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.
Lead trim: Century Gran Sport 231 cu in V6 (standard 1975) · up to 270 hp
Buick Century Gran Sport1973–1975
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Buick Century Gran Sport 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.
FactThe 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.
In 1973–75 (and in 1986) there was a Century Gran Sport: for 1973 Buick renamed its intermediate line from Skylark to Century, and the GS badge became "Gran Sport", an option package (decals, suspension and appearance upgrades) on the semi-fastback Century Colonnade coupes. The standard engine was a 150-horsepower 350 two-barrel V8; a 175-horsepower 350 four-barrel (single exhaust) and a 190-horsepower 350 four-barrel (dual exhaust) available only on the Gran Sport, plus two 455 cubic-inch V8s (250-horsepower four-barrel and the Stage 1 four-barrel rated at 270 horsepower, both with dual exhaust; net figures), the 455s with a four-speed M21 manual or Turbo Hydra-matic 400. In 1973 only 979 Century Gran Sport 455 and 728 Century Gran Sport 455 Stage 1 models were assembled; the 1974 model received trim changes, the 455s downrated to 245 and 255 net horsepower respectively (579 and 478 built), and the Stage 1 was one of the first GM cars with the High Energy Ignition distributor. For 1975, the third and final year on the Colonnade body, the GS was reduced to an appearance/handling package as the 455/Stage 1 options were discontinued and Buick's revived 231 cubic-inch V6 was standard, with a 155 hp two-barrel and a 175 hp four-barrel 350 optional and catalytic converters mandating unleaded fuel; 1,288 were built in 1975. The Century and Riviera GS were discontinued after 1975 with sagging sales after the energy crisis.
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
7 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 Gran Sport 231 cu in V6 (standard 1975) | 1975–1975 | V6 | 110 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
| Century Gran Sport 350 cu in V8 (150 hp, standard 1973) | 1973–1973 | V8 | 150 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
| Century Gran Sport 350 four-barrel dual exhaust V8 (190 hp, 1973) | 1973–1973 | V8 | 190 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
| Century Gran Sport 455 Stage 1 V8 (255 hp net, 1974) | 1974–1974 | V8 | 255 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
| Century Gran Sport 455 Stage 1 four-barrel V8 (270 hp, 1973) | 1973–1973 | V8 | 270 hp | 390 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Century Gran Sport 455 four-barrel V8 (245 hp net, 1974) | 1974–1974 | V8 | 245 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
| Century Gran Sport 455 four-barrel V8 (250 hp, 1973) | 1973–1973 | V8 | 250 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
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.
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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.