Rate This Survivor 1976 Buick LeSabre 1 to 10, Don't Peek at the V8 Surprise Beforehand

Buick finally dropped the mic on everyone else in Detroit in 1970 with the 455 cubic-inch V8 and its locomotive-level 510 lb-ft (692 Nm), leaving even the legendary HEMI speechless. At the end of 1976, the colossal 7.5-liter motor was discontinued, and it could no longer shed compression ratio, emissions, and fuel economy numbers. However, it bid farewell to America in style, arming nameplates like the LeSabre, the Electra, and the Riviera (also the station wagons).

Notably, the massive eight-cylinder was a pale shadow of what it used to be at the beginning of the decade, hunted to extinction by increasingly tighter pollution-capping target figures, smothering oil prices, and anything in between. In its final year, the former torque tyrannosaur from 1970 was reduced to a lawn-mower-spec 205 hp and 345 lb-ft (208 PS, 468 Nm).

Still, it was the best Buick could offer with the vintage motor, and gearheads took it as it was. After all, the alternative was to buy the standard equipment 350-cube V8 (Buick’s 5.7-liter), but in a car the size of a Mississippi barge, the proper choice was the big block. On October 23, 1975, shortly after the model was rushed into showrooms, one example became the prized possession of an enthusiastic owner with an equally excited little boy.

Years went by, and the car passion seed grew in the kid until it turned into a chronic car addiction, and that’s why Bert Major now has a survivor 1976 Buick LeSabre in Pewter Gray he bought on eBay as an homage to his dad. Not exactly the best of friends with fuel economy, the big Buick (226.9 inches long – 5,763 mm) sports the three-speed Turbo Hydramatic tranny linked to the 2.56 rear. The numerically low gearing was a clever counter to the gas-guzzling habits of the 455 V8, but the car didn’t see much road action in the 48 years it has been around.

46,270 miles (74,448 km) is just under 1,000 miles (1,610 km) per year – a good overall average that allowed the car to stay in its original condition (together with obvious TLC from its past and present owners). Despite being a top-tier division of General Motors, second only to Cadillac, Buick still relied on AM radios and 8-track cassette players for sound entertainment in 1976 (pun intended). More up-to-date AM/FM receivers (mono or stereo, with or without a tape player) were available at extra cost.

Also, even if the LeSabre was a high-level model in the lineup – outclassed only by the Electra and the Riviera – it still didn’t offer a clock as standard equipment. The glove box-mounted electric digital clock was part of the Accessory Group, and this car doesn’t have it.

Judging by its looks, the car enjoys a nice life – the engine bay is spotless, but my two cents’ worth is that the engine block and the rocker covers have been repainted. Either that or this lucky owner just found the best-preserved 1976 Buick LeSabre Custom original survivor left on Planet Piston.