We’re crazy about Buick around here at McLarty Daniel Buick GMC, and we can argue for days about which are our favorites. As the oldest-surviving car brand, in business since 1903, there have been a lot of great Buicks to choose from over the years so it’s hard to pick a favorite. That said, read on for details on four of our favorite Buick models EVER. From beautiful “factory customs” to hot Buick muscle cars, there’s a little something for everyone. Ready to find your own favorite Buick to love? Then come see us today for a test drive at McLarty Daniel Buick GMC, or check out our full selection at our website right now.
1953 Buick Roadmaster Skylark: Buick is the oldest-surviving car brand, and for their 50th anniversary way back in 1953, the company wanted to create a car that celebrated…
Buicks’ half-century commitment to building beautiful cars. The result was the rare 1953 Buick Roadmaster Skylark convertible. Essentially a factory custom built on the standard Roadmaster convertible chassis, each Skylark was created by slicing four inches out of the body of the Roadmaster horizontally and then welding it back together — a custom-car trick called “sectioning.” Because of this labor-intensive build technique, only 1,690 were built, with each selling for a then-astronomical $4,536. They are incredibly rare and valuable today.
1970 Buick GSX: When the muscle car wars of the late 1960s came about, Buick had been getting ready for years by developing some of the hottest early V8 engine combos in the game. One of our favorite Buick muscle cars of the era was the 1970 Buick GSX. Based on the “Gran Sport” trim of the Buick Skylark, the 1970 GSX went over the top on looks and horsepower, with a hood-mounted tachometer, bold graphics and special high-performance front and rear spoilers. Giving plenty of bite to that bark was Buick’s giant 7.5-liter 455 V8, which was available in a series of performance “Stages” that upped the horsepower to an available 360 hp and an incredible 510 lb.-ft of torque. The GSX was both a street terror and a rare bird, even when new, with only 678 examples built that year, all in either Saturn Yellow or Apollo White.
1987 Buick GNX: By the early 1980s, Buick had long-since left behind its 1960’s and 70’s muscle car hot streak, and the performance days looked long past. After a decade and a half of building both boring luxury-barges and economical compact cars, however, Buick decided to show their stuff with the incredible Buick Grand National, which debuted in 1982, but which reached full flower with the 1984 model. Based on a blacked-out version of the Buick Regal, the Grand National was a supercar in sheep’s clothing, powered by a turbocharged V6 delivering a then-respectable 200 horsepower and 300 lb.-ft. of torque. The greatest of all Buick Grand Nationals? The final-year 1987 Buick GNX. Featuring an intercooler, a special “torque arm” rear suspension, a larger Garrett T-3 turbo and other tricks, the GNX was rated (some say UNDER-rated to keep insurance rates low) at 276 horsepower and 360 lb.-ft. of torque. Faster than the Ferrari F40 and the Porsche 930 in the quarter-mile, the 1987 Buick GNX remains one of the most iconic American cars of the 1980s. Only 547 were produced.
1965 Buick Riviera: Buick had been building elegant automobiles for sixty years by the time 1963 rolled around. With the “Big Fins” era of automotive styling in the rear-view mirror, the 1960s were all about Jet Age styling, with clean, beautiful, flowing lines and big horsepower to back it up. Sculpted by GM’s legendary chief designer Bill Mitchell, who also designed the iconic 1963 Corvette Stingray, the 1963 Buick Skylark was Buick’s refined answer to the styling of the age, featuring flowing lines and a now-classic grille that would, in 1965, gain the Rivera’s signature “clamshell” headlight covers that opened to reveal stacked quad headlights. Inside, the Riviera was as elegant as the beach that lent it a name, with a four-seat interior with a flow-through center console that ran all the way to the back window. There was plenty to be excited about under the hood, too, with up to a 7.0-liter V8 providing the blast off for one of the most celebrated designs of the early 1960s.

