Happy Thursday Web Rides faithful, Big_Blocker here with the newest installment of Muscle Car of the Week and this week the feature car is one of my personal favorites due to one thing: torque. Hit the jump to read more about this torque monster that could keep pace with a 440-6 pack Challenger in the 1/4 mile.

Now I know what most of you readers are thinking: There is no effing way that Buick made a legit muscle car…the only thing they made was P.O.S. grocery getters that did nothing more than rattle when the accerator was pushed in. Well my friends, Buick did make a muscle car, and not only did they make it but it was one hell of a street monster that burned many a Chevelle or GTO owner back in the day. Called the Buick GSX, it was one hell of a torque monster seeing as it was powered by 455 cubic inches of displacement…but we will get to that in a second. First some history on the GS program.

The GS program was introduced for the 1965 model year and was abbreviated for “Gran Sport”. The first GS packages were installed in the existing Skylark model and consisted of a 401 cubic inch V8 that made 325 horses and 445 pound feet of torque. The GM engine rules at the time stated that anything less than a full-size car could only be outfitted with a maximum of 400 cubes really limited the potential of the GS package. However, it was only a matter of time before there was more to come. By 1968 Buick introduced a Stage 1 Special Package that upped the horsepower of the existing 400 by as much as 50 although still rated at 340. 1969 came and went and so did the introduction of a Stage 2 Special Package with even more horsepower standard.

By 1970 the corporate engine displacement policy was a thing of the past and Buick responded by shoving the biggest block the boys in the engine development department could find, 455 cubes of solid iron muscle (the same block as the Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W30). In base form the engine made 350 horsepower and with the GS package that number jumped up to 360 factory rated ponies. Although that doesn’t seem like much, most engine specialists of the time knew the real number to be closer to 400. Now 400 horsepower is nothing to shake a stick at but any Hemi fans out there will not be impressed. The real special thing about the Stage 1 455 was it insane amounts of torque it put out. By insane I mean 510 pound feet of chassis twisting, tire shredding torque. With that kind of torque all one would have to do is stomp the accelerator and the clasps on any bra worn by a female passenger would explode…but I digress. The secret to all that power was the implementation of big valves, hot cam, long stroke and a forced cold air induction system that was fed by two sealed off inlets (above) that opened up through dual hood scoops. All that power meant the hefty GSX could do a zero to sixty in 6.5 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 13.8 which is not bad at all seeing as a 1970 Challenger with a 440-6 Pack came in only .1 faster.

The rest of the GSX package included an appearance setup that gave the buyer the choice of Saturn Yellow or Apollo White paint schemes. Front and rear spoilers took car of the nose and tail as far as aerodynamics and aesthetics. Body stripes, heavy duty suspension and big old tires rounded out the car and certainly made for one beastly looking machine. A little over 9,000 455 GS cars were made in 1970 making them highly sought after by anyone who knows their worth. I certainly want one, badly.

Big_Blocker out.