The 1963 Buick Wildcat was among the best performance classics from the '60s. With its robust powertrains, tasteful exterior styling, and extreme performance, the birth of the Buick Wildcat marked a great time in automotive history – one we will always remember. Today, the classic Buick Wildcat still retains its high value.
Even when viewed from a modern-day perspective, the Buick Wildcat still boasts a high level of uniqueness and performance that can charm every car enthusiast. Let's look at its estimated price, specs, and some cool features that have made the Buick Wildcat a huge success.
The 1963 Buick Wildcat Is A Reasonably Priced Performance Car Today
The industry is continually favoring high-performance cars, and the classics are in high demand this year, and this trend will likely rise in time. With that, the 1963 Buick Wildcat has surprisingly risen in value over the last couple of years. While the price depends on its mileage, these cars have an outstanding record of beating their odds, and still thousands of miles with no major issues.
Typically, a used 1963 Buick Wildcat with 100,000 miles is priced between $18,000 and $25,000. Any lower mileage could have you shelling out upwards of $28,000. Last year, a 1963 Buick Wildcat Hardtop on Bring a Trailer with around 83k miles was listed and auctioned out for $17,532.
And, most recently, a 1963 Buick wildcat convertible with 77k on the odometer was listed between $32,000 and $42,000 on Classicdriver.com. The best part about the Wildcat is that it’s amazingly durable, so you’ll likely find one in great condition, despite being over six decades old.
Here’s What We Love About Its Appearance
At first glance, the Wildcat’s exterior styling seems to be conservative in shape, but there are several notable details spread throughout its exterior design that give it a unique overall flair.
Opening to an all-new pioneering model year and lineup, the 1963 Buick Wildcat came with a striking exterior styling. The front gleams with its all-metal mesh grille, which received a flat black finish, with the iconic Buick Logo appearing to float at its center.
The silver-plated grille has openings that are framed with fluted silver metal paneling and topped off with a polished stainless-steel beading at its top. This leads on to the edge of the hood giving the grille a bolder character. The front bumper is covered in a fancy silver that blends in with the rest of the front-end paneling quite energetically. Towards the top of the impressive grille, and just at the edge of the hood, every model was given the “WILDCAT” lettering, which gives the performance car an interesting and appealing finish.
The entire exterior design was inspired by the famous 1962 Oldsmobile Starfire: Another unique classic that is among the founding models in this performance car segment. The Wildcat took after the Starfire’s stainless-steel body paneling, except for one thing: the paneling on the Wildcat is slightly larger than the one on the classic star fire – about three inches wide and ends mid-section of the door.
One thing that makes the paneling on the Wildcat extra interesting is what’s actually inside. You see, the paneling consists of three separate horizontal "vents,” which combine to uphold the brand’s venti-port styling theme. The side profile glosses with its seamless door paneling that blends in with the rest of the body. The eyecatching silver frame holds the manually-operated window, which seemingly slides to blend into the roof.
The rear has a stunning styling that complements the front end and deserves your attention. The 1963 Buick Wildcat features tailfins protruding, which, around that time, became increasingly popular in performance and luxury cars alike. The tailfins on the Buick protrude slightly above the trunk lid, to offer a much sleeker backend. The taillights are larger, and are housed in chrome-plated vertical housings, and are positioned just in the center of each protruding tailfin.
The tailfins are split into two parts: the top and bottom parts. The top part of both tailfins houses the brake lights, and the bottom part upholds the reverse lights. Plus, the bottom part actually blends to become part of the bottom bumper. In dimension, the 1963 Buick Wildcat Series roughly matches the predecessor, the Buick LeSabre, measuring 215.70 inches in overall body length, 123.00 inches in wheelbase, and has a curb weight of 3,900 pounds.
Here’s How The Engine Made the Buick Wildcat So Special
Under the hood, all 1963 Buick Wildcat models are equipped with a 6.6-Liter Nailhead V8 engine, which makes a tire-threshing 325 horsepower at 4,400 RPM and 445 lb.-ft of torque at 2,800 RPM, earning it the name “Wildcat 445”. This robust powertrain pairs either with a two-speed Dynaflow automatic, three-speed TH-400 automatic, a three-speed manual, or a four-speed manual transmission to power the rear wheels.