Vehicle Description
SUMMARY
Concours-style ground-up restoration completed in 2013
Original 455 cubic inch Buick V8 / Gardner exhaust
Original GM Turbo-Hydramatic 400 3-speed automatic transmission
Correct Cortez Gold paint / Many original and NOS body
components
Correct Saddle interior / Supplied by Legendary Auto Interiors
Correct Rallye Ride Control Suspension / Chrome Rallye wheels
Correct power steering / Correct power front disc and rear drum
brakes
Sale includes an original Protect-O-Plate and full ownership
history
Sale includes restoration photos and restoration receipts
1 of only 1,378 1971 Buick GS hardtops produced with a
Turbo-Hydramatic 400 3-speed
When you log on to www.RKMotorsCharlotte.com and peruse our vast
inventory, one thing becomes very clear: from classy Cadillacs and
substantial 442s to stylish GTOs and fearsome Chevelles, General
Motors has built a legacy of offering cool cars for just about
everyone. Quite possibly the most high-end weapon in GM's
mainstream arsenal is the Buick Motor Division. And when you set
your eyes on this fully documented, numbers-matching GS, you'll
understand exactly why. Wrapping killer Cortez Gold paint around a
high quality, ground-up restoration that makes excellent use of
many NOS components, this regal stunner is clean, solid and ready
to show. And if you're looking for an affordable way to score some
serious Detroit muscle, it's the unique classic you've been
patiently waiting for!
BODYWORK/TRIM
This Buick's current condition comes courtesy of a ground-up,
concours-style restoration that was completed with an array of New
Old Stock components. That 2013 reboot began with a full strip of
what proved to be a pretty solid fuselage. After that blasting was
finished, the car's mostly original profile was supplemented with
one NOS fender and two NOS quarters. With that metal clean and
fully prepped, a correct layer of bright Cortez Gold 2-stage was
sealed in glossy clear. And the result is one arrow-straight
classic that displays a super-reflective finish, possesses very few
imperfections and presents as a stunning muscle car that literally
embodies the term 'crowd-gathering appeal'.
You can probably tell from those first two paragraphs that the
restorer of this GS put special emphasis on originality. That
mindset certainly reflects in the car's details, where show-plated
chrome and professionally polished stainless complement
mostly-original glass. At the front of this coupe, a clean grille
hangs a bold GS emblem between a broad bumper, chrome-trimmed
headlights and clear parking lamps. Behind that grille, a scooped
hood hides correctly recessed wipers at the base of a fresh
windshield and dent-free trim. At the sides of that hood,
traditional door handles and a polished mirror cap tight wheel
frames, red-trimmed rocker guards and classy GS 455 ornamentation.
And at the back of the car, a second broad bumper centers
conservative tail lamps and polished exhaust tips beneath a second
GS emblem.
ENGINE
While the exterior of this slick A-Body does an excellent job of
upholding GM Design's world-class visual aesthetics, the engine
compartment is where purists REALLY start to take notice. And for
good reason too, because the 455 cubic inch V8 that's bolted
between the car's freshly detailed fenders is the kind of killer
powerhouse that makes people either put up or shut up. Turn the key
and a big Quadrajet carburetor mixes air from a black, dual-snorkel
cleaner with fuel that's supplied by carefully bent stainless, and
shoves it in to a correct, cast iron intake. That intake feeds cast
iron heads, which ride between a familiar points distributor, fresh
Packard TV R Suppression cables and a .030 overbored block. Spent
gases are jettisoned through correct, cast iron manifolds, which
ride under vivid, color-keyed valve covers. And up front, a correct
radiator, dressed in pliable GM hoses and reproduction tower
clamps, rides an NOS core support. Aesthetically, the red and black
engine bay looks fantastic dressed in an array of correct marks and
decals. Correct ancillary components, like an authentic Delco
Moraine brake booster, a Saginaw steering box and a reproduction
Delco battery, prove that someone really sweated the details during
this Buick's top-notch restoration. And naturally, the monster mill
displays a correct 1231738 casting number behind a matching partial
VIN.
DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION
Under this coupe, it's just as the factory planned, except with
much more precision and, subsequently, much more appeal. An
original Turbo-Hydramatic 400 3-speed hangs a matching partial VIN
opposite a correct "71-BA" assembly tag. That stalwart gearbox
jerks a correct 10-bolt axle, which is finished with mild,
highway-friendly gears. Holding that killer drivetrain off the
ground is a tagged Rallye Ride Control Suspension, which pairs
factory power steering with better springs, better shocks, a
thicker front sway bar, a standard rear sway bar and boxed rear
control arms. Naturally, the car's power-assisted discs and drums
have been completely rebuilt to factory specifications. On the
outside of those brakes, chrome Buick Rallyes twist G60-15 Goodyear
Polyglas GTs around red, white and blue center caps. The
aforementioned manifolds dump spent gases in to correct Gardner
pipes, which make good use of throaty turbo mufflers. The car's
frame, free of any major damage, was completely sandblasted and
full powdercoated during the detailed restoration. And that frame
supports original, Satin Black floors in front of a new, Satin
Black trunk pan.
INTERIOR
Pop the sculpted doors and you'll find a correct Saddle cockpit
that's assembly line-fresh thanks to the pros at Legendary Auto
Interiors. Comfy bench and bucket seats complement stylish, "GS"
branded door panels. In front of those thrones, a straight dash
hangs restored and re-plated Rallye gauges above an AM/FM Sonomatic
radio. At the base of that dash, like-new carpet floats heavy duty,
shield-branded floor mats at the sides of a classy console and
familiar horseshoe shifter. The driver commands the road through a
correct Buick Rallye Wheel. And behind the passengers, a restored
trunk holds a fresh mat, correct jack and full-size spare tire
beneath a new decklid decal.
PROVENANCE
Since the sale of this awesome Buick includes major provenance,
there's no questioning the authenticity of its restoration. But,
for good measure, here's a look at the car's specially coded VIN,
factory Cowl Tag and original Protect-O-Plate.
VIN: 434371HXXXXXX
4: Buick Motor Division
34: GS
37: 2-door hardtop
1: 1971 model year
H: Assembled in Flint, Michigan
XXXXXX: Production Sequence Number
COWL TAG:
71: 1971 model year
4: Buick Motor Division
34: GS
37: 2-door hardtop
FL1: Assembled in Flint, Michigan
015887: Fisher Body sequence number
166: Saddle interior
53: Cortez Gold lower body paint
53: Cortez Gold upper body paint
09B: Assembled during the second week (B) of September (09),
1970
PROTECT-O-PLATE
166 - Saddle interior
5353 - Cortez Gold paint
434371H105998 - The car's VIN
- 4: Buick Motor Division
- 34: GS
- 37: 2-door hardtop
- 1: 1971 model year
- H: Assembled in Flint, Michigan
- 105998: Production Sequence Number
TR048 - The car's e...for more information please contact the
seller.
