The Buick Wildcat is one of the most gorgeous cars from Buick and could even be categorized as a muscle car in 1966, despite its large size and not-so-cheap price. Its the powerful engine in it that counts. That said; the Wildcat had to claw its way up to success considering it began its life as a subseries of the Buick Invicta line in 1962, even though it came with better power and stunning good looks.

The next year, 1963, saw the Wildcat as a standalone, with the nomenclature taken from a very cool Buick concept car of the ‘50s, fiberglass built at the time. Despite its popularity, the Wildcat retired in 1970. Yet it managed to make a mark, especially for a few model years, enough for the classic car bazaar to remember it by.

That said; it’s the 1966 Buick Wildcat that was something pretty special even if it's one of the more obscure muscle cars of its time. This is what it's worth today and why anyone who loves great classic cars should buy it…

The History Of The Buick Wildcat

The Year 1963 Saw The Wildcat As A Standalone, And The Name Comes From A Buick Concept Car Of The ‘50s, Fiberglass Built At The Time
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With the launch of the Buick Century in 1930, Buick began to be known for making cars that came with light bodies and the heftiest engines around. Powerful cars and good looking, many Buick cars looked as good as they ran on the road and the Wildcat was one of the best of the Buicks.

It debuted as a sportier and more powerful version of the Buick Invicta two-door hardtop, replete with bucket seats. Since it was well-received, in 1963, the Wildcat became a three-car series of its own coming as a two-door hardtop and coupe, as well as a four-door hardtop. In 1964, a four-door sedan was added in looking at the popularity of the vehicle.

V8s were the standard engines, and horsepower ranged from 325 to 360, depending on carburetors. The 360-horse spewing Wildcat carried a dual four-barrel carburetor known as the dual-quad and was known as the Super Wildcat.

The same four body styles continued in the second-generation of the Buick Wildcat, from 1965 to 1970 after which the Wildcat rested its laurels and the Buick Centurion rose to take its place. One of the reasons for the Wildcat's decline can also be attributed to the design change in the 1969 model, something that reduced the authenticity of the Wildcat.

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That 1966 Special Model

1966 Buick Wildcat Gran Sport Coupe
Mecum Auctions

The 1965-66 models of the Buick Wildcat could almost be dubbed as renaissance models. Buick was running a solid sales and with the ‘60s, came the highpoint. To appease the market demand, Buicks needed to be good looking yet fast, spacious, and luxurious and yet performance-oriented.

So in 1965, the Wildcat stepped up and out of the LeSabre’s dimensions and took on the Buick Electra 126-inch wheelbase. It became the perfect between car between the economical LeSabre and the uber-expensive Electra and was as powerful as it needed to be with its larger dimensions.

The most special thing about the 1966 Buick Wildcat was the single-year Gran Sport Performance Group package that came with GS badging. The base engine in this package was the single carburetor 7.0-liter V8 that made 340 horses. A dual-carburetor set up was available at a higher cost for an added 20 horses and these cars were dubbed Super Wildcats as a continuation from the first generation. The 360-horsepower engine was initially a dealer-installed option but later could be had factory-installed as well. Dual-exhausts, a heavier suspension, and many other little accents marked these cars as special. Torque for the 7.0-liter engine remained a standard 465 ft-lb. A three-speed manual transmission was standard but could be upgraded to a four-speed manual on the floor as well as a four-speed automatic option.

More “muscle” could be added to the Wildcat with a limited-slip differential, a tachometer as well as heavier springs and shocks plus a hood ornament.

The Wildcat Gran Sport ran 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds, at top speeds of 125 mph, and was known to be one of the most comfortable and most maneuverable Buicks ever. For 1966, a total of 25,000 Wildcats were made, and only 21 of those were Gran Sports. Back then, prices ranged from $3,100-3,600.

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The Reasons & Pricing

The Buick Wildcat Remains One Of The Most Underrated Muscle Cars Of Its Time
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The Buick Wildcat remains one of the most underrated muscle cars of its time, despite combining reliability with comfort and performance in an eye-catching package. With styling cues from the Buick Riviera, this car is too good to not be valued as a classic but for now, the prices are still low enough for many to be able to afford it.

A mint condition Buick Wildcat will still cost you less than $20,000 and good if a well-ridden model can even go down $10,000. The perfect time to buy the Wildcat before its claws it way up on the classic car pricing charts and becomes one of those classics that everyone wants but not everyone can afford to buy.

Sources: AutoWise, Hagerty

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