[Overkillphil]

Originally Posted by wovenweb

I liked the air clener stickers so much I bought two Buicks.

[goatwgn]

Originally Posted by GT182

I did on my 66 Tempest Custom back in 1972. Looked even better with the 65 GTO hood, 66 GTO grills and parking lights. I do know it was the only Pontiac in Rochester and Massena, NY that was done that way.

Got a lot of good comments on it too. Back in the mid 90s I even saw it again in a guys front yard a few miles from where we lived in Ft. Covington, NY with current NY plates on it. Before I could talk to him he moved and I never saw it again.

Did this on my '66 Tempest Custom wagon back in 1992. Also installed GTO emblems on the back just to make it look like a "what if" GTO wagon. Get compliments on it all the time from "car" people, but a few diehards act irritated by it. I don't care. I am not trying to sell the car as such (everybody knows there is no such thing) and I freely tell people that don't know what the car actually is. I think it looks better this way, it is my car and I get to do what I want with it.

[goatwgn]

Originally Posted by FrankieT/A

Buick, the ford of GM...

At least nobody is putting "428-4V Cobra Jet" decals on their 1969 Grand Prix 428 engines.

[goatwgn]

Originally Posted by R68GTO

"Big block" Pontiac.....could be worse......they could say "Small block Pontiac" and be just as right. At least it tells you right away the seller doesn't know much about Pontiacs.

It could be argued that the 1977-'81 301 and the 1980-'81 265 were "small blocks" as well as the 1969-'70 303.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by wovenweb

I've always found the ridge running from the front fender to the front portion of the quarter panel on the '68-'69 editions a bit...different.

Never liked those myself. The rear quarter-window is kind of odd too...and the rear bumper looks like someone backed into a light pole.
But in '70....they got it right, IMO...

[mgarblik]

About every 20 years, Buick would come up with a real winner. No doubt, the GSX and GS stage 1 cars are beautiful and fast. GN's are fast and were good cars for the time period. Buick had a few shining stars in a sea of losers.

[Greg Reid]

Yeah, performance, in and of itself, was really never their niche was it?..but when they got it right it was nice. I had a '69 LeSabre convert for a few year as a daily driver and it was a nice car. Never went out looking for a Buick when I wanted performance though.

[AdamIsAdam]

A friend had an old wildcat sitting on his family farm. Engine had a name as I recall, fireball or bobcat?

[rexs73gto]

I like a lot of GM muscle & even the Ford & Chrysler muscle too. As long as it's fast & looks good. All the GM car lines had cars that were not so good looking. Along with all the other car mgf's. No one got it right all the time. I love my 73 GTO & bought it new after I saw the cover of CARS mag. in 4/72. It was all twisted up with big tires & a blower. I went out & ordered one about 3 months after that. I didn't get the one on the cover with the SD 455 & we kinda know why it didn't get put in the 73 , but I love it. There are some that don't . This is one of the cars that you either love or hate it. There doesn't seem to be an in between. But I've had it now for 44 years & counting. Over the years I've made it fast like the one that was displayed on the cover, & I'll keep it until I'm no longer here.

[bendutro]

Ooh, GS455. My favorite of the post '68 muscle cars. Would beat any hopped up big-cube Chevelle you wanted with power windows and the AC on max.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by rexs73gto

I like a lot of GM muscle & even the Ford & Chrysler muscle too. As long as it's fast & looks good. All the GM car lines had cars that were not so good looking. Along with all the other car mgf's. No one got it right all the time. I love my 73 GTO & bought it new after I saw the cover of CARS mag. in 4/72. It was all twisted up with big tires & a blower. I went out & ordered one about 3 months after that. I didn't get the one on the cover with the SD 455 & we kinda know why it didn't get put in the 73 , but I love it. There are some that don't . This is one of the cars that you either love or hate it. There doesn't seem to be an in between. But I've had it now for 44 years & counting. Over the years I've made it fast like the one that was displayed on the cover, & I'll keep it until I'm no longer here.

If you want one of the most unique GTO's, a 73 has to be the car. They were just so very different from the 72's and 74's, they kinda get lost in the shuffle. I'm sure you have made a great performing car out of it. It had the basics from the factory. They were all so bogged down with emissions and safety requirements, they had a real uphill battle.

[U47]

Originally Posted by wovenweb

I've always found the ridge running from the front fender to the front portion of the quarter panel on the '68-'69 editions a bit...different.

That's because the Skylark was designed to emulate the larger Buicks. When you take that long sweep spear and elongate it on the larger Buick that it was designed for it turns out as not so bad.
See image:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iRTKLGasdP.../s1600/1.1.jpg

http://www.mjcclassiccars.com/cars/6...Wildcat/02.jpg

[AdamIsAdam]

As I sit here reading this thread about how to keep kids involved in the hobby, I'm watching Legendary Motorcar, and Peter said something that I thought was applicable.

Many, if not most, people buy old cars to evoke a memory from their past. High school, first date, first drive/ride in a fast car. Well, anyone born in the last 30 years wouldn't likely have any of those memories.

I guess the "take a kid for a ride" program is our only shot at recruiting the masses.

[400 4spd.]

My son is in his mid-thirties, so despite what I think, far from a kid.
Even though I've been into these cars forever, yesterday he drove a GTO for his first time.
It's a 4 speed '64 Tri-Power. He had driven my automatic 442 and Hurst/Olds, and the wife's automatic SS. He really enjoyed this one, the car was special to him. Oddly, he mentioned something about inheriting my 4 speed '67 some day.
After that ride I consider him as "recruited".

[AdamIsAdam]

Excellent. But look at that, the son of an avid collector/hobbyist and he's rarely driven any of your cars despite having access to several (unless you denied access! LOL). My 17 year old drives a stick. He only drove my GTO once before he got his license this winter. I plan to let him drive the the this summer if he's nice to me. But both my boys have been in my cars, heck, they've filmed my burnouts! They don't have the bug like I do though. My 17 YO prefers my BMW (also a stick) to the old metal. My younger one like my Jeep and wants a p-up some day. (good, I finally get a tow vehicle ;-)

[Formulabruce]

Originally Posted by goatwgn

At least nobody is putting "428-4V Cobra Jet" decals on their 1969 Grand Prix 428 engines.

But.. Ford put a Q-Jet on their 428 !!!

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by AdamIsAdam

Many, if not most, people buy old cars to evoke a memory from their past. High school, first date, first drive/ride in a fast car. Well, anyone born in the last 30 years wouldn't likely have any of those memories.

That's right. Memories drive the car passion.
I get more comments from strangers and friends about my 1980 280ZX than I do about my older cars. It's a fair driver with primer spots all over it and a ripped interior. It has to be because their are more people around with vivid, direct memories a 1980s old car than a 1960s old car.
The hobby is not going anywhere but regardless of how WE feel about it, the types of cars that get the attention are always going to change from generation to generation.

[400 4spd.]

Originally Posted by AdamIsAdam

Excellent. But look at that, the son of an avid collector/hobbyist and he's rarely driven any of your cars despite having access to several (unless you denied access! LOL). My 17 year old drives a stick. He only drove my GTO once before he got his license this winter. I plan to let him drive the the this summer if he's nice to me. But both my boys have been in my cars, heck, they've filmed my burnouts! They don't have the bug like I do though. My 17 YO prefers my BMW (also a stick) to the old metal. My younger one like my Jeep and wants a p-up some day. (good, I finally get a tow vehicle ;-)

His first speeding ticket was in my wife's SS. The trooper asked him how long he had his license. He replied "Two hours".
So I started him out in a 2.8 S-10 pick-up.
He later owned an STS Caddy and ran triple digits in it numerous times.
He admitted to me driving 147 in his buddies Cobra Mustang convertible. On a two lane country road. At night.
So why would I push him towards a muscle car?

He now has a family and is slower and responsible.

[AdamIsAdam]

Oy. Crazy kids!

[importsmasher]

Originally Posted by wovenweb

I've always found the ridge running from the front fender to the front portion of the quarter panel on the '68-'69 editions a bit...different.

I used to think the same way, but then I ended up with a nearly free 69 Skylark back in the early 90s. The body style really grew on me. It's now my favorite Buick design. I sold the car to my brother, who still has it. He REALLY got hooked on the 68-69 cars, having owned probably 15 or 20 of them. He currently has the Skylark I sold him, plus a 69 GS400 factory 4 speed (that he drives daily), a 68 Skylark convertible with a factory 3 on the tree, and a 68 Skylark hardtop he's building for/with his son.

Importsmasher