Buried in this Century lineup was a sleeper: the rare 1979-1980 Turbo Coupe, whose turbocharged 3.8L V6 aimed for V8 muscle while sipping less fuel in the thick of the gas-crisis years.
Lead trim: Century 196 cu in Buick V6 (base 1978)
Buick Century1978–1981
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Buick Century yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactBuried in this Century lineup was a sleeper: the rare 1979-1980 Turbo Coupe, whose turbocharged 3.8L V6 aimed for V8 muscle while sipping less fuel in the thick of the gas-crisis years.
GM downsized its intermediate line for 1978, reducing the wheelbase by 4 in (to 108.1 in; length 196 in) and curb weight by nearly half a ton (3,130–3,425 lb): the Century was initially offered as an "aeroback" fastback two-door coupe and fastback four-door sedan along with a station wagon (sharing bodies with the Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon), over a foot shorter and several hundred pounds lighter than its predecessor. Big-block engines were discontinued and the new base powerplant was Buick's new 196 cu in (3.2 L) V6 introduced specifically for the Century and Regal, with the 231 cu in (3.8 L) V6 and the Chevrolet 305 V8 as options (the Pontiac 265 and 301 replaced the Chevrolet engine for 1979). The two fastback models (like the Cutlass Salon) proved unpopular: for 1980 the fastback four-door sedan was dropped for a conventional notchback sedan, and after 1980 the fastback coupe was discontinued. With the introduction of the new front-wheel-drive Century in 1982 the existing notchback sedan and wagon were transferred to the Regal line. Production was 87,746 (1978), 55,837 (1979), 148,429 (1980) and 144,267 (1981).
Collectors Spotted in the Buick Century Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Buick Century yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Century 196 cu in Buick V6 (base 1978) | 1978–1978 | 3.2 L V6 | 90 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Century 301 cu in Pontiac V8 (from 1979) | 1979–1979 | 4.9 L V8 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Buick waited nearly 15 years to redesign the Century, then gave it the Regal's chassis under softer, slower bodywork.
Rare turbo V6 performance Century special edition from 1986, very few survive. About 400 on North American roads today (estimate).
This Century shared its A-body so closely with the Cutlass Ciera, Pontiac 6000 and Chevy Celebrity that Fortune magazine put the lookalikes on its cover in 1983 as a cautionary tale — and GM recommitted to design leadership because of it.
Buick's Turbo Coupe offered V8-like punch with better fuel economy from a turbo 3.8 V6 — but barely anyone bought one: total production across both years is estimated under 2,500.
Buried in this Century lineup was a sleeper: the rare 1979-1980 Turbo Coupe, whose turbocharged 3.8L V6 aimed for V8 muscle while sipping less fuel in the thick of the gas-crisis years.
The Buick Century Gran Sport ended quietly in 1975 — just 1,288 built that final year, reduced to an appearance and suspension package with no big 455 V8 left to back it up.
This mid-size Century led the field at the Indy 500 two years running — Buick then sold the public a "Free Spirit" replica wearing the pace car's own decals.
In 1955 the California Highway Patrol ordered 270 Century two-door sedans in a body style civilians couldn't buy — the same cars Broderick Crawford drove on TV's Highway Patrol.
The Century's name was a literal spec: capable of sustained 100 mph in the 1930s, it earned the nickname "the banker's hot rod."
This Series 60 launched right as Harley Earl's new 'Art and Colour Section' put every GM car through the same design studio — the start of corporate styling as we know it.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.
Nissan hired former BMW engineers to help develop the 510's suspension, which is why period reviewers frequently compared its handling to the BMW 1600/2002.
A Trabant 601 won its class at the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally, with a second 601 right behind it in second.
The 600 was a stopgap: the P50's body over the 601's mechanicals, and for a while its estate was built alongside the new 601 saloon.
The G80 Sport brought a 370 PS twin-turbo 3.3 V6, a mesh grille and copper-tinted chrome with copper stitching to match.
The Vigor was sold only with a five-cylinder engine, an unusual configuration Honda used to fit a longer engine transversely under a short hood.
The GS/E coupe earned the nickname "German Charger" for its long hood, short deck stance borrowed from Detroit muscle cars.
This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.