“The husband had driven the car until he passed away, then his widow had kept it in the garage until she also passed away,” Nigel recalls, “they were obviously attached to the car, having kept it so long, but eventually it fell into the care of their local garage. Rather than just ignore it, he made some enquiries and discovered this example was a one-owner car bought new by a couple from Pennsylvania in 1972.
It turned out Dave had been searching for a particular model of car on the internet without success, but had spotted the Centurion in the background of a photo in one of the classifieds. It stood out straight away as most of the cars from the meets I recognise,” Nigel explains, “I remember thinking ‘that’s my type of car, a big old American bus!’”Īs luck would have it, the Buick also happened to have a ‘For Sale’ sign displayed in a window, which instantly spurred Nigel on to have a chat with its owner, a chap named Dave.
#72 buick centurion tv#
I was smoking around in a ’1999 Ford Crown Victoria at the time,” Nigel smiles, “I’ve always had a soft spot for Seventies American cars, having been a fan of all the well known TV shows and films from that era.” It was at one of their local AACNW meets where Nigel first spotted the Buick, “I was having a look around with my partner, Claire, when we first saw it. “I’ve had loads of classics in the past including a ’1995 Buick Roadmaster, a ’1979 Caprice station wagon and a ’1977 Cadillac Seville. Nigel Lowndes, like many of us, was unaware of this particular model by Buick when he first came across this fine example last year. The Centurion was regarded as an instant success, exceeding its predecessor, the Wildcat by some 25% in terms of sales in its first year. As you’d expect, Buick was keen to differentiate the Centurion from the LeSabre when it came to the interior too, offering a superior specification with vinyl or cloth and vinyl trim and a notchback bench seat with centre armrest. Body styles came in just three options: a two-door coupe, a convertible, or pillar-less four-door sedan. The three-speed Turbo hydra-matic transmission came as standard on all Centurions, as well as Lesabres and so did variable ratio power steering and power-brakes. When first introduced, the Centurion only came with a single engine option, a 455cu in, big block V8, though you could choose between a single-exit exhaust or a dual-exit offering slightly more power. Replacing the Wildcat as the company’s mid-level, full-size car positioned between the LeSabre and Electra, the Buick Centurion only saw a short time in production from 1971-1973.įirst witnessed as a concept car, the Centurion was almost identical to its slightly more downmarket LeSabre sister − you had to look closely to spot those differing badges, grille and missing ventiports on Buick’s latest model. The LeSabre name is no stranger to Buick fans having been in use from 1959-2005 in various guises, but the outwardly similar Centurion which was offered by the Detroit manufacturer is a comparative rarity, especially on these shores. We love it! Words & Photography: Jon Cass. 1972 Buick Centurion Nigel Lowndes’ 1972 Buick Centurion represents a rarity even in the States today: low mileage, immaculate condition and totally stock.
0 kommentar(er)
