The entry-level Buick Special can trace its heritage to the Buick Model 10, a companion to Buick’s first car, the Model B. (GM photo archives)
The Buick Special was typically the brand’s lowest-priced model. According to its page in Wikipedia, the nameplate started as a full-size car in 1936. After a two-year hiatus, the model returned in 1938 as a midsize.
The Special was built for several decades and was offered as a coupe, sedan, and later as a station wagon.
General Motors modernized its entry-level products in the 1960s, and the Special introduced the modern Buick V-6. The engine would become the core engine for GM for several decades and lives on in current upgraded V6 products.
“By 1970, Special was no longer offered as a standalone model, but the name would later be used for the entry trim on 1975 to 1979 and 1991 to 1996 Century models.
The entry-level Buick can trace its heritage to the Buick Model 10, a companion to Buick’s first car, the Model B. The Model 10 started as one of the independent brands merged into Buick, called the Janney, a Brass-Era carmaker.
In 1961, the model returned after an absence of two years, but this time it was on the new unibody compact GM Y platform.
Buick Special Powertrains
The Special’s engine was the 155-horsepower, aluminum-block 215-cubic-inch V-8. It was paired with the two-speed Dual Path Turbine Drive automatic transmission. The Dual Path was a Buick design and shared no common parts with the better known Chevrolet Power-Glide transmission.
Buick introduced the performance-oriented Skylark trim level midyear. It featured unique trim elements, optional bucket seats, and a 185 hp, four-barrel version of the 215 V-8.
In 1962, the Special was the first American car to use a V-6 engine in volume production; it earned Motor Trend’s Car of the Year for 1962.
The 198-cubic-inch “Fireball” was engineered from the 215 V-8.
The design used many of the same V-8 parameters, but it was cast in iron. Peak horsepower was 135 hp at 4,600 rpm with 205 foot-pounds of torque at 2,400 rpm.
In Road & Track testing that year, the editors were impressed with Buick’s “practical” new V6, saying it “sounds and performs exactly like the aluminum V8 in most respects.”
1963 Special Refresh
In 1963, the Special’s exterior was restyled. Mechanically, however, the car was identical to the 1962 model. According to the Wikipedia report, there were also some minor interior updates to the dash and instrument cluster.
The 1963 Special was available as a two-door pillared hardtop coupe, four-door sedan, a convertible, and a station wagon.
The 1963 body was only produced for one year and had sales of 148,750, including 42,321 Skylarks. The car was redesigned for 1964.
