For the duration of the mid-to-late 1960s, Normal Motors built flashy, semi-sporty versions of each of its complete-sized B-overall body cars and trucks. Oldsobile had the Delta 88 Royale, for instance, even though Pontiac offered the Grand Prix. The rakish large Buick of that interval was the Wildcat, designed through the 1970 model calendar year. Just as the Wildcat shoved aside the Invicta, the Centurion appeared in 1971 to substitute the Wildcat. Named soon after a well-known 1956 concept car or truck, output of the Centurion ongoing just via 1973. Just about 100,000 had been crafted, and this is just one of all those rarities in a Colorado self-service boneyard.
The Centurion was offered as a hardtop coupe, a convertible, and a four-doorway hardtop sedan. It was at coronary heart a LeSabre with a distinctive grille and other cosmetic touches.
Rather of the common triple-defend Buick emblems, the Centurion acquired Roman-soldier badges.
Probably the world’s greatest-identified Centurion is the ’72 convertible driven by Kurt Russel’s slimy-motor vehicle-salesman character in the 1980 film, Used Autos.
Kurt ends up advertising his Centurion to a consumer he “baited” from the rival ton across the road.
In 1974, the Centurion was changed by the LeSabre Luxus, a trim-level designation that Buick swiped from Opel.
The only engine accessible in the 1971 and 1972 Centurion was Buick’s 455-cubic-inch (7.5-liter) V8, renowned for its small-rpm torque. Electricity figures for 1972 dropped substantially compared to 1971, primarily because of to the switch from gross to net measurements that calendar year the foundation ’72 Centurion 455 was rated at 225 horsepower and 360 pound-toes, when an optional better-compression variation with twin exhaust created 270 hp and 390 pound-ft. All Centurions came off the assembly line with three-pace automatic transmissions.
For 1973, a Buick 350 (5.7-liter) V8 became conventional Centurion machines, with the 455 an added-charge choice. The primary customer of this Centurion possibly regretted the one-digit gasoline financial state of the 455 when OPEC shut off the oil faucets in Oct of 1973.
Front Assortment Colorado is just not especially rusty, but this motor vehicle appears to be like like it must have expended some time in a highway-salty place like Wisconsin or Iowa.
There isn’t considerably still left of the padded vinyl roof, conventional gear on all Centurion sedans and coupes.
It would have been prohibitively expensive to make this car good yet again, so below it sits.
This radio played AM and 8-keep track of tapes and price tag $363 further on a $4,508 car (that’s $2,615 and $32,485 in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars).
You can however purchase reproductions of these Buick Rallye wheels today.
You failed to want to miss out on out on Buick Cut price Days in 1972.
