NEW! Award 61: 1973 Buick Gran Sport 455 4-Speed – $15,000 Firm

Feb 2021 | Classifinds, Malaise Monday

By far, the most successful of Bill Mitchell’s new-for-1973 Colonnade Hardtops was the Oldsmobile Cutlass family. At the other end of the production spectrum, for roughly every four Cutlasses produced that year, GM made one Buick Century. Rarest of the Century line was the Gran Sport with only 6,637 produced. Of these, only 979 non-Stage I 455 cubic inch V8 equipped versions such as this driver-quality example currently here on Craigslist in Seneca Falls, New York left Buick dealerships that year. This is at best a fair condition with visible rust spots needing immediate attention. While showing 28K miles, the seller cannot document whether that represents the original mileage or if it’s really 128K. Unfortunately, as much as we like this rare Gran Sport, we find the seller’s firm price of $15,000 is very optimistic. For perspective, the Hagerty Insurance Online Valuation Tool confirms the private seller has their Gran Sport priced between this guide’s #2 “Excellent” estimate of $12,100 and its #1 “Concours” appraisal of $17,500. Similarly, the Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the asking price falls between this guide’s #2 “Very Good” estimate of $15,744 and its #1 “Excellent” appraisal of $24,723 after factoring adjustments for the 455 cubic inch V8 and factory air conditioning being offset by the standard bench seat. Consequently, the optimistic-for-Fair-condition pricing combined with the seller’s “I really don’t want to sell, so u (sic) better like it better than ur (sic) money.” attitude has us giving him our latest NEW! (short for “No Effin Way!”) Award for an asking price that is not aligned with the condition of their car.

In addition to the Hagerty Insurance overview of these cars below, Hemming Motor News provides this 73-74 Buick Gran Sport Buyer’s Guide:

“In the middle-1970s, the Century line was Buick’s intermediate passenger car, available in several trim levels including the base Century, the Luxus, and the Regal, plus a Gran Sport (GS) option available on any trim level that substantially increased engine performance. The Century line used GM’s mid-sized A-body, similar to the Oldsmobile Cutlass, Chevrolet Malibu, and Pontiac Grand Prix. In this era of higher fuel prices and tightening environmental standards, Buick was looking to smaller engines and cars to meet market and regulatory standards.

Body styles for the base Century line included 4-door hardtop sedans and coupes, and a 4-door station wagon that could be configured for 6 or 9 passengers. The Century Luxus trim level traded the 4-door hardtop coupe for a 2-door hardtop coupe with the famous “Colonnade” styling that put an angled rectangular opera window between heavy B- and C- pillars. The Regal trim was available only in the 2-door hardtop colonnade coupe.

Engine options for the 1973 Century line included the base 350-cid small-block V-8 rated at 150 hp with a two-barrel carburetor or the upgraded V-8 at 175 hp with a four-barrel carb. Gran Sport cars with the small block received an engine rated at 190 hp. Big block V-8s were also available, displacing 455 cubic inches and delivering 225 hp. The Century Gran Sport Stage 1 package combined with the big block option yielded an impressive 270 hp from the 455. A 3-speed manual transmission with column shift was standard, but most Centuries received a Turbo-Hydramatic 350 or 400 automatic transmission based on their engine power.”

If you remember Bud Lindemann’s new car tests from the 1960 and 1970s, then you’ll get a kick of this one posted on YouTube on the ’73 455 powered Gran Sport:

If you can somehow convince the seller to part with the car for an amount more in line with the car’s condition, you’ll have a very rare Buick that represents one of the last true Buick Muscle Cars. Our advice if you’re serious about buying this Gran Sport: show up with a car trailer in tow and cash in your pocket and only then you can try to start the negotiations and be willing to drive away. You can start the conversation only by calling Rod at (315) 568-1336. When you connect, please feel free to mention you saw his Gran Sport featured here on Guys With Rides. Good luck with the purchase!

Here’s the seller’s description:

“ULTRA RARE 1973 BUICK GRAN SPORT 2DR. Factory U code 455V8-Bench seat 4Spd car [ 1 of 57] made, [1 of 41] with a/c, 3.08 posi rear. clean, clear nys title, odometer reads 28k. can’t tell if it’s correct or rolled over . check out hemmings report on these cars before calling. silver cloud metallic ext. with all orig. black interior and half vinyl top. no rust or bubbling under top. 1 repaint, and paint is peeling on hood, 1 bad spot on roof to 1/4 panel meet, factory filler lifting not a bondo bucket ! undercarriage super clean ,car really hasn’t been on road last 12yrs, needs rear brake cyls. replaced master cyl. gas tank is clean. i drove car a short distance before winter storage, and car drove smooth and tight ! this would be a great car to restore !! or drive as-is. I really don’t want to sell , so u better like it better than ur money, price is firm @ $15000. NO TEXT OR EMAILS, CALLS ONLY. [3ONE5-5SIX8-ONE336] THX Rod !“

Restore or Drive As-Is: what would you do with this fair condition Gran Sport? Comment below and let us know!