tires of the times.
“Driving up and down the public streets is both a burden and a blessing. It has so much power pouring through its stump-puller gear that it can accelerate from 10 mph in top gear.” One of the biggest things I’ve learned form reading all these vintage reviews is that the vaunted 4-speed manual was wasted on a lot of them. These cars with their enormous V8s and massive torque curves simply had no need or real use of them. A three speed did the job just as effectively, and reduced the shifting chore. Seriously, a two speed manual would have worked just fine in this one. The testers even recommended it as the lazy way to drive this Wildcat: “starting in either 1st or 2nd…and then shifting into 4th at the earliest opportunity.”
Ironically, four speeds often weren’t offered or installed where they were really needed: behind the sixes and the small V8s in the larger cars. There the additional intermediate gear would have been genuinely helpful. Well, that and genuine racing on a racing track, which is precisely why the modern American 4-speed was created: for the high-winding 1957 Corvette, so that its driver could power out of curves at the optimum rpm. Even in the Corvette the three speed was ideal for all but the highest output engines with their peaky torque curves.
There was another issue: the carburetor linkage was not progressive enough, and when the second carb kicked in there was a sudden surge, which could cause the rear tires to break loose in less than perfect traction situations. Is this really how an executive wanted to drive after a long day at the office? Methinks not.
But for those that valued the aural experience of eight barrels sucking in air and the scream of burning tires as well as the sensation of “heart-rending acceleration“, the sensory overload of the unleashed Wildcat was “a memorable experience“. Once again, I’m thinking hot-rodder turned shop owner, and quite likely using the Wildcat to pull his nailhead powered gasser or rail to the drags on Sunday.
The 425 was the final evolution of Buick’s first V8, which started life in 1953 with 322 cubic inches and 188 hp. In ten years it displacement increased by 32% and its hp by almost 100%. But the nailhead would have a relatively short life, being replaced in 1967 by a new generation of V8s, and ones that never achieved the legendary durability of its predecessor.
The 425 had a bit more bore, and the camshaft was a nick hotter. Buick had to use pretty aggressive camshafts to help compensate for the 1.875″ intake and a 1.5″ exhaust valves; both were substantially smaller than the significantly smaller displacement Chevy V8 engine.
CL ends again with their claim that the Executive Hot Rod “is just what the tired businessman needs to provide stimulation and relaxation at the end of a long day at a hot desk“. And I’m going to say that the Riviera would be the better choice; just as fast and a lot more pleasant to drive. OK; perhaps an executive at a car magazine publisher?
Related CC reading:
Vintage Road Test: 1963 Buick Riviera – Hot Rod Nailhead Buick
Curbside Classic: 1963 Buick Wildcat – I Think I Want To Fight
The extra carb and extra gear were for bragging rights.
I hadn’t realized those wheels were available that early.
Did you mean to leave out the spec table?
Also, the Auto-Biography link is broken.
That’s because it’s scheduled for a rerun later today.
No. I forgot. It’s there now.
I couldn’t see anywhere if it had a posi rear. With a car that heavy, I would think a 3.91 rear would be fine, as long as it had posi and ok, maybe wider tires.
Interesting article anyway!
The spec table doesn’t indicate a limited-slip differential. Motor Trend two months later tested another Wildcat with the dual-carb engine and four-speed with limited-slip, but with a 3.23 axle, and found it even harder to get a good launch — they were 0.7 seconds and 1 mph behind this car through the quarter mile.
Aside from traction, the other problem was too much carburetor venturi area at lower speeds. The Super Wildcat was slower than a 401 Wildcat with ST-400 and a 2.78 axle until past the quarter mile.
I imagine this was a Hot Rod Halo car, I’m sure it’d be fun to drive .
Modern radials tires and suspension up grades should make it better on traction and handling .
I was there and don’t remember these .
Still looks nice IMO .
-Nate
My hand-me-down 69 Wildcat was an amazing car. The only problem was you could literally see the fuel gauge go down while you were punching the gas pedal. And it was premium.
My grandfather gave Buick plenty of business from the 30’s to the 60’s. That included
three Wildcats before he made the jump to a Caddy.
I wonder how many cars equipped like this were actually built? Auto execs seemed to still be living in 1957 and drooling over the Chrysler 300-C. The hi-po Chryslers had never sold in significant numbers, but certainly blanketed the brand with an aura that was evidently the envy of competitors.
I am quite sure I have never seen a big Buick of the 60’s with a manual transmission.
I saw one at the Syracuse Nationals about 10 years ago. Had this same engine too.
We had a post on one here quite recently, from an auction.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/auction-classic-1964-buick-wildcat-this-cats-a-sleeper/
I’ve always been a big proponent of the a la carte vehicle ordering of the era, but it seems borderline negligent to allow this car to leave the factory with 7.60×15 tires. In modern terms, that’s a 195mm wide tire, or the same as you’d find on a modern Nissan Versa.
FWIW, that was actually a pretty good size tire for the time. An 8.00-15 would have been a tad wider, and presumably helped a little, but wouldn’t have made a big difference. This is one reason that in 1965 the industry went to lower aspect tires across the board. A 8.55-15 tire would have replaced the 7.60-15 in ’65.
I guess you’re right. 60 years of hindsight makes that difficult to see and understand. I checked the ’64 Corvette, which was lighter and had fewer HP, and found out that it only had 6.70×15 tires (about 170mm!) With modern eyes, that feels frightening, but it was perfectly okay at the time.
I am a big fan of the Nailhead engine, and enjoyed it in my ’66 Riviera. I agree that his particular example was set up as a bragging rights vehicle. The performance with the automatic was more than satisfactory, and would be more appropriate for most buyers. I can’t imagine that the owner of a big Buick really wanted to bother with a clutch pedal. The idea with the Electra, Wildcat, and Riviera was effortless performance, which all three delivered.
I guess the mag got tired of referring to the fast Buicks as the “Banker’s Hot Rod” which
extended back to the late 1930’s with the Century. Younger readers are probably only familiar with the Grand National which is the most famous Buick performance icon.
Refined performance was a centerpiece of Buick’s image for a long time. I’m lucky to have a piece of that heritage with my supercharged 8th. Gen Riviera.
The forgotten nailheads! Especially the 400 special “401” . Back when Buick was “small block”. But everyone just remember the junk no rev big block after n think it was great. Not hardly!
Being more Pontiac centric I had forgotten the beauty of the 63 Buick. It’s just wonderful to my eye, inside and out. Unfortunately this one has what sounds like a truly horrible drivetrain combo that is not at all in keeping with Buick.…make mine an auto with a lazy rear end gear.
This review doesn’t say much about many other aspects of the car’s performance, like ride, handling, seating comfort, etc. I guess we only cared about the drivetrain?
The yellow Wildcat pictured with the white roof and Buick road wheels is a real stunner!
I still have my AMT 1/25 scale model of a ’64 Wildcat convertible.
I think Car Craft did a comparison of all the Big 3 Big Blocks with some off the shelf mods to see which one came out on top.
I believe the Buick Big Block came out the winner.
Always liked the Buick Wildcat for just about it’s whole run! Can’t believe staid, conservative Buick would name a car “Wildcat” back then and now have become cars of the geriatric set (I’m 58) and still don’t like current Buicks.
Perhaps time has dimmed my memory; but I recall the Nailhead V8/Dynaflow powertrain in the 1963 Riviera as being quite smooth, pleasing to drive and quick-verging-on-fast?
Not nearly as sloppy as the early 1950’s Buick that a friend of mine had that I got to drive occasionally?
First off wish I had a picture of my 1964 Buick. One fall day in 1970 I spotted it sitting at the intersection of Dangerfield and Massy drive. It was love at first sight. 6 weeks later it was all mine; it was finshed in dark blue metallic with the 425 nail head undrr the hood. My Wildcat took me into Washington DC to work every day and to such concerts as Led Zepplin in Baltimore. When it came to chasing skirts it was unbeatable. Like a first love it has stood the test of time.
I want that car
I must say, comparing specs of a high-performance (well, marketed as such) car to, say, a full-fledged luxury car (such as the ’64 Lincoln, a CL review of which I’m eyeing in hard-copy right now) makes me suspect there must be some degree of credibility to the gross-vs.-net argument. Said hi-perf car flaunts 2 Carter AFBs, 360 HP and 465 ft.-lbs. torque, against said luxury car fitted with just one Carter AFB, outputting just 320 HP and equal torque, and which is a good 900 lbs. heavier…yet the former can only equal the latter in top speed? Well, granted, getting to top speed was quicker in the Wildcat…but seriously, only 115 mph? I’d expect that of a 5,300-lb. mini-limo, but a 4,400-lb. “muscle-car”?
That said, allow me to say that Buick has been my choice GM badge for many years, my second choice of marque behind the aforementioned Lincoln…although, being a bit spoiled in my upbringing, I’d likely steer towards an Electra-225 (despite its rep), probably the most Lincoln-like of the GM offerings in its looks.
Weight isn’t a factor in top speed, rpm and drag.