The Buick Gran Sport

William Jason
SubmitYOURArticle.com
February 23, 2011

William Jason
http://musclecarmonster.com

Buick Gran Sport in the 1960s was considered as one of the last brands to join the muscle car sweepstakes. There where a number of other more popular muscle cars on the market, so the Gran Sport really had its work cut out. But due to its 'patience', Buick Gran Sport finally won the hearts of car enthusiasts with its great appeal and features.

It was indeed a true muscle car - it possessed the classic model of the kind. Buick Gran Sport was an intermediate car that has a powerful engine and gears that could enhance its performance. This was truly a powerful car.

Buick entered the new market sector with the Wildcat in 1962 and in 1964 came a major turning point - Pontiac created the GTO and due to the big engine snuck into the Tempest, it became so popular that it was imitated immediately.

It was also in 1964 when Oldsmobile answered with the 4-4-2. On the other hand, the new Mercury Comet Cyclone in the Chevrolet Chevelle was also a good option, especially to those people who preferred a more affordable car.

Buick was able to sell over fifteen thousand Skylarks that had the Grand Sport option in their first year of production and almost the same number the next. In 1967, the muscle car was renamed the GS 400 and the Gran Sport became its own exclusive model for the same year. This happened together with a new '400' engine that was quite different from the outdated engine but extremely reliable design that was first launched in 1953.

Unfortunately, their sales decreased because of the growing number of more popular and high-performance muscle cars from other manufacturers, when compared to the models from the more expensive and heavier Buick lines. Alternatively, Buick was able to regain its popularity by launching the Stage 1 in 1969. The Stage 1 option was a limited production with a number of less than 1,500 in the 1969 version. Once more, the name was again reclaimed in the late 80s on the FWD Skylark model and this time, there were numerous extra performance options.

While many don't think of the Grand Sport right away when discussing classic cars, it really is a great car that had some innovative interior and exterior designs that helped shape the industry. Hopefully one day it will get the accolades it deserves and stand front and center among the other great classics of the past.

----------------------------------------------------
William Jason has admired classic cars ever since he was a young child and you can read his blog at: http://musclecarmonster.com/