Buick Wildcat

First generation (1963–1964)

From 1963 through 1970, the Wildcat stood as its own model line, having graduated from being a trim level of the Invicta. The 1963 edition featured a sizable aluminum side panel, while the 1964 cars sported vertical chrome hash-marks on the lower front quarter panel behind the front wheels, and they lacked the traditional horizontal VentiPorts found on other Buicks. When it became a full series in 1963, the lineup expanded from the two-door hardtop coupe introduced in 1962 to include a convertible and a four-door hardtop sedan. In the four-door, a bench seat was standard, though the bucket seats and console from the coupe and convertible were optional. A pillared four-door sedan joined in 1964, and trim levels were standard and custom, with a mid-line deluxe subseries offered only for 1965. From 1966 through 1969, the base trim (similar to the 1965 deluxe) and custom trim were the only choices. The Wildcat rode on a 123-inch wheelbase, three inches shorter than the top-tier Electra’s 126-inch span. The two-door Sport Coupe hardtop carried a list price of $3,849.

The standard engine through 1966 was the 325-horsepower, 401-cubic-inch Wildcat V8. From 1964 to 1966, a larger 425-cubic-inch Wildcat V8 was optional, producing either 340 horsepower with a single four-barrel carburetor or 360 horsepower with two four-barrel carburetors, and it came with finned cast aluminum valve covers embossed with the Buick logo. Starting in 1964, a three-speed manual transmission with a column shifter was standard, with a four-speed manual (available 1963-1965) or the three-speed automatic Super Turbine 400 as options. Engine names reflected torque output rather than displacement: the “Wildcat 445” was the 401 CID V8 making 445 lb-ft of torque, while the “Wildcat 465” was the 425 CID V8 producing 465 lb-ft. The dual-quad version of the Wildcat 465 was called the “Super Wildcat.”

Second generation (1965–1970)

In 1966, Buick offered a one-year-only Gran Sport Performance Group for the Wildcat, ordered through the A8/Y48 option code. Buyers could choose between two engines: a standard 425-cubic-inch V8 with a single four-barrel carburetor producing 340 horsepower, or a more powerful 360-horsepower version with dual carburetors at extra cost. This 20-horsepower upgrade initially came as a dealer-installed modification on standard MT-coded engines, but later, these "Super Wildcats" could be ordered directly from the factory with MZ-coded engines. Both the base and Super GS packages included dual exhaust, heavy-duty suspension, posi-traction, and updated rear quarter-panel "GS" badging in the initials-only style used on all Gran Sports after 1965. Buick built 1,244 Wildcat GS models that year, with 242 convertibles and the rest hardtops. Only 22 were Super Wildcats, though the exact mix of body styles is unknown. A styling cue borrowed from the 1963 Buick Riviera arched the beltline over the rear wheels, a twist on the older "Sweepspear" design; later cars added a rub strip along the side that tapered down toward the rear bumper.

For 1967, the Wildcat, along with the Riviera and Electra 225, received a new 430-cubic-inch V8 with a four-barrel carburetor and 360 horsepower. This engine had larger valves for better airflow than the earlier 401/425 Nailhead V8, which dated back to Buick's first V8 in 1953. It featured a 10.25:1 compression ratio, reached peak power at 5,000 rpm, and delivered 475 pound-feet of torque at 3,200 rpm—all SAE gross figures. The 430 was short-lived, offered only through 1969. For 1970, it was replaced by Buick's largest V8 ever: a 455-cubic-inch engine, essentially a bored-out version of the 430 with the same large-valve design, rated at 370 horsepower and over 500 pound-feet of torque.

In 1967 and 1968, new federally mandated safety equipment appeared, improving occupant protection in crashes and adding accident-avoidance features. Like other full-size American cars of the late 1960s, Buicks grew larger, more luxurious, and less fuel-efficient. The Wildcat was offered only in Custom trim for its final year, 1970, and was replaced by the Buick Centurion for 1971.