Buick GS, 1970
Buick GS I
Buick GS I•
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Chassis No.: 446370H163586
Auction: Kansas City March 2018
Auction date: March 17, 2018
Lot No.: S112
$38,000 | High bid
- Exterior: Cream
- Interior: Brown
- Upgraded to Stage 1 specs
- Original Protect-O-Plate and owner’s manual
- 455 CI V-8 engine
- Ram Air induction
- 4-barrel carburetor
- Dual exhaust
- Automatic transmission
- Anti-spin differential
- Power steering and brakes
- Bamboo cream with Black vinyl top
- Burnished Saddle interior
- Bucket seats and center console
- Air conditioning
- Hood tachometer
- Rear spoiler
- AM/FM radio with factory 8-track player
- Tissue dispenser
- GM compass
- Sold new at Key Buick Co. in Jacksonville, Florida
- Sloan Museum paperwork
- Stage 1 badging
Documented with the original Protect-O-Plate and owner’s manual, this immaculately finished 1970 Buick GS also comes with documentation from the Sloan Museum in Flint, Michigan. Sold new at Key Buick Co. in Jacksonville, Florida, it has been retrofitted with badging to mimic the appearance of the Stage 1 version, yet stands on its own as a superb example of one of the great cars of the classic muscle-car era. Buick wasted no time capitalizing on GM’s 1970 edict dropping displacement restrictions on its intermediate offerings, dropping the 455 CI big-block engine from the full-size lineup into the handsomely restyled Gran Sport.
The 455 powering the GS packed a sturdy bottom end, enlarged valves and a radical cam, and despite being equipped with functional Ram Air induction, it was ridiculously underrated at 350 HP, far below its divisional challengers. The identical engine without Ram Air was rated at 370 HP in the Riviera, which was still less than its actual output approaching 400 HP. Like any muscle-era big-block, its real strength was its monstrous torque, which at 510 lb-ft was higher than any other engine of the period except Cadillac’s 472 and 500 CI engines. And because it was all in at just 2,800 RPM, the GS launched with the best of them.
The GS package added up to one of the hairiest yet most beautiful muscle cars of its time, a fact evidenced in this attractive 1970 GS. Its potent combination of Ram Air-fed 4-barrel, dual exhaust, 3-speed automatic and Anti-Spin differential is balanced with tasteful Bamboo Cream paint, a black vinyl roof and luxurious Dark Brown interior. Its hood tach, rear spoiler and Goodyear Polyglas tires on chromed 5-spoke wheels were popular optional extras on the GS. The list of great features includes power steering and front disc brakes, factory air conditioning, Strato bucket seats and center console, tilt steering, AM/FM radio with 8-track player, tissue dispenser and GM compass.
