Quick! Without looking, which was the first muscle car model that featured air induction standard? Need a hint? It is a 1969 model. Need another hint? It’s not what you’d normally expect. Need a third hint? Boy, I should begin to worry about you because all you need to do is look at the title to know it’s the Buick Gran Sport. Our Pick of the Day is this 1969 Buick GS 350 listed for sale on Classic Cars.com by a dealership in Pompano Beach, Florida.
The Gran Sport was redesigned for 1968 after three model years. General Motors gave the A-body two wheelbases, with the two-door featuring a 112-inch span from front to rear wheels. All two-doors featured enhanced “Coke-bottle” styling with a more organic look, eschewing the three-box design that had characterized the previous generation.
The Gran Sport models continued to be available within three series. The most muscular was the GS 400, which was powered by an engine that was introduced the previous year. The 400ci V8 was rated at 340 horsepower, which wasn’t high on the totem pole of 6.6-liter cars, but its power delivery belied its rating, especially with peak torque (440 lb-ft) at a low 3200 rpm. New for 1968 was the GS 350, powered by a 350ci small-block rated at 280 horsepower and 375 lb-ft of torque. This was an outgrowth of the 340 that was used in the 1967 GS 340, Buick’s “junior supercar.” There was also an interesting California GS available, formerly a regional special based on the Special Deluxe. This gave buyers a stylish and fast vehicle at a friendly price.
Both the 350 and 400 were carried over into 1969, though Buick restyled the Gran Sport’s hood to implement a standard air induction system. A pair of chrome grates allowed air to be sucked into “muffs on the front of the air cleaner to deliver cool clean air [to the four-barrel carburetor] and provide more efficient and powerful engine operation in higher speed ranges.” The 350 came standard with a column-mounted three-speed manual, with a floor-shift version of the same transmission the next step up. Upgrades from there included the TH350 automatic or four-speed manual. When the model year was over, 58 GS 350s featured the standard transmission, 175 had the upgrade on the floor, 632 featured the four-speed, and the rest were built with an automatic.
This 65,000-mile 1969 Buick GS 350 doesn’t get the glory that the GS 400 receives, but let’s evaluate this example and identify its strengths, as it’s a fine way to experience horsepower, comfort, and fun that few vehicles can deliver. Out of 6,305 built, 490 were painted in Cameo Cream. Another 667 were built with the Pearl White bucket seat interior. See that white vinyl top? 830 were built with that too. It’s not common to find air conditioning paired with a four-speed like this one has—only 132 were equipped like that. Other features include “radio-delete,” power steering, power drum brakes, and remote driver-side mirror. Currently, this car features Buick’s famous mag wheels. “New seats, new carpet, and new headliner,” says the seller.
This Buick comes with a folder of receipts, service records, and Protect-O-Plate, the latter of which shows this vehicle was sold new to a female resident of Bakersfield, California on May 9, 1969. Did Julia Selinger know she bought the first car to feature standard air induction? No way to find out but, for $33,979, you will.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
