Photo: Barrett-Jackson
Introduced in 1965 by the Skylark and Riviera, the Gran Sport lineage took a turn for the worse in 1971 when the Clean Air Act was amended with Public Law 90-148. To make a long story short, compression ratios had to be dropped across the industry for lower-octane unleaded fuel.
This is the reason the all-original 1972 Buick GS 455 Stage 1 we’ll cover today produces a rather puny 270 horsepower and 390 pound-feet (529 Nm) of torque from 7.5 liters of displacement, down from 330 horsepower and 455 pound-feet (617 Nm). The following year, every single muscle car on sale in the United States of America was hit by a rude awakening in the form of the oil embargo proclaimed by Arab petroleum-exporting countries.
One of 728 copies produced that year, the Gran Sport holds a special place in the pantheon of muscle cars because the Buick GS lineup was stealing customers from Cadillac when the crown jewel of General Motors didn’t know the definition of performance. Chassis number 4G37V2H172017 is equipped with a Positraction third member, and suck-squeeze-bang-blow is sent to the rear wheels by a TH400 automatic.
Proven in heavy-duty trucks in the 1970s, the Turbo 400 is one of the most celebrated automatics thanks to its durability and simplicity. The 4L80-E, which is heavily based on the TH400, added an overdriven fourth gear and electronic controls in 1991 when it was offered in the C/K line of pickups.
Offered at no reserve at the Scottsdale auction in March by Barrett-Jackson, this black-on-black time capsule is pretty clean inside and out. Even the engine compartment is correct, although the foam surrounds for the hood ducts do show their age. Equipped with Soft Ray tinted glass, power steering, and power brakes with front discs, this brawny cruiser also features the unmistakable horseshoe-inspired shifter and factory push-button radio.
Currently rolling on Polyglas G70-14 tires, the Gran Sport is likely to cross the auction block at more than $30,000, given the car’s impeccable condition. In the past two years, auction data reveals high sales of $40,000 in 2020 and $36,300 in 2019 for the three-speed automatic-equipped model.
One of 728 copies produced that year, the Gran Sport holds a special place in the pantheon of muscle cars because the Buick GS lineup was stealing customers from Cadillac when the crown jewel of General Motors didn’t know the definition of performance. Chassis number 4G37V2H172017 is equipped with a Positraction third member, and suck-squeeze-bang-blow is sent to the rear wheels by a TH400 automatic.
Proven in heavy-duty trucks in the 1970s, the Turbo 400 is one of the most celebrated automatics thanks to its durability and simplicity. The 4L80-E, which is heavily based on the TH400, added an overdriven fourth gear and electronic controls in 1991 when it was offered in the C/K line of pickups.
Offered at no reserve at the Scottsdale auction in March by Barrett-Jackson, this black-on-black time capsule is pretty clean inside and out. Even the engine compartment is correct, although the foam surrounds for the hood ducts do show their age. Equipped with Soft Ray tinted glass, power steering, and power brakes with front discs, this brawny cruiser also features the unmistakable horseshoe-inspired shifter and factory push-button radio.
Currently rolling on Polyglas G70-14 tires, the Gran Sport is likely to cross the auction block at more than $30,000, given the car’s impeccable condition. In the past two years, auction data reveals high sales of $40,000 in 2020 and $36,300 in 2019 for the three-speed automatic-equipped model.
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