1973 Buick Century GS455 - vintage road test

[mariusz76a]

ugly pig

[ketaun]

i'm sorry but the 73 grand prix i had would of out done this car hands down but then again the lady that originally owned it special ordered it and it was a beast.

[MrEricMBlack]

Road and Track were the FIRST drifters!!!!

[mbaer5]

"This is as close to a super car as anything we've had since breathing clean air became popular" hahahahah love it!

[Paganiproductions]

i wonder what the 1973 Buick Century GS455 could do with only modern brakes and suspension

[JET997u]

Those front bumpers didn't do this car's lines any favor.

[GohModley]

Damn, I wish they still made big coupes.

[MegaMoto4]

what do these get for mpgs with a 350 and a th400 12-14 right

[kffive]

@MegaMoto4 I had a 73 350 BUICK 4BL ans 350 trans. I would get 20mpg IF! you kept your foot out of the carb.

But 455 4bl 400 trans were in the 15-17 mpg. Remember, this is before CATS.

[jungleguybest]

@kffive i second your words, mine has a 350-4 with 350 trans. and gives me 20 mpg on highways. but still it costs me less than other cars because all i spend on it is 4 liters of engine oil and filter, i don't remember when i got the tuning coz it's been many years it didn't need any maintenance.

[harddrivin1le]

Wow, 0 - 70 MPH in 10.4 seconds from a 7.4 liter V8.

A new, 4 cylinder Accord sedan would easily match that.

[Superdessucke]

@harddrivin1le

Maybe but remember, this was with an emission choked engine and crappy tires. Take the emission junk off, put a good set of headers and mild cam in it, and put on some real tires and I bet you have a 13 second car easy.

[jungleguybest]

@harddrivin1le that's what i was talking about,there's a lot of waste in these engines, but few tricks and you'll get a rocket. and remember some of those cars in years 1968- 1969 used to get 100m/h (160km/h) in 10 seconds or less, example: buick GSX, oldsmobile 442 HURST, chevelle 455.

[WPGinterceptor]

@jungleguybest  you mean 14 seconds or less

[jungleguybest]

@WPGinterceptor no my friend i do mean less then 10 secnds,but i was talking about some models,for example you can see on vintage road tests here the olds 442 hurst get to 60m/h in 5.3 seconds. my own buick now gets to 62 miles in less then 6seconds although it's a 350-4 and nt a 455,but i admit i ''released'' the engine so for him to be able to ''work'' freely and easily, just with minor tricks.so those ''mills'' are able to do better.

[WPGinterceptor]

@jungleguybest 0-100 MPH in 10 sec or less... NO WAY!!!!

My 460 Police does 0-100 Mph in 13.98!

[jungleguybest]

@WPGinterceptor my friend i can't argue you, you may be right,personally i didn't try those cars,but in my buick i get 100miles under 14seconds,and i guess if the 442 hurst get to 60 miles in 5.3 so it may get the 100 fast enough,i can't confirm it.

[WPGinterceptor]

@jungleguybest well if you look at the 1/4 mile times and see that the cars you describe are runnine 14 seconds at 100 mph.. that tells you they are getting to 100 miles an hour in roughly 14 seconds or slightly less!

YES they run 0-60 in 5.3 seconds.. but they slow down alot after that! and also depending on the gear ratio!

[jungleguybest]

@WPGinterceptor anyway my friend at these accelerations in normal daylife couple of seconds of difference we won't feel them. for example in my buick i feel enough G force to my smile go wide till my ears and cry ''yyiiiiihhaaaaa''.

[jungleguybest]

as for the hot coil,in some countries it is expensive to change them as you said,so it's cheaper to do those tricks and enjoy the power increase with little cost. in fact in my buick i get to 100km in just 6seconds and the needle keeps going up very fast till 160km which is very good considering it is only 3 speeds automatic carrying its heavy weight (more than 2 tons).finally,new modern engines are powerful and economic,they are very good engines,but man we feel torque in old big blocks.

[jungleguybest]

to all my friends who share there infos and knowledge about those big engines compared to new engines: i love those fuelburners and i always enjoy driving my buick. in those days they were better than the rest,but with new technologies such big engines should produce huge power since small ones are already powerful enough,which means that those big one were not giving all that they could have,this is why if we do some tricks with them we get a LOT more power out of them. as for the hot coil in s

[spdskte]

haha....tank!!

[Annihilator1111]

the 1973-1977 Buick Century was assembled in

Flint, Michigan, United States

Framingham, Massachusetts, United States

[jungleguybest]

howdy, yep sure you'll notice a big difference but don't forget to change the airfilter to an opened and bigger one.think about it, 5.7 liters for just around 200HP? you'll get that from a 4 cylinder 2.0 these days. why is it underpowered? coz there's a lot of waste and engine doesn't breath or burn well.

[FANADICALCOWHEAD]

@jungleguybest

Because in 1974 they had very strict emission and fuel consumption regulations so they had to de-tune engines to meet them and how bad was that? in 1970 they were given 4 years to reduce emissions by 90% thank the government for that one. And most 2.0L's these days that make 200 + horsepower are not naturally aspirated, they're usually equipped with turbo's.

[JarrodES13]

@FANADICALCOWHEAD

If I may add, the difference is also in torque too. True, a four cylinder from today's direct injection and turbocharged market may be on par with the power of, let's say... a 1973 Buick 455. The Buick will always retain more torque form the factory.

Now imagine that Buick 455 with the direct injection and the turbocharging without the castrating emission of the 70's? That's where things start getting interesting!

[FANADICALCOWHEAD]

@JarrodES13

Ofcourse if you compare a 8.5:1 compression over 7.5L and 10:1 on a 1.8L in-line 4. Even though it has a slightly higher compression, it only has a small area to push therefore having a lot less power then the mighty 455's, to compensate for the larger cylinders, the 455 has to deliver more fuel to raise it's compression therefore creating an engine that has a lot more force in it's punch! What I would love to see is a 455 pontiac with a 301's turbo! that would be neat!

[Bag0fRats]

@FANADICALCOWHEAD and these new cars have how many more gears for more torque multiplication ? A std high comp 455 Stage 1 was a running SOB.

Add todays new direct injection to that 455.

[harddrivin1le]

@JarrodES13

I'm trying not to imagine that.

The Buick 455 had serious oiling problems, a weak lifter valley and two bolt mains.

If torque mattered then this car would be fast, yet it requires 10.4 second to run from 0 - 70 MPH. A new, 4 cylinder automatic Accord sedan will easily match that time.

[JarrodES13]

@harddrivin1le

To each their own. 

[92ASC]

@harddrivin1le yes but what you are failing to realize is that even though it had a huge engine, it was detuned to hell and had all that emissions crap thrown on as this was back when the EPA era had just started. Not to mention the fact that this was almost 40 years ago, obviously the engines of today are going to be much more efficient.

[ekw]

I call my all-white '73 Century the "Great White Boat". Gets steadier and steadier the faster I push it. That's a great feeling, to go from 55mph to 85mph on the freeway and feel (and see) the car just "lock down" on the road and squat there no shimmies no shakes as the needle climbs. She can't turn for crap, but man, can she go STRAIGHT!

[ckelley63]

What a boat!

[joebeckham]

I think it is hilarious how this, at the time, was "excellent" performance.

Of course, the '73 Century Luxus (just a little Buick 350 and column shifted automatic) in my driveway rides so smooth. I don't think a modern Lincoln could beat how smooth it is. And somehow, the power steering is so smooth, it's as good as a Honda's. It's insane.

[vbtb1]

I love the back up fast and spin it around test! True measure of a car's handling prowess! Or at least let you make a fast exit from the roller skating rink when you're out numbered! Cars back then were so much cooler. These cars were available with 4spd's so they must have been fun, plus those old V8's could be tweeked without a computer!

[harddrivin1le]

Buick 455 performance fell off a cliff after the '70 Stage 1. And while that version made nice power in its day, its weak two bolt main block, lifter galleys and under-sized lubrication system meant that an early motor melt-down was almost assured.

A new V6 Camry would DESTROY this car form the drop of the flag.

[Mrphatbastard1]

These old road tests bring back a lot of memories as I worked for a GM dealership through the 70s. They looked great but I can still remember their crappy build quality like peeling paint, primer showing through, water leaks and panel gaps so big you could crawl through them. Two door models were notorious for floppy windows and sagging doors. T- top models would have to be run through the detail shop to suck the water out of them following a heavy rain, but they were fun to drive!

[MaestroTJS]

@Mrphatbastard1 How would you say the build quality compared to the other Big Three and the imports of the time? (And maybe compared to '60's cars by the same manufacturers.) I'm too young to know first-hand, but the theory seems to be that that was part of the way the imports gained a foothold (or reliability, at least...I know their rust issues).

I'd say GM had the best-LOOKING cars of the decade, generally-speaking.

[Mrphatbastard1]

@MaestroTJS In the 70s all three US manufacturers began to slip on their quality, GM being the worst offender with build quality that was absolutely embarrassing to the people trying to sell them, followed by Chrysler who's ONLY emphasis was muscle cars and their over use of noisy unibodies. Other than their muscle cars, Ford, Linc, and Merc focused on big, quiet, comfortable cars with so much under-steer you were lucky not to overshoot your driveway. Enter Toyota, Honda and Nissan!

[MaestroTJS]

@Mrphatbastard1 The decline of greatness is so interesting. You always wonder just WHAT were they thinking to let things get so bad.

[Mrphatbastard1]

@MaestroTJS It's really simple, the domestic manufacturers were giving more money to their top executives then their research and development departments while arrogantly ignoring the quality, reliability and technology from Japan and Germany. Of the domestic brands, Ford Motor Company has been incorporating the most impressive technological advancements ie: all overhead cam engines. Chrysler's still has quality issues and GM is still trying to build a good small car. Same ol thang...

[RickinFLA07]

KOJACK........................­

[56BUICKRiviera]

My neighbor had a 73 Regal with the 455 4bbl. The thing was a monster.

[jungleguybest]

nobody knows the pleasure of the ride in such cars until he tries it. i got a 74 regal,still in manufactured excellent condition,you can see it in my video,the only thing is that i don't have the ''smog'' thing on it. i changed the spark plugs to splitfire ones, put high performance sparkplug wires, put a bigger opened airfilter put bigger exhaust with opened straight mufflers, now engine is a lot powerful and runs with ease,while keeping the car mainly at it's original specs.

[ekw]

@jungleguybest Hey, jungledude, do you think that just doing the tweaks you mention in your comment can add 100HP to my 1973 Buick Century Luxus? It's got the original 350-4 in it so it's definitiely underpowered. I am having dual exhausts installed tomorrow as a start. (no smog thing on mine either) So after that, change out the spark plugs for high perf as well as high perf spark plug wire should be next move before trying anything else? Will I notice the difference?

[shananagans5]

@ekw A hot coil and ignition will give you a good boost for little money. It will also get a little better mileage.

[SirRoxo]

these old cars are simply wonderful but the slalom tests are always comical.

[divisioneight]

I loved this body style when I had my '75 Century "Special". It was swoopy and curvy and rusted like anything, but she was a looker for sure.

[W1ZM3]

Not a stage 1, it's a standard 455 with a GS handling package.

[vbtb1]

What a pig! Steering it with the rear wheels looks like a blast. Can't do that fun stuff in a new car these days.

[4gasem]

Man... You can see this thing pivoting on the front axle... Wonder what weight distribution was on this. 80/20? lol

[rever65]

These tests are so much more entertaining than the modern programs (Motorweek, Motoring 2010 etc). Too bad Lindemann wasn't around today to show the modern age producers a thing or three. His camera angles alone put anything today to shame! And how about the Rockford reverse spins! Granted, modern cars are more efficient and handle better due to technology gained over the years, but these things, when equipped right were not too bad considering weight/size and were a helluva lot more fun to view

[markmarshall39]

@rever65 amen:)

[Doobie1975]

Definitely one of the nicer looking muscle cars of this era and also one of the better performing muscle cars of this era

[Monkeyspankerelite]

They just don´t make such beautys these days, sigh :(

Cars these days are´nt cars anymore. They´re just a small, fueleconomic steelsuit wich hardle fits you. And no drivingpleasure at all since all electronics f*cks everything up. :(

[jazzy4887]

I own cars like the one featured.

[jeffsfleet]

Wow, that guy can drive! To toss a big car around like that is somewhat of a miracle.

[BevoBill31]

I love how tons of tire smoke is supposed to equal "supercar performance" XD

love it.

[mikelikeltj2]

it may be all over the place, but god that looks like fun

[doyle816]

LMAO "body lean was very slight"... yea right :P

[cadrolls1]

@doyle816 It was one of the nicest riding cars of the day that actually handled well too. The high performance suspensions of today are over-rated for the type of driving most Americas do. On the highway, you could actually sleep on the way to your destination, as a passenger. This car was quiet too. At full throttle, you could barely hear the engine. It could also tow a 5,000 lb. travel trailer when properly aquiped. You would have LOVED to drive this car. It is sad they are gone.

[FURY1958]

Fuel average consumption how it was? Today in Europe I have to be rich to afford a jewel like that due to the gasoline price liter raised from a 1'30 USA dollars.

[TheMaz1964]

LOL LOL LOL I CANT STOP LAUGHING , THIS VIDEO REMINDS ME OF MY COUSIN DRIVING DRUNK IN THE EARLY 80'S WITH HIS 74 CENTURY

[TheMaz1964]

MY COUSIN HAD A 74 CENTURY 350 2V AND IF THIS CAR WAS TAN ,THAN I WOULD SWEAR THIS VIDEO IS AN ORDINARY DAY OF HIM COMING HOME FROM THE BAR

[TheMaz1964]

i know patwregan , it looks like its skiding on ice at :29 and sure it can burn rubber .IT DONT HAVE POSI TRACTION !!!!!! ANY CAR CAR LITE UP ONE TIRE

[patwregan]

wow look at that barge-like handling, a true american sports car-lol

[Landaux]

My 1st car was one of these. Little did I realize that it was involved in a flood, because it had all kinds of eletrical problems, and the vinal roof where it meets the windsheild was all rusted out, and whats weird, the vinal roof only covers half of the roof. Mine was the standard 350, 4bbl carb which ran fine. The whole car at the end was retired / scrapped in 1987.

[marylouise235]

haha these things can roast em wit a posi !!!! i would know my dad has one and its a stage 1

[Cash2112]

They should have tested the Stage 1 option!

[oilsander1]

I'd love one of these. I had a '73 Century long ago, but not a GS.

[DeputyDawg999]

That was one ugly ass car. The '68-'72 intermediates were much better looking.

[cobraopts7]

455 the slightly stronger cousin of the 454

[TheMaz1964]

sure it can smokes the tire ,cause it doen't have a posi .

[Doobie1975]

While I've hated the Emission Control devices they were putting on these cars but I've always liked the style of the 1973-77 Colonnade GM cars w/1973-74 being my favorite years

[teamlaguna]

Kool video, Thx for the upload.

[fjp912]

love the way that 455 sounds, where can I get one of these?

[1uzi98suicide5]

i think it looks like the camaros dad, well like the one of its time lol

[Artyfil]

wow that thing was a mess on the slalom!

[rawsketch]

WOW! Its amazing what counted as good handling back then! ...and that car has the "sport" suspension!

[hondabigredatc]

@rawsketch Nose dive was slight xD

[TheLizardKing1967]

1973 was a BAD year. Not good.

[papachuck63]

My 72 GTO didn't handle this good. I think Buick was just a little better all of the way around.

[cobraopts7]

these look way too muck like a cutlass

[mansonrkmc]

Those cars float. All about comfort then. My 67 GS floats down the road like a 225.

[ClefDeDavid88]

Wow! Those numbers aren't too bad even by today's standards, considering the car's weight and size.

[culcun]

I had a '74 Electra in the mid-80's w/ the 455. It wasn't as powerful as this car, but in the real world it could keep up with the Z28's, and beat pretty much any Japanese car. The new Buicks seem kind of cool in all-wheel-drive guise and turbo engines. I just wish they would use the Holden/G8/Chevy cop-car chassis for a more traditional/muscle-car Buick, too. Buick could take over where Pontiac left off?

[PhilRacicot]

@georbu They aren't that rare. 1707 had the 455 (979 regular 455 engines and 728 455 Stage 1). I have seen one 1973 Gran Sport 455 4 speed a few years ago. I can't tell you how many had the 4 speed and the regular 455 like the one I have seen but there were 92 with the 4 speed and 455 Stage1 in 1973.

[isaiah213]

man i want a buick century gs455 and drive it like the guy on the video

[cobraopts7]

@isaiah213 look at a hurst cutlass supreme 455 its a beast of a car

[isaiah213]

@cobraopts7 your right that is a beast a real monster

[Silvertrine]

No these cars were all about easy power, easy riding, but they could still corner even if they leaned. Cars are all uptight today. I'd take a large comfortable American car with a big V8 anyday.

[rtabish]

man, check out the body role and sway....i know its a 4000 lb car with 70s technology, but it really makes you appreciate newer cars' better handling. gotta love those old Buicks, though.

[midnitesquirldog]

(rtabish) man these old cars were made to go straight and fast 1/4 mile!! now these old cars have upgrades these days like polyurathane bushings rear sway bar the upgraded brakes are amazing aswell stops like a corvette i changed my 72 buick to all the new stuff and it rides like a champ !!!

[klrkill]

i got the limited edition 4 v6 door model. cany any help me find parts for restoration

[jmoyet]

wow cool

[73stg1]

I own a 73 GS Stage 1 4spd that I ran at this past falls Pure Stock Musclecar Drag Race in Stanton Mi. My cars weighs over 4200lbs with me in it,and my best ET so far is a 13.89@101mph.

It can be seen here on youtube if you type in 1973 GS455 vs. 1969 Hurst Olds.

[bvesely1974]

i have a 74 monte carlo with a LS4 454 in it, all stock, and i must say its a very strong performer for the times, and it dosent have any "smog" stuff on it, it really breathes well!

[Doobie1975]

how much power does your Monte Carlo have now that you don't have any "smog" stuff in it? I thought the 1974 454's were better than the 455's and the Ford 460's of the same time period

[bvesely1974]

well my LS4 was rated at 245 in the pass cars, but 275 in the vette's, i have a desk top dyno and found it to make 350ish hp at the crank and 511ftlbs at the crank, the LS4 is a very good street engine, with a 2.73 gear it will lay rubber for over 200 feet with 245 60 15's on it.

[bvesely1974]

well really the only engine that was better than the LS4 from the time was the 73/74 pontiac 455 SD.

[Doobie1975]

I have forgotten all about the 455 SD motor, they were quite powerful during the Emission Controls period

[FANADICALCOWHEAD]

It all depends on the cam's and carburetors. The smog equipement didn't alter the performance well not as much as the lowered octain/unleaded gas, that's what really took a toll on the performance cars. but still the high lifter cams and specially tuned carburetors are what made these BIG blocks crank out BIG power. Take a look at the LS6, L88, 455 H.O., 455 S.D. In my opinion, Ford released the 460 way too late.. And to my knowledge were never implemented in the mustangs II's..

[Doobie1975]

I think the Ford 460 should've came in 1969-70 instead of 1973 or 74 (can't remember what year it was), wasn't the 460 originally used on the Lincolns?

[FANADICALCOWHEAD]

@Doobie1975 That's exactly how I feel! You're right they were originally in lincolns, however they started squeezing those into trucks and torino's after that. But if ford would released the 460 in the late 60 - 70 it would've been dressed up like a cobra jet engine, so it would probably produce around 350 - 425hp

[Doobie1975]

If the Lincoln was introduced in say 1969-70 the full size cars and midsize cars would've had 370hp and the top engines for the muscle cars would've had around 400-425hp, then for 1971 during the beginning of the low compression motors it would've had 350hp for the regular 460's and 390hp for the higher powered 460's, is it easy to double the power of your Ford/Mercury 460?

[cougstang]

Impressive performance for the times.

[ClassicDragRace]

love it!

Dream car!

[Doobie1975]

Nice car, definitely one of the faster performing cars of 1973, it's a shame that the Emissions Controls had to take effect by this time period and the quality of these cars started to take a nosedive by then due to the cruddy Emissions Controls crap which hurt the performance of these cars.

[mustangcharger]

That's only partially true, but remember that in California cars had emissions controls in 1967 and ALL cars had emissions controls by 1968.

There's as much a correlation between weight increase as with emissions increase.

The '65 GS was around 3500lbs - this '73 is more like 4200lbs. Same is generally true for Chrysler and Ford.

[landyachtfan79]

Could you please, if you have it, post the road test of the 1971 Mercury Marquis?!! I taped it from Speedvision when they showed "Car & Track" reruns & I will never forget seeing that car stagger through the pylon course like a drunk hippopotamus!!!!!!!!!