1970 Buick GSX Stage 1

Categories: American Classic Cars | Exotic Cars | Muscle & Pony Cars

Text and photos by Jerry Heasley

Buick was shooting for the stars in 1970 with their limited edition 1970 Buick GSX. With 510 lb-ft of torque, the Stage 1 tune of the monstrous 455 V-8 lays claim to the highest ever for a classic muscle car.

Apparently, the brass at the #2 division of General Motors knew what they were doing when they limited the colors of this special edition muscle Buick to Apollo White and Saturn Yellow. Apollo was an Olympian god in both Greek and Roman mythology. Saturn, of course, is one of the planets in our solar system, as well as a Roman god.

When Car Review magazine first published their "50 Fastest Muscle Cars" list in 1984, it surprised Mopar fans with its #3 ranking of the GSX with Stage 1 455. Just two other classics were faster down the quarter mile. Number one was the lightweight and infamous 427 Shelby Cobra, of extremely limited production and just barely a street legal production car. Number two was another two-seat sports car, the 1966 Chevrolet Corvette with a 425hp 427. Buick, with a 13.38 @ 105.5 mph, proved faster than any other mid-sized or pony car from the 1960s/1970s. Road testers clipped off these times on street tires.

Buick fans had known all along how fast their muscle Buicks were. Luxury, however, had been Buick's calling card for decades. The nail head V-8s of the 1950s and early 1960s were known for their small valves and decent fuel economy. When muscle cars became popular with Pontiac's GTO in 1964, soon Buick, same as Pontiac, fitted their own mid-sized Buick Skylark with high output big blocks. Oldsmobile had their 4-4-2, Pontiac had their GTO, Chevrolet had their SS, while Buick had their GS, short for Grand Sport. The ultimate Buick came at the end of the decade with the 1970 GSX Stage 1 455.

Today, muscle car enthusiasts worldwide recognize how fast those Buick GSX muscle cars were and remain today. The main trouble is, production for 1970 totaled a miniscule 678 units, divided between 491 in Saturn Yellow and 187 in Apollo White.

Ray Witt of Dumas, Texas has owned three of the GSX super cars. Although he appreciates all muscle cars, Buicks are his favorites. He has done 16 muscle car restorations, including a 1970 Pontiac Trans Am, a 1969 Opal GT, a 1953 Buick Roadmaster "woodie" station wagon, three GSX Stage 1s, and the rest Buick GS models.

A used car dealer today, Ray sold out his Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Buick dealership 13 years ago. He claims to have been "raised on Buicks." Like most Buick owners I have met, Ray is very opinionated on the GS and GSX models. When I mentioned that Buick made the GSX in 1971 and 1972, Ray made sure I realized the 1970 was the "only true, full package."

The 1970 GSX is one of those special cars that come along once in a long, long time. The second year saw dilution. Ray says, "In 1971 or 1972 you could order any piece of the package you wanted, such as stripes."

Basically, the 1971 and 1972 GSX suffered from decreased horsepower and torque figures and, overall, the GSX was a trim package.

For 1970, the GSX was the full meal deal. The one caveat to single-mindedness was the choice to two different engines. The base engine was the standard 455. There just wasn't anything very standard about a big block with 510 lb-ft of torque.

Interestingly, the base 455 matched the 455 Stage 1 in torque. Horsepower differed by a slim margin of 10