1963 Buick Wildcat Convertible, a classic American luxury performance car.
- Only 6,021 convertibles were produced in 1963.
- It featured a 401-cubic-inch “Nailhead” V8 engine producing 325 horsepower.
The SR-71 spyplane used a Buick 401 to start its engines. Fun fact.
Prefer a hard-top myself, but I do love the styling.
ReplyDeleteA real shame that ALL cars today look like the same wind-tunnel tested econo-boxes that they are.
I once had a sexy little girlfriend who claimed that "old men" who drive red automobiles are having penis issues.
ReplyDeleteThe Habu start kit consisted of 2 Buick engines side by side yoked to a common drive shaft. Open pipes. It wad quite loud.
ReplyDeleteActually the engines (start cart required 2) originally selected to start the SR-71 were the Buick 401 “Nailhead” engines, not the Buick 400. The 401 was marketed as the “Wildcat 445” due to its 445 ft.-lbs. low RPM torque rating.
ReplyDeleteAfter its initial run starting the SR-71 engines, the 401 was retired from the starting cart in favor of Chevy 454s in the mid 1970s. In the 1980s until the present, the SR-71s uses a pneumatic starting system.
The pneumatic starting system actually makes the most sense. A small compressor can be used to charge an air tank which powers a small air motor, and a heavy starting cart with 2 Big Blocks is not needed.