![]() ![]() Bench seats were standard and accessories were kept to a minimum to help keep the price down. Built on the thin-pillar coupe chassis it came equipped with the 340 ci/260 hp engine and Super Turbine 300 transmission. It was available in California only and was not advertised nationally by Buick. ġ967 was the maiden year for the California GS. This marketing approach was also used in Colorado, using the "Colorado" name instead of "California". They were fitted with the small block GS drivetrain and the exterior received the full treatment including vinyl top, chrome moulding package, GS emblems, and special California scripts. When reviewed with these thoughts in mind the California GS delivered quite nicely. The intent of these autos were to provide the visual impact of the era's supercars with the low maintenance and price of a more economical car, while maintaining reasonable performance levels. ![]() The merchandising creation of the West Coast's Mickey Garrett, the California GS became one of Buick's entries into what is now often known as a junior musclecar. The name Gran Sport replaced the GS moniker with the 1973 Gran Sport, and was again revived in the late eighties on the FWD Skylark model with various performance options added.Ī rare GS California in a shopping center in Weeki Wachee, Florida.īuick touted the California as "The Distinctive Personal Car for Americana on the GO", using the Skylark platform. This limited production (less than 1,500 cars in 1969) version delivered 340 hp (253 kW) and 440 lb Buick, however, stepped it up a notch when introducing the Stage 1 option in 1969. Sales fell somewhat in the face of increasingly higher-performance and more popular muscle cars from other marques, including corporate stablemates Pontiac GTO, Chevrolet Chevelle SS and Oldsmobile 442, when compared to those from the more conservative and luxurious Buick. It was renamed the GS 400 in 1967, and the Gran Sport became its own model in (about) that same year along with a new "400" engine quite different from the famously reliable but becoming-obsolete nailhead engine design that was first introduced in 1953. ![]() Buick sold more than 15,000 Skylarks with the Gran Sport option that first year, and almost as many the next.
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