The Buick GSX began as an option package on the Buick Skylark in 1965 with probably the biggest and best of the Buick GSX produced in 1970. 1970 was the year that General Motors lifted the corporate ban on making engines larger than 400 cubic inches. Buick immediately went to market with with a 455 cubic inch engine that it put into its Buick GS or Gran Sport.
Before 1970, the GSX did not sell very well for Buick. This was primarily because Buicks were considered an old man’s car, old fashioned, sturdy, but not very fun to drive. Things changed when the company replaced the nail-head V8 with the bigger 400 cubic inch and bigger, engines. In the years leading up to 1970 Buick restyled the Skylark GS400 in an effort to make it resemble the Pontiac GTO and Olds 4-4-2, whose sales were through the roof for their manufacturers. Even the Chevelle sold better than Skylarks, at this point in time.
Sales of the 1970 Buick GS took off, albeit very slowly, when the company installed a 450hp, 455 V8 under the hood. That 455 put out 510 foot pounds of torque at 2800rpm. This option meant the car could travel a quarter mile in under 13 seconds at 105mph. Midway through 1970, Buick released the GSX option package. It was an expensive proposition because it added a full $1000 to the price tag of the automobile. The GSX package gave the buyer a four speed transmission, Hurst shifter, 15 inch tires on mag styled wheels.
It also offered bucket seats, power front disc brakes, heavy duty cooling and control suspension. The choice of color was limited to Saturn Yellow or Apollo white with black striping. Despite all of the options, demand for the Buick GSX was still low. In fact, Buick only made 187 of the cars in white and just 768 overall. Car buyers preferred the Pontiac GTO over the Buick GSX buying 3797 GTOs compared to just 124 Buick GSX the same year and only then after Buick drastically dropped the price on the special option package.
In an effort to boost sagging sales Buick licensed The Door’s song “Light My Fire” for the advertising campaign theme. However, the ad campaign didn’t work. Buick did bring back the GSX option package the following year in 1971, but with no better results than before.
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