If you're under 40 years old, forget everything you know about Buicks, everything you saw growing up, and every Buick you've ever seen an old dude driving. Horsepower was king, and not even Buick was immune to putting big V8s in their mid-sized cars. With a handsome black paint job and a torquey V8 under the hood, this 1965 Buick LeSabre is a full-sized car that will make you smile every time you slide behind the wheel. The body is a little more curvaceous than your garden-variety Chevelle and the shiny black finish compliments the upscale image that Buick was trying to cultivate. Bodywork and paint are quite good, having been restored a few years ago, and it's obvious that this car didn't need major surgery during the build. More evidence can be found in how nicely the big hood and deck lid fit, and you know there are no replacement panels for these cars, so that's all General Motors steel on there. It's not perfect, having been driven quite a bit, but it sure makes an awesome statement when you arrive. Buick was done with gratuitous chrome on their cars as well, with just bright, shiny bumpers and a few pieces of trim contrasting with the paint, and it's all nicely finished. A cool tail panel fits between the taillights, proudly showing off its Buick tri-shield emblem, and the black vinyl top is in excellent condition. The interior has been nicely restored in original style black vinyl, and there's stretch-out room for six with that wide bench up front. Crisp door panels with correct badges like these are probably difficult to find, and I don't know where you go to find someone to refinish that bright strip of trim that stretches across the dashboard, so it's either very well done or beautifully preserved. The gauges are set into deep round pods that look like turbine outlets with auxiliary dials under the dash in the usual spot. For a Buick it's somewhat light on options, but it does have working factory A/C, which is always a nice perk. Even the original AM radio works like it should. The trunk is genuinely massive and has what appears to be the remains of the original mat, although that would be a good place to add some easy upgrades. Under the hood you'll find a cool Wildcat 355 V8. Displacing 300 cubic inches, it's topped by a 4-barrel Rochester carburetor and makes 250 horsepower and, obviously, 355 pounds of torque. 355 is a lot more impressive than 250, don't you agree? Whatever the name, the smooth-running V8 moves the LeSabre coupe easily, and you'll enjoy the muted V8 soundtrack from the twin tailpipes out back. The engine wears a coat of Buick Turquoise paint and shows almost no modifications, which is always a nice find. It's backed by a TH400 3-speed automatic transmission, which was new for 1965, and it feeds the stock rear end. The chassis is shockingly clean for being mostly original and you can see why these were fantastic highway cruisers with the long-arm coil spring suspension in back. Handsome 17-inch Torque Thrust wheels give it an awesome stance and carry staggered 255/50/17 front and 275/50/17 rear performance radials. It would be a mistake to overlook Buicks if you're the sort of guy who doesn't like driving a cookie cutter car. It's hard to get into a V8-powered car in this condition for less money, so give us a call today!
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