Myths, Legends, and other Information about the Buick Wildcat
In
1953 Buick developed a prototype car called the Wildcat. It
came with a 322 cubic inch V8 engine rated at 188 horsepower.
The car was revolutionary for the time. The body was fiberglass.
The front wheel hubs remained stationary as the wheels
spun. It was 2 years ahead of the legendary Corvette, yet
it was never allowed into production as a Buick for some
reason.
In 1954 Buick
developed another prototype Wildcat car. I know nothing about this car
at the present time.
I found a photo of a 1955 Buick
Wildcat prototype. I know nothing about this car at the present time.
The first Buick Wildcat
produced for the public was sold in 1962 and
called the Wildcat Sport Coupe. It was based on the Invicta and intended
to compete with the Ford Thunderbird. It came with bucket seats,
console, tachometer, a 401 cubic inch engine rated at 325 horsepower.
Standard rear axle ratio was 3:42:1. About 2,000 were built.
In 1963 the
same 325 horsepower 401 was offered. Three versions were available
- 4 door hardtop, 2 door sport coupe, and 2 door convertible. Bucket
seats and console were standard for the coupe.
In 1964 the
Wildcat received a new 425 cubic inch engine rated at 360 horsepower.
Also offered were a 340 horsepower version of the 425 and the old 401 cubic
inch engine. The posi-track rear end was optional, as were bucket
seats and console.
The 1965 Buick
Wildcat body came from the LeSabre. The 401 was still offered, as
was the 425. Supposedly there were 5 versions of the coupe offered
and 5 versions of the sedan.
1966 was
interesting for the Wildcat. The old 401 was still around, but the
425 was available with a little known option called Y48. The Y48 engine
had dual quads, a chrome-plated air cleaner, cast aluminum rocker arm covers,
dual exhaust, heavy-duty suspension, Posi-Traction, and 8.45x15 inch whitewall
tires. Horsepower was rated at 360. The engine was known as
the Wildcat 465. Over 68,000 Wildcats of various options sold this year.
In 1967 the
very popular 430 cubic inch engine was offered for the first time.
Supposedly, much of the great power produced by this new engine was the
result of a domed chamber design which greatly increased the efficiency
of the engine.
In 1968 Bucket
seats were again available as was the 430 cubic inch engine with its' 10.5:1
compression ratio.
1969 is
THE year for the Buick Wildcat. Why? Because I
have owned two of them and this is my page, so there. This Wildcat was
built on the LeSabre. Bucket seats and console were offered in the
Sport Coupe. The powerful 430 cubic inch engine was standard. This particular Wildcat is believed to have
blown away several Mustang GTs and IROC Camaros in the late 80s and early
90s on the streets of Huntsville, Alabama, but I'm not admitting to anything.
1970 was
the end. Only 23,000 Wildcats sold in this year of the Muscle Car.
But the Wildcat went out in a blaze of glory, packing the Hemi-killing Buick
455 under the hood for the first and last time. This awesome engine
produced 370 horsepower and 510 foot pounds of torque. Unfortunately,
the genuine Hemi-killing Stage 1 option was not available for the Wildcat.
But that doesn't mean you couldn't build it yourself.
In 1985
Buick produced another Wildcat prototype with a bubble top
and a rear engine. This car is said to be on display at
the Buick Advanced Research division in Flint, Michigan.
Thanks to Michael J. Pollack who provided me with 2 hard
to find prototype photos.
Note: Many people have emailed
me with information about Wildcats and errors on this
page. This is very helpful and I appreciate it.
