BUICK WILDCAT 1963-70
BIG AND BRAZEN YOUR WILDCAT NEEDS TO BE IN TOP SHAPE TO BE WORTH TOP DOLLAR
Almost by accident, Buick in 1962 created a performance package for its Invicta model that became a minor legend in muscle-car circles. Two years before Pontiac’s GTO appeared, the two-door Wildcat was being billed as a ‘Sport Coupe’ and tweaked to produce 335bhp (242kW ) from the ancient ‘Nailhead’ V8.
For 1963 the Wildcat became a model in its own right, with convertible and four-door hardtop versions added to the range. In 1964 a four-door sedan would follow.
The Wildcat shared its 3125mm wheelbase with grand dad’s Le Sabre and was in many respects still a mainstream family car. It was also near enough to the Le Sabre in price that business execs could sneak one into the salary package without raising too many red flags down at Personnel.
From the outset, Buick’s ad writers weren’t shying away from their new model’s potential to inflame the owner’s ego. “Buick Introduces Torrid New Sports Car,” screamed the billboards. “First With The Sure-Footed Sock Of Advanced Thrust.”
Get down to the fine-print and ‘advanced thrust’ turns out to be another term for ‘front-engined’ and the only thing torrid about this sporty hardtop was the standard heater.
A convertible cost only $90 more in 1964 than the $3871 four-door Hardtop yet only 20 percent of the Wildcats sold were soft-tops.
A shape change for 1967 saw the Wildcat emphasise a longer, broader shape with new grille and rear lights. New as well was the 7.1-litre. 430 cubic inch engine that still produced a notional 360bhp (268kW ) but did it more efficiently.
A defining feature of the Muscle Car was cut-throat pricing, often achieved by ripping almost everything out of the car before installing a very large and loud engine.
A US magazine ordered a basic car for $3700 then demonstrated just how costly a ‘mid-price’ performance car like the Wildcat could become when someone wielded the wallet. With the addition of some pretty basic additions including a radio, and heater, their ‘Wildcat With The Lot’ soared to $5200.
With the rise of other Buick performance models like the GS400 and GS455 Skylarks, the Wildcat was by 1968 well on the path to oblivion. All that distinguished it from a ‘67 was a grille revamp and some body embellishments.
The final Wildcat came in 1970; badged as a Wildcat Custom with Le Sabre trim and the 455 cubic inch engine. Auto transmission was the only power-train option and Hardtops accounted almost all of the 22,000 sales. Just 1244 final-year Wildcats were convertibles.
MARKET REVIEW
Wildcats came here in fairly significant numbers and until the 1980s would occasionally appear in mainstream used car lots. Australia’s typical Wildcat is today a four-door hardtop imported during the past 10-15 years. It will be LHD and in decent but not spectacular condition. Asking prices for these cars can be quite high - $30-35,000 for a four-door, up to $60,000 for a convertible - so research the market before setting out to buy.