Buick claimed the 1970 GSX was “Something to believe in”
The turn from the sixties to the seventies was the heart of the “muscle car” era, something for the young as well as the young-at-heart. A more personal mid-sized car compared to the typical full-size sedans of the day, these cars put an emphasis on style and performance with a bevy of special accessories – many as standard equipment, plus a host of enticing factory options.
All of “the big 3” (GM, Ford and Chrysler), had muscular intermediates in all of their marques, except perhaps their flagship, luxury models, i.e. Cadillac, Lincoln and Imperial. In addition to Buick’s GSX, GM’s muscle cars included the Chevrolet Chevelle SS-396, Pontiac GTO, and Oldsmobile’s Cutlass-based 4-4-2.
Big V-8 engines, strong suspension systems for better handling, top-notch interiors with bucket seats up front and high-line trim and low production numbers was the rule. A scant 8,732 GSX coupes were produced and only 1,416 convertibles. Of those, 678 coupes and the same number of convertibles were made with the dealerinstalled Stage II option which included a hotter cam, 12:1 compression ratio, Edelbrock B4B manifold, Holley carb, Mickey Thompson headers and 4.78 gears in the rear.
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So, just what does all this mean when it comes to collector values on today’s market? According to the current issue of the Old Cars Report Price Guide, the bible for estimating collector car pricing, a loaded, 1970 Buick GSX coupe like the one shown above, in number one condition, could set you back a cool 69 grand. The same car with a drop top comes in at 85 thou. Here’s where it gets interesting. A GSX with a 4-speed manual transmission ups the price by a whopping 50{e3fa8c93bbc40c5a69d9feca38dfe7b99f2900dad9038a568cd0f4101441c3f9}. The Stage 1, dealer-installed option package which includes a host of goodies including the above-mentioned 4-speed plus hood-mounted tach; G60 x 15 tires on 7-inch wide chrome rims; front and rear spoilers; twin outside mirrors; front disc brakes; heavy duty suspension and black vinyl bucket seats ups the ante by 65{e3fa8c93bbc40c5a69d9feca38dfe7b99f2900dad9038a568cd0f4101441c3f9}. Let’s see, if I have the math right that brings the bottom line up to $114,000! The same in convertible form equals $140,000! Father’s Day is just around the corner, so you may want to start dropping hints now! Good luck with that!