![]() ![]() What also separated the car from the LeSabre was that when the car would be ordered or recognized as a Centurion it would be branded as a 4P Series as the first two letters of the Vehicle Identification Number. This was known as the A9 and B6 Option when ordering the car. The Centurion was also offered in the 455 Stage 1 and manual transmission configuration as well during the early portion of the 1971 model year, shared with the Buick GSX. The Centurion was offered initially with only the 455-cubic-inch (7.5 L) big-block V8 in two power output ranges determined by the presence of either a single or dual exhaust. Replacing the Wildcat as the mid-line full-sized Buick positioned between the lower-priced LeSabre and the larger and more luxurious C-body Electra 225, the Centurion was promoted more as a mid-level luxury car than the Wildcat, which was marketed as a sporty/luxury performance car. The two-door hardtop shared the handsome semi-fastback roofline with the LeSabre and other GM B-body cars (such as the Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe and the Olds Delta 88) along with a standard vinyl roof.ġ971 1971 Buick Centurion Convertible Body styles included two-door and four-door hardtops and a convertible. This car currently resides in the Sloan Museum at the Flint Cultural Center in Flint, Michigan.įirst seen on a concept car, the Centurion was nearly identical to the contemporaneous Buick LeSabre, differing in badging and grillework, minimal chrome trim, and an absence of the VentiPorts found on other full-size Buicks. It featured a red and white fiberglass body, airplane-like interior design, a fully clear "bubble top" roof and the first backup camera in place of a rear-view mirror, although it was never shown to be functional. The Centurion name was first used on a Buick concept car in the 1956 Motorama. The Centurion shared a trim package implementation shared with the Chevrolet Caprice, Pontiac Grand Ville and the Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale as a hardtop coupe, sedan and convertible.ġ956 GM Motorama showcar 1956 concept car The car's emblem was not the traditional Buick tri-shield, but a side profile of a centurion. The Centurion name was inspired by a Buick concept car, the name coming from that of an officer in the Roman Army. Replacing the Wildcat as the sporty iteration of Buick's three full-size car lines, it was positioned between the LeSabre and Electra in the lineup. The Buick Centurion is a full-size car built from the 1971 through 1973 model years. Wilmington, Delaware, USA ( Wilmington Assembly) South Gate, California, USA ( South Gate Assembly) For 1974, Buick dropped its mid-range entry altogether, name and all, and carried on with the LeSabre and Electra 225 as its only full-sized offerings.Kansas City, Kansas, USA ( Fairfax Assembly) Throughout the Centurion’s three-year model life, sales were never impressive: At 30,000 to 45,000 per year, they represented a small fraction of the division’s total volume. When the LeSabre convertible was dropped for ’73, the Centurion continued on as the sole convertible in the Buick full-sized lineup for one more year (below). For ’73, the Centurion’s final year, a 350 CID with 175 hp was now standard, but the 250 hp 455 was still available as an option. ![]() In ’72 the 455 was downrated again to 250 hp as GM switched from the SAE gross to SAE net rating system. With its compression ratio reduced to 8.5:1 for ’71 so it could run on unleaded fuel, the big V8 was now rated at 315 hp in base form. The Centurion also featured an upgraded interior and minor trim variations, including a stylized Roman helmet as its chrome avatar.Īnother key difference: Instead of the LeSabre’s 350 cubic-inch V8, the Centurion was equipped with Buick’s mighty 455 cubic-inch V8 as standard. (GM’s B-body package was all new for ’71.) But unlike the Lesabre, the Centurion was was offered in pillarless body styles exclusively: two-door and four-door hardtops and a convertible. The Centurion was built on the same General Motors B-body platform as the base-model LeSabre, sharing its 124-inch wheelbase. The name was borrowed from a fabulous Motorama show car (see our 1956 Centurion feature here) and was also a subtle callback to the original Century name of 1936-58. For 1971, Buick shuffled the deck one more time and replaced the Wildcat with the Centurion. In 1959, Buick’s full-sized, mid-range offering, previously known as the Century, was rebadged as the Invicta, only to be rebadged again as the Wildcat in 1963. Let’s take a closer look at these rare animals.Īutomotive branding is a fickle game, evidently. At just three years, the Centurion name had a remarkably short life in the Buick product lineup. ![]()
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