#1. 1909 Buick Race Car
In 1909 – two years before the first
Indianapolis 500 – the 2.5 mile long oval at Indy was inaugurated with
the Prest-O-Lite Trophy.
The 250-mile race was won by Bob
Burman, driving a Buick and averaging more than 53 mph. Of the nine
cars that finished the race, three of them were Buick models.
#2. 1910 Buick 60 Special “Bug”
The 60 Special, or “Bug,” was built by
the Buick racing team and had a unique nosecone – a feature designed
more for aesthetics than aerodynamics. A huge, 10.2L four-cylinder
engine propelled the Bug to 110 mph.
Buick built two 60 Special racecars,
one for Prest-O-Lite Trophy winner Bob Burman, and a second for another
racer of note: Louis Chevrolet.
#3. 1938 Buick Century
Buick introduced straight-eight engines in 1931, but it was the 1938 Century model that established a new performance benchmark.
Dubbed Dynaflash 8, the 5.2L inline
engine featured new, domed pistons that contributed to an 11-hp increase
over the 1937 engine.
It was enough power to pass the “century mark” at 103 mph, making the Century one of the fastest cars of its day.
#4. 1954 Buick Wildcat II Concept
The Buick V-8 engine – nicknamed
Nailhead for its unique valve arrangement – was introduced in 1953 and
powered the Wildcat II concept vehicle a year later.
Using a quartet of sidedraft
carburetors, engineers coaxed 10 percent more horsepower from the engine
than regular-production models, giving the Wildcat II the power to back
up its sporty styling.
#5. 1963 Buick Special
In 1961, Buick introduced an innovative, lightweight all-aluminum V-8 power to its new midsize Special model line.
Displacing only 3.5L, it was lauded for its high power density.
The engine achieved its peak in the
1963 Special, with its 200-hp output representing a horsepower-to-liter
ratio of 0.57:1. Versions of the engine were used in Indy racing cars.
#6. 1970 Buick GSX
At the height of the muscle car wars,
torque was king and no competitor could dethrone the 510 lb.-ft. of
twist generated by the GSX’x available 455 Stage I V-8 engine.
In a 1970 road test, Motor Trend went from 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and covered the quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds.
The GSX’s combination of raw power and Buick’s signature luxury prompted many to describe the car as a “velvet hammer.”
#7. 1976 Buick Century Indianapolis 500 Pace Car
Buick’s turbocharging legacy was established with this purposeful pace car.
Engineers leveraged the recently
revived, more efficient 3.8L V-6 engine that was supplanting larger V-8
engines in many production models.
They filled it with 22 psi of turbo-fed
boost – resulting in 306 horsepower from the compact powerhouse – and
reset expectations for Buick performance.
#8. 1984 Buick/March IndyCar
When Buick began its dalliance with
turbocharging, few could have predicted it would lead from pacing the
Indianapolis 500 to racing in it a few years later.
#9. 1987 Buick GNX
During the resurgence of
high-performance in the 1980’s, Buick ditched the conventional V-8
playbook and continued to cultivate its turbo V-6 program, which was
manifested in the Grand National.
Buick marked the end of the car’s production in 1987 with the limited-production GNX.
It was a Grand National on steroids,
with a larger turbocharger, a higher, 276-horsepower rating and
all-black attire. Only 547 were built and they became instant
collectibles.
#10. 2012 Buick Regal GS
The GS returned to Buick’s lineup and
advanced its turbocharging heritage with one of their most sophisticated
and power-dense engines in its segment – a 270-hp 2.0L delivering
135-hp per liter.
It also reintroduced a manual
transmission to Buick and matched power with sophisticated driver
technologies such as the Interactive Drive Control system.
The 2012 Regal GS was potent enough to
make collector car insurer Hagerty’s list of the 10 most collectible
Buick models of all time.
Source: legendaryvideos.com
