Skip to main content
LOT 254

Selling on Friday

From The Tom Haag Estate Collection

1970 Buick GS Stage 1 Sport Coupe

OFFERED WITHOUT RESERVE
  • Muscle car performance combined with Buick’s luxury
  • Documented history from new
  • Numbers matching Stage 1 455-cid V-8 engine
  • Functioning dual hood scoops
  • Long list of features and extras such as air-conditioning and 8-track stereo
  • Excellent documentation with build sheet, Protect-O-Plate, warranty, and even original key punch-out tabs

Register To Bid Auction Info VIEW FILES & DOCUMENTS

Up to 1970, General Motors had imposed on its division a limited displacement to 400 cubic inches on mid-size cars. Those limitations were removed that year and each GM division, save for Cadillac, unleashed their creativity in speed and performance. Buick joined in with its new big-block 455-cubic-inch V-8, offering it in the Gran Sport models as the GS 455 package. But wait, there was more. For those who wanted to go fast, there was the GS Stage 1 package. Modifications included a more aggressive high-lift camshaft, revised porting with bigger valves, higher-compression pistons, an enhanced cold-air induction system with functioning scoops in the hood, and a special Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor. Additionally, the suspension was beefed up with heavy-duty springs, torque arms, and thicker anti-roll bars, plus a Positraction rear axle. When put to the test by writers for Car Life magazine, they pulled a quarter mile time of 14.6 seconds, and that was with the automatic transmission. There was plenty of torque delivered by the massive 455 V-8, rated at 510 lb-ft at 2,600 RPM. One of the highlights the writers raved about was the superior drum brakes of the Stage 1, using Buick’s famed aluminum-finned drums, even in 100+ degree temperatures the brakes seemed to work better the hotter they got.

In the fall of 1969, a young 20-year-old Vernon Curry walked into the showroom of Ward Buick in Stillwater, Oklahoma and he came looking for just the right car. He placed his order for a car that he could truly enjoy and that others would envy – a new Buick GS Stage 1 hardtop in Coronet Gold. For $3,382, he received a car befitting a young college student who wanted to go places, and to get there in a hurry. His car was fast with the 360 HP version of the big 455 V-8, and he didn’t want to mess around with a clutch, so he opted for an automatic transmission with the horseshoe shifter mounted atop the center console between the optional bucket seats. After placing $550 down and getting the other $2,832 financed for 24 months, he would hit the road in grand fashion. Young Mr. Curry grew older and in 1986 sold his beloved Buick to Neal Pilkington for $2,000. At that time, the car had around 43,000 miles. From documentation included with the car, it appears that this Buick was transferred to Michael Smith from Tulsa, Oklahoma. It would go through several other owners prior to being acquired by Thomas Haag in early 2022.

This Buick appears to have been given a thorough cosmetic restoration with a superb repaint of the original Coronet Gold while retaining the original interior. Under the hood is show-car prepped. Today the car shows just over 46,600 miles and has all of the goodies young Mr. Curry had ordered with the car starting with the factory AM-FM radio and 8-track tape player, factory air-conditioning, tachometer, windshield washer and tinted glass all around, with proper carpeting which is protected by a pair of vintage “GS” rubber floor mats. The luggage compartment is fitted with a full-size spare tire and the original jack and lug wrench are neatly stored as the factory had placed them. Those GS wheels look brand new and ride on a fresh-appearing set of BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires all around. Among the documentation included with this car are an original factory build sheet, all of the car’s original financing papers for Vernon Curry, the Protect-O-Plate, warranty booklets, and even the punch-out tabs for the keys, carefully stored in the little envelope provided with the car. Turnkey and ready to perform, this GS Stage 1 will make any Buick fan’s mouth water. Just press down on the accelerator, and enjoy what a muscle car should be.

Contact Us

Name(Required)