Description:
Need a fix with Buick written all over it? Say, the premier muscle machine from GM’s luxury brand, the GS455 Stage 1? Of course, FULL documents are in order, and did you say you want yours to tear off the tires on the 2-3 shift? Yeah, we thought so.
Let’s start with the car’s credentials. This is a true 44637 ’70 GS455 Stage 1 car, and it says so right in the VIN. Proving a car’s a true Stage 1 can be tricky, but not this time—we have the ORIGINAL window sticker, the ORIGINAL Protect-O-Plate, the ORIGINAL bill of sale and the ORIGINAL build sheet straight from the Flint Assembly plant’s paint shop! How wild is that? The POP shows an SS engine and a BB transmission—those are both Stage 1 parts. The original Bill of Sale and original Window Sticker show the car was delivered to Dan Sillings Buick in New Albany, IN, and was sold to Paul Bandy of Louisville KY, right across the Ohio River. The “made especially for” tag is still on the original dash pad with Paul’s name on it—too cool! And hey, if your vision isn’t what it used to be but you still want to check the options, take a gander at the original build sheet on its 11x14” paper. It has the body shop checklist on the back and it’s in fantastic shape!
Finished in Harvest Gold over Burnished Saddle, this car came with a pile of options. Here’s what’s on the window sticker:
L75 Stage 1 option package
M40 Turbo 400 automatic transmission
D55 Full length console
N40 Power steering
J50 Power brakes
U63 Sonomatic AM radio
U80 Rear seat speaker
PK5 G70-14 White letter tires
U15 Speed alert
A02 Tinted windshield
B93 Door edge guards
D33 Remote control driver side mirror
W88 Gauge package w/tachometer
PA6 Super sport wheels
C08 Vinyl top
W17 Custom bucket seat interior
With a $62 destination charge this bad boy wound up at $4,543.42—no small potatoes but this is a loaded car! Paul ended up with a $117.35 payment for three years…don’t you wish you could still get a deal like this today!
Fifteen years later the Buick was holding up well and was holding its value—The Bandys sold the car to Jim Duer in June of 1985 for $3000. Of course, if you wanted to check the maintenance record for the car, simply page through the owner’s manual—Paul wrote in the margins and on the covers every time the car needed attention! Jim did what was natural with his new high performance hot rod—he upped the power. If you’re interested in Buick power, there’s only one place to go, and he knew it—Kenne Bell Performance in California. Jim ordered up custom pistons, a KB cam kit, roller rockers and more (we have the receipts) and turned his car into quite the terror. He campaigned it locally as The Broker, a fitting name for such a luxury performance piece! Area builder Shively Speed and Machine handled the machining duties, right down to decking the block and erasing the numbers matching VIN and SS Stage 1 identification—Chevy guys will appreciate that careless error! Back then having the original motor just meant you got better pieces…it was a $3000 used car, after all! The car’s detuned from its high point and again sports its original exhaust and intake manifolds, air cleaner assembly and other cosmetics, but there’s still a TON of power under the hood. This is not a car to tangle with!
Harvest Gold wasn't the most popular color for high performance cars but on a Buick body it becomes a distinguished and elegant coat for the muscular hardware beneath. The paint job was done in the early 90’s and shines well today. The chrome and stainless is largely original to the car and looks great. 15” wheels with 215/70 front and 235/70 rear B F Goodrich tires plant the car far better than the factory Wide Ovals could have hoped for. All GS equipment from the specific rockers to the sport hood are in excellent condition. The vinyl top is in as-new condition. This is a high quality driver that’ll simply turn heads.
Look underneath at the super solid, bulletproof chassis. The steering, suspension and braking systems have been kept up over the years and work better than new. There’s a new dual exhaust system with a tough tone that isn’t overbearing, a built ’73 TH400 and the original Posi rear axle out back. The frame and floors are totally solid—this is a well kept, cared for car, and that’s what you want to see.
Sit inside and enjoy. You’re sitting on new seat covers and resting your feet on new carpeting, but by and large this is an untouched cabin. That’s not a bad thing as the car’s been cared for its entire life! Those are excellent original door panels, gauges, the center console and more. This is a comfy office that’ll lull the competition to sleep!
Powerful with class—this is the ultimate “steel hammer in a velvet glove” muscle car. The 1970 Buick GS 455 Stage 1 is considered by most to be the fastest muscle car of the era, in stock form. 39 years later, what are the odds of finding an example that is well sorted out mechanically, driveable, documented and a sure fire bet to appreciate in the future? From its amazing documentation, to its well kept condition to its high powered drive train, this is a special car that will bring its new owner rewards for decades to come.
