1970 Buick Wildcat rarest of the rare: 3-speed stick 455!

This is a very rare car in that it is one of SEVEN factory-equipped, -speed standard shift Buick Wildcats in 1970. This is the final year of the Wildcat, he first year of the 455 Buick V-8, nd the only year that the 455 has a 10.5 to 1 high compression ratio, aking it a true high-performance automobile. The car was special-ordered and sold new in Odessa, exas by the Buick dealer there. I found it two years ago in Phoenix, rizona, ought it, rought it back to Texas, nd restored it. The paint was original, ith no dents, o touch-ups, o this car has never been hit. It was rusted, owever, long the bottom of the back glass, hich is pretty common for GM cars of this period. It also had a little rust at the bottom of the windshield, ut not bad. Because of this, decided to have the car repainted in its original colors of red and black. The rust was repaired with metal by a master craftsman who did a superb job. I think I have a photo of the car with its original paint, nd if so, ill post it, r you can email me and I will send it.

I also installed a new headliner, ew dashboard pad (old one was cracked by the sun), ew carpet, our new steel-belted radial tires, ew fan belts and hoses, ew muffler, esonator, nd tail pipe (it still had the factory originals), new rear speaker for the radio (old one was ruined by water leakage), ew package shelf covering, ew trunk mat, ew front bumper emblem, nd some interior plastic trim parts that the sun had been hard on. I also bought and installed a very nice, it-free, ust-free set of chrome Buick wheels and center caps. The car originally came with standard wheels and full wheel covers. I'll include them, f desired. I also removed the original AM Delco radio and found and installed an AM/FM Delco radio. I installed new trunk weather strip, ew door weather strip, nd new roof rail weather strip. Air conditioner is not working because I have not put Freon in it to try it, ut it is all there, ompressor has pressure and turns.

I drove this car on an 800-mile round trip two months ago, nd it did fine until the last ten miles, hen the fuel pump quit, o it has a new mechanical fuel pump now, hat works fine. Here is the shocker: This car gets an honest 21 miles per gallon on the highway if you give it high-test gasoline and keep it under 70 m.p.h. It has a 2.78 rear axle ratio, hich, long with the standard transmission, ives it phenomenal gas mileage for such a big, igh-powered car. The car has a very high top speed, hich I have not found yet. It will do 70 in second gear, nd top speed in third gear is way beyond 100 m.p.h. and beyond my nerve. The car uses no oil and does not leak anything. I detailed the engine compartment when I restored the car.

Now here is the tickler. When I bought the car two years ago, he speedometer read 07,xxx, hich I assumed was 107,xxx miles. Recently, Buick Club friend of mine saw the car and told me he had tried to buy the car from the original owner's family in the early 1990s, nd at that time, ccording to him, t had less than 5,000 actual miles because the original owner was unable to drive the car not long after he bought it new, nd no one in the family wanted to drive it due to the stick shift and it used a lot of gas in stop & go driving around town. If this is true, hen the car now has a little over 10,000 miles on it. I cannot prove it, ut certain things lead me to believe it may be correct. The original muffler and resonator were still on the car, ith their Buick part numbers, hen I bought it two years ago. The front end is very tight. There is hardly any free play in the steering wheel. There are no rattles or squeaks anywhere in the suspension or body. The rear shock absorbers appear to be the original ones. The tires I removed from the car when I bought it were old fiber-glass-belted tires with weather cracks but plenty of tread still left. The upholstery, ront and rear, s original and unrestored, howing very little wear other than sun wear. There is no wear and no scratches showing on the door step plates. The brake pedal pad is the original one and shows almost no wear. I had to replace the clutch pedal pad because the back of it was torn and it kept falling off. The black rubber piece across the front of the hood, hich fills the gap between the hood lip and the top of the grille, s original, ot torn or worn off like so many of them are. The doors open and close and sound like a tight, ow-mileage car. The push-buttons on the exterior door knobs are tight and not loose or floppy as they might be on a high-mileage car. The engine was not very dirty or greasy when I repainted and detailed it. Had I known, hen I was restoring this car, hat it could be a very low-mileage example, would have been more careful and not replaced or restored as many things as I did.

The car has factory air-conditioning, adio, ower steering, nd that's about it for options. It has manual brakes, ot power brakes (very rare on a big Buick of this age). It has manual crank windows, anual seat adjustment, o tilt steering wheel, nd it had the standard wheel covers when I bought it.I have done the research, nd it is one of only seven standard shift Wildcats that were built in 1970. I am aware of the existence of one other--a blue convertible. This is possibly the only other one still left. In 1971, ll the Buick Centurions (Wildcat's successor car) were automatic transmission equipped.

The car is licensed and driveable anywhere. I would not hesitate to drive it across the country right now. It has a new radiator because I thought the old one was overheating, ut it turned out to be a defective, dd-on temperature gauge, hich I have since removed. Clutch action is smooth, o chatter. Transmission is fully synchronized in all three forward gears. Engine sounds good, o lifter noise, o smoke, o oil usage, o leaks. This is a very dependable and comfortable car. Due to the dry climates from which it comes, here is no chrome pitting anywhere. Floors are rock solid. I am located in northeastern Texas, bout 60 miles northeast of Dallas. There is no "buy it now" price, lthough if someone absolutely has to have it right now, e can work something out. I am not interested in trades--need garage space. I expect a $500 down payment within 48 hours of the auction's end, nd full payment within10 days of auction's end. Failure to meet one or both of those conditions will result in buyer forfeiture, nd the car will be offered to the runner-up bidder. I can keep the car stored in my garage for 30 days, ut after that, ou need to find and pay for other storage. I can deliver the car to overseas shippers at additional cost, f going out of the U.S., ut I hope it stays here. Title is clear, exas title and in my name. I can help load the car onto a transport truck, ut it is your responsibility to get transport quotes, ot mine.

4-Barrel carburetor, nd it has been cleaned and a new kit installed.