The Wildcat, a two-seater show and experimental car with an unusual moniker, was Buick’s 1953 “dream car.” The Wildcat II, an entirely new one-off, rewrote the title the next year, sending it to the furthest reaches of the automotive cosmos. A four-passenger Wildcat III finally made its appearance in 1955.
As part of the customary mid-season lineup tweaks for the divisions at General Motors, the Buick Invicta got a high-end upgrade that was dubbed “Wildcat.” After realizing it was a good model, Buick dropped the trim level and went straight after performance-minded buyers who weren’t reluctant to part with a large sum of money in 1963.
The new car of 1963 was slated between the Electra and the LaSabre as a full-size automobile with a knack for tire-squealing deeds. But that same year marked the debut of another Buick icon – the company’s first ‘personal luxury’ offer – the Riviera. The Wildcat had it rough from birth but didn’t back down one inch.
Despite having some body pieces in common with the entry-level LeSabre, the Wildcat had a distinct, positive appearance. And the muscle complemented the appearance; the standard 401 cubic-inch V8 produced 325 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque. That’s 330 horsepower and 603 newton meters from a 6.6-liter engine with a four-barrel carburetor and a 10.25:1 compression ratio. Using a torque converter, Buick’s automated Turbine Drive box connected the engine to the 3.42 rear gears.
A new engine, the 425-cube V8 (7.0 liters), was unveiled in 1964 and was ironically dubbed the Wildcat 465. The quantity (465 lb-ft, or 630 Nm) represented torque output rather than displacement size. The only way to distinguish between the V8s, which were all “Wildcats” in nature, was by their number differences. The Super Wildcat, which lacked a tail number in its designation, was the top of the line. Simultaneously, the economy motorization was powered by the Fireball V6, a six-cylinder engine.
The standard powerplant for ’64 remained the tried and tested 401-CID V8 and its 325 hp, the Wildcat 445. However, the Wildcat automobile now allowed buyers to install the bigger 425s – either the 340-horse (345 PS) Wildcat 465 or the mighty 360-hp (365 PS) Super Wildcat. The latter provided the same crankshaft-twisting force, but its dual quads changed the power rating.
Buick put a high-performance camshaft in it, tailoring it to the needs of “performance lovers” (the carmaker’s wording), but whoever wanted one had to pay up. The big-block was available as extra-cost equipment on Riviera, Electra 225, and Wildcat – no one was exempted from the rule.
1964 was a good year for Buick, with a total production of 511,666 – the first time since 1956 that the sales rose past the half-million mark and only the third time since 1950 that the magic threshold was surpassed. From ‘64 on, the GM division was on a steady rise for the next decade, and the Wildcat was the witness – and actor – of this shareholder smile-bringing achievement.
The Buick Wildcat, dubbed the “Next best thing to owning a Riviera,” was available in four body configurations in 1964: a four-door sedan, a two-door convertible, and two hardtops. There were two-door Sports Coupe models and four-door versions of the hardtops. A single instance of the latter’s little less than 23,000 unit production run had survived until 2023. This wildcat has lost a few of its nine lives along the journey, so someone best call the salvage mechanics.
In addition to the outside damage, which is often a hint of a “money pit dead ahead,” this pile of Buick scrap metal is deeply marred by terrible news. To be more precise, the V8 has been ruthlessly disassembled, with the heads, valve train, and valve covers removed from the left cylinder bank. Under the hood are no longer the intake manifold, carburetor(s? ), and ancillaries. We can only speculate as to how long the barren pistons have been exposed to the weather, but it’s probably safe to conclude that changing the oil won’t do them much good.
Even so, this cosmetic and mechanical hunk of headaches can still be brought back to life. At least, that’s what firmly believes. Although weathered, the body is described as ‘very good’ apart from a few minor rust specks. Initially, this car was red with a white top – but the custom fabric roof cover is long gone.