Buick LeSabre The Buick LeSabre was a full-size car made by the Buick division of General Motors from 1959-2005. For many years, the LeSabre was considered the entry level full-size Buick, carrying the lowest base price in the Buick lineup. Prior to 1959, that position had been held by the full-size Buick Special model; in 1959 the LeSabre replaced the Special, a nameplate that was reintroduced in 1961 for Buick's line of compact cars.
History
The LeSabre nameplate made its first appearance on a Motorama show car in 1951 and on a production car in 1959 as the new moniker for what had previously been known as the Buick Special. The Buick LeSabre was offered in a full line of body styles except between 1965-1969 when its station wagon variant was dropped from Buick's full-size offerings. In 1977, the LeSabre was downsized along with other GM full-size models, and was available only in pillared coupe, sedan and wagon body styles.
In addition to being Buick's entry level vehicle, the LeSabre was consistently Buick's best selling full-size car. Of the four nameplates introduced in 1959 (LeSabre, Invicta, Electra, Electra 225), the LeSabre nameplate lasted the longest.
From 1959 to 1961, the LeSabre was powered by a 364 cubic-inch V8, which was smaller than the 401 cubic-inch V8 used in the more expensive Invicta and Electra models. The 364, which was previously used in all Buicks in 1957 and 1958, was rated at 250 horsepower in standard form with an "economy" 235 horsepower version offered as a "no cost" option in 1960-61 and an optional power-pack version with four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts that was rated at 300 horsepower. For 1962-63, the LeSabre came standard with a two-barrel carbureted version of the 401 V8 rated at 280 horsepower, or a no-cost "economy" low-compression version rated at 260 horsepower. Starting in 1964, all LeSabre models except the Estate Wagon shared their drivetrains with the mid size Buick models by switching to those models' smaller-displacement V8s.
For most years from 1959 to 1971, a three-speed manual transmission was standard equipment on all LeSabres but rarely ordered. Far more popular was the two-speed Dynaflow automatic transmission along with power steering and power brakes. For 1961 and 1962, the automatic transmission was standard on the LeSabre and all other full-sized Buicks but in 1963 was moved back to the option list on LeSabres. For 1964, the Dynaflow-based Turbine Drive was replaced by two new automatic transmissions, the two-speed Super Turbine 300 and the three-speed Super Turbine 400. A four-speed manual transmission was offered as a LeSabre option from 1963 to 1965 but only a small number of cars were so equipped.
1965
Starting in 1965, the LeSabre was available in two trim levels, the base model and the LeSabre Custom, which featured a more luxurious interior trim. The Estate Wagon model was dropped from the full-sized Buick line for a few years in favor of the stretched intermediate Special-based Buick Sport Wagon which featured a raised rear roof and glass skylight over the back seat similar to the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser.
Offered from 1965 to 1969 was the LeSabre "400" package which included the Super Turbine "400" 3 speed automatic transmission teamed with a four-barrel high-compression version of the LeSabre's smaller V8 engine which displaced 300 cubic inches for 1964-65, 340 cubic inches for 1966-67 and 350 cubic inches from 1968 onward. During each of those years, the standard two-barrel low compression LeSabre V8 was only available with the Super Turbine 300 two-speed automatic transmission, requiring the Buick buyer preferring the three-speed automatic to order the LeSabre "400" package or the higher-priced Buick Wildcat (which replaced the Invicta in 1963) or Buick Electra models, which were powered by larger-displacement V8 engines.
Buick's practice was similar to that of Chevrolet, which at that time only offered the two-speed Powerglide automatic with most of its engine offerings in full-sized cars, while requiring buyers who preferred the similar three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic (basically the same transmission under a different name) to order one of the larger V8 engines. Both Pontiac and Oldsmobile offered the Turbo Hydra-Matic on all of their full-sized cars with any engine offering, and three-speed automatics were also the norm on big cars from GM's medium-priced competitors such as Chrysler Newport and Mercury Monterey, which offered the TorqueFlite and Cruise-O-Matic transmissions, respectively.
In 1970, the "LeSabre 400" package was dropped as the 3 speed Turbo Hydra-Matic 350 transmission replaced the two-speed automatic on cars equipped with the 350 cubic-inch V8. The new LeSabre Custom 455 replaced the base Wildcat model from the previous year and it shared its model number with the Wildcat, along with the larger Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 transmission (formerly known as the Super Turbine 400).
1971
For 1971, the LeSabre and other full-sized Buicks were completely restyled. The same assortment of 350 and 455 cubic-inch V8s were carried over but featured lowered compression ratios and other modifications in order to enable the use of lower-octane low-lead or unleaded gasoline as a result of a General Motors corporate mandate. At mid-year, the Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission, variable-ratio power steering and power front disc brakes became standard on all LeSabre models and would remain so equipped in base form for the next 35 years until the marquee's final year in 2005.
In 1973, the LeSabre convertible model was dropped leaving the short-lived Centurion as Buick's only ragtop that year.
In 1974, the LeSabre Luxus replaced the Centurion model and it was more luxurious than the previous LeSabre Custom. It was also available with a new "performance package" which included a 455 cubic inch engine, suspension upgrades and other equipment. The Stage1 performance package also became available on the LeSabre in 1974 and that year and the convertible returned to the LeSabre lineup after a one year absence.
The 1976 Buick LeSabre was the first American full size car with a standard V6 engine and it was also one of the largest cars to be powered by a V6 engine. In that year, the last for the 1971-vintage bodyshell that was succeeded by the downsized 1977 model, the V6 was only offered on the base-level LeSabre and not mentioned in initial 1976 Buick literature issued in September, 1975 due to the fact the V6 engine was a last-minute addition to the line. The 350 cubic-inch V8 was the base engine on the LeSabre Custom and the 455 cubic-inch V8 was optional. Both V8s were optional on the base LeSabre.
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