1970 Buick GS Stage 1 4-speed

The 1970 Buick GS Stage 1 has an interesting tale to tell on its way to becoming the 4th fastest muscle car produced in 1970.

The muscle car era peaked in 1970 and was the pinnacle year for big block power plants from General Motors when it came to horsepower, torque, and compression ratios.

Buick offered that same upgraded 455 (the Stage 1) as an option for the GSX as it did for the standard GS 455. The Stage 1 version had an upgraded camshaft, higher compression, and a fully tuned four-barrel quadrajet carburetor. Oddly, the Stage 1 had a rated horsepower of 360, only 10 more than the base 455. However it should be noted that many testers claimed the actual number was well over 400.

The all-black interior houses vinyl fold-forward bucket seats, a woodgrain overlay on the dash, push-button radio and a heater.

These cars had a few boxes to tick if they wanted to fit into the ‘Muscle’ category, and they had to do it right in order to compete with the best. The most important aspect was acceleration; muscle cars weren’t any good if they couldn’t put up good 1/4 mile drag times, so straight-line boost was an absolute must.