Buick and Oldsmobile Built Muscle Cars That Hit Harder Than Anyone Remembers

One Buick packed a 455 cubic inch V8 that made 510 pound feet of torque. While Dodge, Chevrolet and Ford took the spotlight, Buick and Oldsmobile built muscle cars that were just as fast and […]

One Buick packed a 455 cubic inch V8 that made 510 pound feet of torque. While Dodge, Chevrolet and Ford took the spotlight, Buick and Oldsmobile built muscle cars that were just as fast and often more refined. Here are four of the most overlooked, counted down from number four to number one. Watch the video above, then read on for the details.

#4: 1968 Buick GS 400

The Gran Sport name has been on Buicks since 1965, and Buick’s GS models were the most opulently equipped sporty cars in the General Motors lineup, beaten on luxury only by Cadillac. In 1968 the GS 400 became its own model, powered by a 400 cubic inch V8 rated at 340 horsepower. It was a muscle car with a plush ride, built for buyers who wanted speed without giving up comfort. That blend is exactly why many people overlooked it, even though it was genuinely fast.

#3: 1969 Buick GS 400 Stage 1

Buick turned up the heat in 1969 with the Stage 1 package. It added a hotter camshaft, a larger carburetor and other upgrades to the 400 cubic inch V8, which Buick rated at 345 horsepower. Many owners and testers have long felt that number undersold what the engine really made. Buick never advertised Stage 1 loudly, and the cars looked almost like ordinary Gran Sports. That quiet approach made it a classic sleeper, a car that surprised plenty of owners of louder, better known machines.

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#2: 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W-30

Oldsmobile’s 4-4-2 started life in 1964 as an option package, and from 1968 through 1971 it was a model in its own right. The 1970 W-30 version used the 455 cubic inch V8, rated at 370 horsepower and about 500 pound feet of torque. Its forced-air induction and special parts made it the hot one of the lineup. Oldsmobile also built the Hurst Olds, but the W-30 is the one many collectors single out as the true performance 442 of the era.

#1: 1970 Buick GSX Stage 1

This is Buick’s wildest muscle car. The GSX was a special package for the Gran Sport, wearing bold stripes, spoilers and a loud paint scheme. Add the Stage 1 option and the 455 cubic inch V8 was rated at 360 horsepower and an enormous 510 pound feet of torque. That torque figure was among the highest of any production car of its day. Built in limited numbers, the GSX proved that Buick, the brand people thought of as comfortable and quiet, could build a monster.

That is our countdown of the most overlooked Buick and Oldsmobile muscle cars. Which one would you take home? Tell us in the comments, and subscribe to Muscle Car Fan on YouTube for a new countdown every day.

Image credits: Buick GSX 1970 (7475488714).jpg by nakhon100 (CC BY 2.0) · Buick GSX 1970 (7475488704).jpg by nakhon100 (CC BY 2.0) · 1970 Oldsmobile 442 07-27-2019.jpg by SsmIntrigue (CC BY-SA 4.0) · 1969 Buick GS 400 Convertble (27330948655).jpg by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA (CC BY 2.0) · 1968 Buick GS 400 Convertible, front right (Cruisin’ the River Lowellville Car Show, July 10th, 2023).jpg by MercurySable99 (CC BY-SA 4.0). Facts from Wikipedia.

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