1960's Buick Gran Sport Convertable on show at the North West Muscle Car Show, XXX Rootbeer Drive-in, Issaquah
Buick Gran Sport Convertable on show at the North West Muscle Car Show, XXX Rootbeer Drive-in, Issaquah. The Buick Gran Sport or GS was a high-performance option package available on a number of Buick models, including the Riviera and Wildcat. A special version of one model was given the package's name as its model name. The 1965 Skylark Gran Sport was the intermediate Buick Skylark with the Gran Sport option added. Although a 300 cubic inch engine V8 was already offered in the Skylark, the Gran Sport had the largest engine permitted by GM - a 400 in³ Buick V8. This engine was actually 401 in³ but called a "400" by Buick because that was the maximum engine size limit set by General Motors for the intermediate body cars. This engine produced 325 hp (242 kW) and 445 ft·lbf (603 Nm) and was known as the "nailhead" engine. Buick sold more than 15,000 Skylarks with the Gran Sport option that first year, and almost that many the next. It was renamed the GS 400 in 1967, and the Gran Sport became its own model in (about) that same year along with a new "400" engine quite different from the notoriously reliable but growingly obsolete nailhead engine design that was first introduced in 1953. Sales fell somewhat in the face of increasingly more hot and popular muscle cars from other marques when compared to those from the more stodgy and expensive Buick. Buick, however stepped it up a notch when introducing the Stage 1 option in 1969. This limited (less than 1,500 cars in 1969) version produced 340 hp (253 kW) and 440 ft·lbf (597 Nm). The name Gran Sport replaced the GS moniker with the 1973 Gran Sport, and was again revived in the late eighties on the FWD Skylark model with various performance options added.
Size: 5050px × 3360px
Location: XXX Rootbeer Drive-in, 98 NE Gilman Blvd, Issaquah, WA, 98027, USA
Photo credit: © John Gaffen 2 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1960, american, automotive, buick, car, classic, convertable, gran, gs, high-performance, muscle, sport, transport, vehicle
