In 1972 my best buddy next door bought a dark blue Centurion, and I had just inherited my mom's 69 Riviera. We were the Buick Boys of the neighborhood. We were 15 year old kids, and we both were car people from our MatchBox and Hotwheels days.
My dad bought his first new car, back in 1967...a Wildcat, gold with a black vinyl roof...He kept it for 22 years, and put over 320,000 miles on that powerful 430ci, 4bbl barge of a car!...It was still running strong, when some drunk hit it while not making a turn properly. Dad cried when that vehicle was towed to the junkyard...The only serious repairs to that magnificent car, were two sets of U-joints!...No problems otherwise. GM/Buick was really on a high-quality role, back then!
I really like the Centurion! A very rare car, especially in todays world. I know supposed Buick "fans" that didn't know these existed, and they correct "Centurion" to "Century" telling me I got the name wrong 😂😂. I would totally love to have one of these! It's a small, yet beautiful, piece of the long, glamorous history of our beloved BUICK MOTOR DIVISION
'71 Centurion is among my fave designs ('80 Olds 98 too) in discreet integrity. The car-length dropping line, adapted on '73 midsize Buicks, seems an evolution of the iconic sweep-spear.
I sold it because I wasn’t driving an open car as I once did. It lacked a bit of practicality but that was no reason to sell it. 13.5 mpg on regular gas, and like riding on a cloud - what’s not to like?
@@randyfitz8310 A lot of these classic big cars from the '70s and '80s got sold with lots of life still in them, and we later realize how much we would have enjoyed them if we had kept them. Cash for Clunkers broke my heart. So many great cars disappeared.
Funny you mention the Radials. In the late 60s, my dad had a ‘68 Cadillac Calais coupe. When the OEM Bias-ply tires wore out, he replaced them with new Sears Radials, which were essentially a rebranded Michelin X. People commented all the time “you’ve got a tire going low” due to the bulge at the contact point. He replaced the Cadillac with a ‘70 Lincoln Mark III which had Michelins standard from the factory. Lots of “flat tire” observations. The Lincoln was in an accident and in the body shop for a month or so. When it was returned, my Dad was besides himself that the frame had been bent or something else was wrong as the car was super darty and hard to control. It was checked out on the frame jig and the suspension inspected and pronounced in factory spec. Later, it was discovered the tires had been inflated to 60 lbs. to eliminate the bulge, obviously by some well meaning but uninformed service tech. Once the pressures were corrected the car drove fine again. One thing about those early Michelin’s; both the Mark III and its replacement, a ‘73 Lincoln Town Coupe with factory Michelin X tires had multiple instances of tread separation, typically after extended highway driving in the summer. Michelin replaced the tires without hesitation but later we learned the dangers of under inflated tires thanks to the Firestone/Explorer debacle. I seem to remember Lincoln specified either 26 or 28 lbs. which was probably too low for the chunky luxury cars. Why Ford would persist in recommending too low a tire pressure for the sake of a slightly smoother ride makes zero sense to me.
In 1973 my father replaced the Goodyear PolyGlass radials ( which were gufawful) with Michelin steel belted radials. There was a HUGE difference in handling and ride. A few years later, when got a new F250 pickup he had the dealer swap out the tires that came with the truck with Michelins
Personally, I think they should have kept the Wildcat and left the Centurion off, it was basically an Electra or future Park Ave. Those Buick factory chrome wheels still look great today!! Outstanding content as usual Adam.! Bravo!!
totally agree ... my father had a 1969 Olds 98 and I have clear memories of frying the palm of my hand trying to buckle the seat belt. We lived in South Carolina, so they got pretty freaking hot 8 months out of the year.
Thank you for this video. I owned a 1971 Electra sedan with the 455 and loved it! Today I own a 1963 Electra Sport Coupe with a 401 nailhead. Bronze Mist Metallic with cream colored top. Brown leather interior including bucket seats. I love the 1970 Red Wildcat. Thanks again!
My only experience with the Centurion was getting a ride home from college at Thanksgiving, 1971. My friend's mother had a brand new 1972 Centurion convertible. I think it was the same color as this one, or close. The Buicks were the best of the 1971 GM restyle.
My parents bought a’71 Electra 225 in ‘73, and I thought it was a beautiful car. Luckily they kept until I got my license so I was able to drive it quite a bit before they sold it, and I was impressed by how nice it rode, as well as the power it had.
Thanks for this video. This brought me back to my childhood. My parents had a 1972 LeSabre, two door hardtop, in dark green. I loved that car and still miss it. I'd love to find a 1971 - 1972 in a convertible someday and surprise my parents with it. They still talk about when they fell in love with it at the dealer. I love the way the 71-72 LeSabre and Centurions look.
When I think of "Buick Centurion", I instantly think of the (highly underrated) 1980 movie "Used Cars", which featured a very young Kurt Russell as a used car salesman. The movie opens with the camera focused on the speedometer, with Kurt under the dash. Suddenly, the miles get set back about 30k miles. If you ever get a chance, it is absolutely hilarious! The Buick featured here is gorgeous!
In 73-76 as a teenager, I worked for various dealerships in the Phoenix area and got to drive these cars. Back then we often delivered cars and returned to the dealerships with their trade-ins. I often imagined that some day I would be able to buy cars like these but by the time I was financially able to cars changed a lot but I was able to buy older ones as fixer-ups and I wish I had held on to at least one.
I’ve learned so much about these cars of my childhood from watching your channel. I learned to drive in my grandpa’s 71 Catalina and it’s so similar to this Buick in many respects. I just remember how it floated down the road…and how much throttle response it had at low end!
You found a very nice convertible Centurion to feature, Adam. I agree with you -- these are my favorite Buick models of this era -- cleaner trim but powerful looking. In the early '80s, a friend's parents had an all-black '73 Centurion convertible that was still very good looking. It was his Dad's pride and joy.
Had a 1972 hardtop while in high school mid 80's that my dad had acquired by working on his friend's other cars. In that trade deal, two Buick's were acquired together for that work. One was a '74 Century 4-door with the Buck 350, and the '72 Centurion came with the 455. Dad swapped those engines for his own fun and gave me the Centurion with the 350 in it. That was just fine, my meager minimum wages covered the 350's gas use okay, but the Century w/455 would lift the left front tire off the ground from a dead stomp that was aided by an increase of the cam specs while the swap took place. Great driving car, and friends liked the size. Have always sought out full-size cars and now daily a '89 Caprice.
Adam, I have nothing against the Centurion but the Wildcat was irreplaceable. Don't take my word for it, ask the guy in the Texaco Havoline commercial who went 647,000 miles in his 1970 Wildcat. 😁 Speaking of Intermediate Buicks of the mid-70s, 14:23 we are overdue for an exploration of Kojak's Century.
In the view around the 1:45 mark, the front headlights, grill and bumper look very similar to the Caprice, in my opinion. The side view with that sweeping line is gorgeous. I think that feature works much better on the full-size Buicks versus the mid-size. Would love to own this example.
EXTREMELY similar to our 1972 Caprice, so much that I thought it was a Caprice at first! Caprice/ Impalas were such a huge bargain for affordable luxury for so many people for many years... Imagine if an average person today could afford a huge comfortable car with 90% of the comfort and luxury of the largest Cadillac at 1/3 the price... Or teenagers routinely cruising around in cars as big, powerful and nearly as comfortable, as the biggest Benzs and Rolls Royces. Our neighbors actually preferred the looks, comfort and power of our 72 Caprice to their new "small" 1977 Deville, with all of its chintzy plastic body filler parts, origami body work and rougher ride. Not to mention wheezing engine. For a long period of time, GM really had it RIGHT, with a car to suit any size, budget or need. Large didn't always mean expensive, and small didn't always mean slow or cheap. CHOICES. We truly have regressed, with people forced to buy similar smallish, WAY overpriced uncomfortable boxes just to get from A to B and survive. What a sad state of affairs....
@@Jack_Stafford Enjoyed reading your comment. I turned 16 in 1970 and bought my first car that summer for my job. Paid $450 for a used ‘65 Impala SS. Pretty good price since it was considered “high mileage”, it had 46,000 on the odometer! 🤣 Wish I still had it. Cheers! 👍👍👍
@@Primus54 I should have paid $800 for the 1966 2 door Caprice Super Sport 396 I saw at a lot in high school. Bad rust tho, the upper wheel arches looked horrid.
I bought a '71 Centurion Convertible in the early 90's, it had the optional L76 high performance 455 rated @ 330 HP and came with dual exhaust. Lots of torque!
These are magnificent cars in appearance. A respected friend has an extremely well equipped 72 Delta 88 Royale Convertible with 455 with lamp monitors cornering lamps full power accessories bright red with white and white interior and I have been on occasions operator as well as front and rear passenger. What sweetheart’s these cars are when they have been maintained as this one and my friends has been. Excellent cars I give them 10-10 I’m sure a 65 Cadillac or Pontiac will embarrass these but what a beautiful car thanks for highlighting it.
'73 full size Buicks are my favorite. It's that top lip on the front of the hood and headlights. Hood ornament and grill. And those canted back headlight bezels. Not to mention the Electra 225 Limited's seat fabric embossing that resembles paisley print.
My first registered car was a 71 Buick Electra with the 455cid ,was looking for a Centurion. Ended up replacing the 455 with a 350cid engine and put over200 k miles on it before selling it to a Neighbor .
That parade boot on the thumbnail car is a very nice accessory! I never saw one (or I just failed to notice🙄 ) when I was a kid, and convertibles were a lot more common.
My father brought a brand new 71 centurion hardtop one in that same color is called burnish cinnamon with light beige vinyl top n interior it was loaded except the tilt wheel n power locks n seat and it was equipped with the stage1 455 with 360 hp 510 ft of torque same engine used in the GS n the gsx except it breath cold air from the bottom of the engine that car was a brutal torque monster
Thank you for another great video Adam! The '71 Buicks were great road cars and looked great on the road. I always liked those massive taillight "coves" on these (almost as big as the '67 Dodge Polara taillights) and that body line going from hood to rear bumper is pure "sculpture!" Those cornering lights were very rare on these - even on the Electra/Riviera, I don't recall seeing many of them with cornering lights. I do think they should've kept the "Wildcat" name though, "Wildcat" had some history to back it up and was a familiar nameplate to everybody - "Centurion" not so much!
Had the exact duplicate to this awesome ride....owned it for 2 years & not once did I drop the top. That big block was bullet-proof...just like my current '71 Delta 88 Town Sedan, it's got the Olds version of the same cubic inches.
Terrific-Looking Buick Centurion, which I hadn't seen before, Adam...The Roman Commander Model, U wud think, wud have been a huge seller....Cheers fm Damo😎🤘
Really nice reviews. It's refreshing that a malaise era car has some consideration for it's style and compared of it's time, rather than be dismissed. I often wonder if many of the detractors of these cars are only retelling someone else's story or if they only had experience from driving a clapped out 5th owner used car. There's a lot to love in this era.
I don't consider 1971 as "malaise era"; engines were still strong in 1971.. For me malaise era started in full in 1975 and lasted about 10 years, but pulling out of it took a very long time. .
I agree - after '71 the bumper standards, smog control, gas mileage, safety and other things started to kick in and styling took a "back seat" so to say! Both GM and Ford had totally new styling across all of their car lines and the Vega and Pinto also debuted in '71 - really a great year for car buffs!
Beautiful and rare Burnished Cinnamon color! (I learned to drive on our family's '71 LeSabre in this color! Good driving large cars! I noticed those lamp monitors on the fenders, and I think they have been added to this car. Unless I missed something, they weren't available until 1972 in Buicks. Keep up the good work!
Had a 1973 2 door with the 455 Stage 1 engine. Great car. Sold it to my friend, who is also my boss. Pulled the oil pan to replace a leaking rear main seal and since I was there, pulled the timing cover and timing chain assembly. Installed a new timing chain set, new timing cover and oil pump assembly, complete ignition tune-up and cleaned the Quadrajet carburetor. Took it to a muffler shop where a good friend works and had the exhaust system updated with new pipes and Magna Flow mufflers. The car runs and sounds awesome. It's being daily driving it now. 🙂 Appreciate your reviews. Keep up the great work.
The Centurion was a very clean car, especially when ordered w/o the bodyside molding - looks better, allows the bodyside sculpting to stand on its own, but door dings! Seem that most on offer are the convertible, though the coupe, with its unitque rear window/roof is also interesting (even though you got stuck with the vinyl top). Buick, espeically, cheaped out on the interior trim for the price class when new on this model. But the scissor top did increase backseat room vs. the older design.
Thank you for showing us this beautiful Buick! A great design with real presence. Also reminds one of the truly bad panel fits from this generation of GM cars. That gap between the hood and the front doors looks like the grand canyon.
Excellent video on a beautiful car! One technical error, though on engine output numbers… The 71 455 was rated at 315 gross horsepower and 450 foot pounds (not 510). The 72 455 was net rated (with optional dual exhaust) at 250 hp and 375 foot pounds.
The 71-72 centurion and 75 grand ville are my fav of these fullsize GM convertibles...super good looking...i own one of the Pontiacs. The top is the same on all of these...even the Eldo had the same top and glass as the others. I've had convertibles with lined tops and I don't know how you'd line the scissor top as the way the side rails sweep inwards just doesn't lend to any attachment points for a liner. I guess if the liner was removable you could do it but that would eliminate the convenience of dropping the top and windows all while sitting in the drivers seat. Awesome cars
I'm 66 yrs and I can't look at these Buicks without remembering a guy I went to school with who borrowed his mother's car, a new 1974 Buick Le Sabre and demolished it. The car looked like a wedge. He went off the road. flew roof first into large trees and when the police got there he was sitting on the guardrail with a few scratches after being ejected. I saw the car and him at the local gas station they used to take wrecks to. I told him I was amazed he lived. About 9 months later he was a passenger in a 1971 Chevelle with 5 others. The car was of course going way too fast, slid out on a curve, went passenger side first into a tree and split the car into 3 pieces. All but the driver was killed. Same old stories guys, partying and driving!
I owned a '71 LeSabre 2-door coupe in a very similar color with a white vinyl roof and interior. The door was so heavy that it made it almost impossible to get out if you were parked in a tipped position. 😂 Great car, though, until the transmission went. 🤷🏻♂️🙄 Great post, thanks!
For some reason there are more convertible Centurians for sale than the 2 door hardtop. 455 was standard in 1971 and 1972, optional for 1973. I would LOVE a 1973 two door hardtop, fully loaded with the 455. For some reason I really like the 1973 bumpers on full size Buicks (excluding the Riviera). I hate the bumpers on the 1974-76 full size Buicks though.
I think in general, among old cars, the percentage of convertibles still around is higher than the percentage when they were new. People tend to drive something else in the winter, so the convertibles get lower mileage on them, and are less likely to be consumed by rust.
These 71-76 full-size GM's were the kings of demo derbies for decades, especially the clamshell wagons! The only cars that were tougher were 66-down Imperials, and the unibody suicide door Lincoln Continentals (both of which were usually not allowed in most derbies)
It's called a parade boot. The idea was that in a parade, the boot was strong enough to allow the homecoming queen or whoever, to sit there and be admired. It stores in the trunk in a padded bag in two pieces that are joined at the center with sort of an interlocking finger joint.
My Dad had a 1971 Buick Centurion. He bought it two years old cheap because it misfired and had low power. He new the guy that owned it and how frustrated he was that no mechanic could fix it after months of trying. My dad took it to the first of few ASE certified mechanics and he found the double wall exhaust pipe closed up for the fix.
I know nothing about Centurions but I had three Wildcats, a 64 with the 401 nailhead, a 68 with the 430, and a 70 with the 455. They were all great cars but the 70 was the most powerful therefore it was my favorite Wildcat only because of that. I also owned 2 Rivs,a 70 with the most powerful 455, & a 73 boattail.They too were great cars.As far as styling goes, the 73 boat tail looked better but performance wise the 70 ran stronger.Other than that They rode and handled great.Great cars!!! As for that Centurion,it seems to be like a Wildcat & it looks like a solid car. I like the styling also.
The side line from the hood sweeping down to the rear bumper is a great design feature. Gives the Centurion a wooden speedboat feel from the side angle
My parents bought a blue '65 Skylark convertible new, and kept it for 15 years here in the PNW, which is actually an ideal climate for a convertible - not too hot. I got to absolutely love top-down driving, and I still can "feel" driving the Buick in my imagination. Come 2014, we had the opportunity to travel to Germany and buy an Ingolstadt-delivered new Audi A5 2.0T Q convertible, which we then drove up through Denmark to Norway and Sweden, returning to Berlin for shipment of the car home. The A5 is also blue and we still have it today. There is a surprisingly wide gulf in quality comparing the two cars, suggesting that the Audi may be the more cost-effective car, even considering its twenty-fold higher price. The Buick had terrifyingly weak brakes, and you could feel the different parts of the chassis independently bend all over the place as you drove down the road. The Audi feels - even today at age 10 and 75,000 miles - as solid as a bank vault in comparison. It's certainly faster than the Buick (a 300ci 2bbl 2sp auto), and can exceed 30 mpg on a long trip if I keep my speed below 70 mph. There's a slick interior headliner on the top, and even a dome light. I suppose I've had the best of both worlds, and I'm sure the year 2065 won't offer any similar dual-experience to folks who are teenagers today.
GM called that convertible top the “inward folding top” and the mechanism allowed it to fold completely flat below the belt line. It also let them use a glass rear window which was rare (unique?) on a convertible.
The glass window was rare, but not unique. VW Beetle convertibles had a glass window for many years before 71, and Mustangs had a glass window that was hinged in the middle to allow it to fold. Heck, even the 58-60 Lincoln Continental converts had a glass rear window that rolled down!
When the Wildcat went to shorter wheelbase at the end of the previous generation, those 1969 and '70 Wildcats are the best looking Buicks ever made in my opinion. These Centurions look fairly good, but certainly not as attractive as what they immediately replaced. I will say though, both late Wildcats and Centurions look better to me as convertibles than as coupes, which is very unusual itself.
A classmate had a Black 1973 Buick Centurian Convertible with the 350 cubic inch engine. Her Dad was well known local Doctor. She looked really good driving around with the top folded down. The front bumper was a definite drawback as for as appearance went. It distracted from the general pleasing appearance of the big Buick automobiles of the time. The 1971 and 1972 Full size GM vehicles was generally very pleasing.
I liked the Wildcats and the Centurions as well. They had identies that the few remaining sedan models and lookalike boxcars with nameplates of today don't .
GM interiors of this era might not have been as good as previous years. But compared to the interiors of today's vehicles. The most basic interior is better than what they make today.
The scissor-action top mechanism is indeed awkward when going up and down, tending to be lopsided. Nonetheless, in repose, it is masterfully sleek and unobtrusive, finding itself highly suitable to a number of body styles and appearing all all GMs large line up in the early 70s. It is an extremely elegant mechanism, leaving the top more compact and, best of all, allowing a lovely, sleek, elegant profile when the top is up. This last quality is quite unique in convertible-top history, being one of very few that avoids that chunky, boxy profile most convertibles display. A great shame they were only in production a few years. As cars became downsized, this mechanism would have been of great advantage (with the sheer-look models especially), both in terms of space-saving, as well as aesthetics and aerodynamics.
