The Wildcat was Buick’s top-performing large luxury car in the 1960s, and I’m not referring to the impressive V8 engines that proudly bore that name, but rather the actual model of the vehicle. In 1965, the Wildcat was available in four different body styles: a four-door sedan and hardtop, a two-door “Sports Coupe” (which was essentially a hardtop), and two-door convertibles.
There were three different trims to choose from: the basic model, the Deluxe, and the Custom. The production numbers for the convertibles were the lowest in the series, with only 9,014 examples leaving the factory with a retractable roof covered in weather-resistant fabric. Here’s where things get interesting: out of that batch, only 128 were equipped with a manual transmission – 22 with three-speeds and 106 with four-speeds.
Describing the chance to see one of these cars on the road today as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would be a massive understatement, but here it is. Lou Costabile discovered one at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals last November, and the video below provides solid proof. This particular car is a Flame Red Wildcat Deluxe convertible with a four-speed transmission, which has been restored and owned by the same person since 2000.
Ted Nagel, from Cincinnati, Ohio, is a devoted Buick enthusiast who has a collection of rare Buicks with four-speed transmissions. This stunning Wildcat is a salvage car that he brought back to life from a state of disrepair. When he purchased the car, it was in pieces, and it took a considerable amount of time, dedication, persistence, money, and skill to restore it to its current condition.
However, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, especially to Buick fans known as “Nailheads,” as Mr. Nagel has been working on Buicks for nearly thirty years. The exceptional classic car is powered by the Wildcat 445 engine, which has a displacement of 401 cubic inches and produces 325 horsepower (329 PS). The 445 refers to the torque rating, which is 603 lb-ft (or 603 Nm) – yes, Buick figured out the importance of torque before Carroll Shelby popularized the phrase “Horsepower sells cars, but Torque wins races.”
In 1965, a total of 4,616 Wildcat Deluxe Convertibles were built, and this particular car is one of the rare examples equipped with a clutch pedal and four-speed transmission. The owner doesn’t keep a collection of Buicks just to have something to occasionally show off, but rather he enjoys driving his cars. Granted, it can be challenging to build, repair, or find replacement parts for these cars due to their rarity and lack of donor vehicles. However, that’s arguably the best part about owning classic cars. It requires a genuine passion and commitment, not just financial resources.