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(Music)
In 1967, if you wanted a big car with loads of power you only had a couple of choices. A Catalina two plus two or Buick's luxury powerhouse, the Wildcat.
(Tommy)>> Tipping the scales at close to 5,000 pounds and stretching over 18 feet, once this car got rolling it was like a runaway freight train.
(Joel)>> The heart of the beast was the brand new 430 cubic inch V-8. [ engine revving ]
(Joel)>> Buick spent $50 million bucks designing a replacement for the legendary 401 nail head, and they opened the heads with a slanted saucer dome chamber and expanded the exhaust ports to help it breathe better.
(Tommy)>> It kept the same four inch bore but a new nodular iron crank upped the stroke to three point nine, giving it an extra 29 cubic inches of displacement. This also jacked up the torque to 475 at 3,200 r-p-ms. You need that low end muscle to get this tank moving.
(Joel)>> All in all in produced $35 more horses for a total output of 360. The engine was so potent it was known to break the motor mounts. Buick issued a recall at the time to equip them with a safety cable.
(Tommy)>> The '67 not only got a new engine but it was also completely reskinned. A sweeping body arc with bulging fenders replaced the rigid straight lines of the previous model. A blacked out crosshair style grille set it apart from the LeSabre, while a claw-like front end made it look like it was ready to pounce.
(Joel)>> The body was dressed up with simulated fender vents, while the rear got new ribbon style taillights. Chrome badges graced the quarter panel and deck lid, and a snarling wildcat spiced up the wheels, which had fender skirts for the first time.
(Tommy)>> Bench seats with luxury styling were standard, but you could order the Wildcat custom that got you bucket seats, a floor shifter, and a sportier interior.
(Joel)>> Wildcats occupied a spot between the upscale Electra and lower priced LeSabre. It shared the same 126 wheelbase as the Electra, and came in everything from a four door sedan, to a sport coupe, and even a convertible.
(Tommy)>> The Wildcat has been around since '62. Some people consider it Buick's first muscle car, though its size gave it less than a cat-like response when taking off and cornering, but cruising on the interstate was like gliding on air.
(Joel)>> Ads called it... ( )>> The tuned car for young people of all ages.
(Joel)>> It was priced to the tune of $3,700 bucks, which with that much power and luxury was a bargain. Over 70,000 were sold, up just a bit from '66, and only about 2,200 were ragtops.
(Tommy)>> Today the Wildcat is sadly overlooked in the muscle car history books. While it was certainly no stoplight warrior, it more than made up for it with its brute force and aggressive styled looks. Driving one, it's the cat's pajamas!
Show Full Transcript
In 1967, if you wanted a big car with loads of power you only had a couple of choices. A Catalina two plus two or Buick's luxury powerhouse, the Wildcat.
(Tommy)>> Tipping the scales at close to 5,000 pounds and stretching over 18 feet, once this car got rolling it was like a runaway freight train.
(Joel)>> The heart of the beast was the brand new 430 cubic inch V-8. [ engine revving ]
(Joel)>> Buick spent $50 million bucks designing a replacement for the legendary 401 nail head, and they opened the heads with a slanted saucer dome chamber and expanded the exhaust ports to help it breathe better.
(Tommy)>> It kept the same four inch bore but a new nodular iron crank upped the stroke to three point nine, giving it an extra 29 cubic inches of displacement. This also jacked up the torque to 475 at 3,200 r-p-ms. You need that low end muscle to get this tank moving.
(Joel)>> All in all in produced $35 more horses for a total output of 360. The engine was so potent it was known to break the motor mounts. Buick issued a recall at the time to equip them with a safety cable.
(Tommy)>> The '67 not only got a new engine but it was also completely reskinned. A sweeping body arc with bulging fenders replaced the rigid straight lines of the previous model. A blacked out crosshair style grille set it apart from the LeSabre, while a claw-like front end made it look like it was ready to pounce.
(Joel)>> The body was dressed up with simulated fender vents, while the rear got new ribbon style taillights. Chrome badges graced the quarter panel and deck lid, and a snarling wildcat spiced up the wheels, which had fender skirts for the first time.
(Tommy)>> Bench seats with luxury styling were standard, but you could order the Wildcat custom that got you bucket seats, a floor shifter, and a sportier interior.
(Joel)>> Wildcats occupied a spot between the upscale Electra and lower priced LeSabre. It shared the same 126 wheelbase as the Electra, and came in everything from a four door sedan, to a sport coupe, and even a convertible.
(Tommy)>> The Wildcat has been around since '62. Some people consider it Buick's first muscle car, though its size gave it less than a cat-like response when taking off and cornering, but cruising on the interstate was like gliding on air.
(Joel)>> Ads called it... ( )>> The tuned car for young people of all ages.
(Joel)>> It was priced to the tune of $3,700 bucks, which with that much power and luxury was a bargain. Over 70,000 were sold, up just a bit from '66, and only about 2,200 were ragtops.
(Tommy)>> Today the Wildcat is sadly overlooked in the muscle car history books. While it was certainly no stoplight warrior, it more than made up for it with its brute force and aggressive styled looks. Driving one, it's the cat's pajamas!
