1972 Buick GS

The high-performance Gran Sport was first used by Buick in 1965 as an option on the intermediate Skylark. It was equipped with a 401 'Nailhead' cubic-inch V8, the largest engine permitted by General Motors. It offered 325 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque. More than 15,000 examples of the Skylark with the Gran Sport option were ordered the first year, and nearly that many the next. In 1967, it was renamed the GS 400, and around that time the Gran Sport became its own model with a new '400.' The GS 400 was available in a convertible and hardtop model. The 400 cubic-inch engine with the four-barrel Rochester Quad carburetor offered 340 horsepower and 440 ft-lbs of torque.

In 1969, the Stage 1 option became available with a 340 horsepower engine. This limited production option sold fewer than 1,500 examples in 1969.

The 1972 Buick GS had wide bright rocker moldings, wheelhouse moldings, and GS insignia located on each front fenders and the rear deck. They had dual exhausts and functional dual hood scoops. Mechanical features included heavy-duty springs, heavy-duty shocks absorbers, and a stabilizer bar. Inside were black vinyl bench seats. Body styles included a hardtop coupe and a convertible. A three-speed manual transmission was standard and a four-speed manual or Turbo-Hydramatic 350 was optional. Engine options included the 350 cubic-inch four-barrel V8 and a 455 cubic-inch V8. The 455 CID V8 cars had additional emblems denoting the engine. 728 GT 455 hardtops were built with the Stage 1 option along with 81 convertibles.

The 350 cubic-inch V8 had overhead valves, a cast-iron block, an 8.5:1 compression ratio, a Rochester 4MV four-barrel carburetor, hydraulic valve lifters, five main bearings and delivered 190 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. The GS 455 V8 engine had a 455 cubic-inch displacement, overhead valves, an 8.5:1 compression ratio, five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, a Rochester 4MV four-barrel carburetor, and delivered 225 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. A higher specification of the engine boosted output to 270 bhp at 4,400 RPM. A three-speed manual transmission was standard and a four-speed manual and Turbo-Hydramatic automatic were optional (a Turbo-HydraMatic 350 was optional with the 350 CID V8 and a TurboHydramatic 400 was optional on the 455 CID V8).

Increasing regulations and skyrocketing insurance rates were signaling the end of the first muscle car era, but not before Buick returned one last time with the GSX. General Motors had introduced the GSX option in 1970 and offered it in Stage I and Stage II variants. For 1972, the GSX was once again offered in three different engine packages and just 44 examples were built that year, less than the 142 examples that had been built a year earlier.

The GSX option was originally offered in only two colors of Saturn Yellow and Apollo White. 6 colors were offered in 1971 and 1972, and all GSX optioned vehicles wore the distinctive full body length black stripe that crossed over the standard equipment rear spoiler and was outlined in red pin stripes. The hood received a large blacked-out area along with a hood-mounted tachometer. Among the list of standard equipment bestowed upon the GSX were a black front spoiler, black bucket seats, floor shifter, quick-ratio steering, wide oval tires, limited-slip rear differential, and anti-sway bars front and rear and quad-link suspension.

In 1973, the GS name was replaced by the Gran Sport.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2019