I had a short E-mail exchange with Chris about my 65 GS.......
I found the '65 Gran Sport Directory by accident the other day and once again I am hooked just like I was the November evening when my mother and I returned home in our !965 Burgundy Gran Sport thin pillar coupe. Yes sir. Me and my school teacher mom in the ex-Sampson Buick B-Stock drag car. No radio, Heater in a box, 4-speed, tach and console in another box, Casler cheaters in the trunk, headers in the back seat carefully wrapped up. The GS had only 650 or so miles. I think that it had a 4:33 posi rear end. It had a black interior and only a drivers side view mirror. The GS was perfect and I sat in the driveway just mesmerized by the taillights for hours.
Later I hooked up with the Sampson body shop manager, Jim Schwandron, who was preparing a cream '66 Gran Sport automatic for BB/S with 2-fours and a few other goodies. We became friendly and I would join him at the Mercer, PA 1/8 mile strip whenever I could afford the entry fee. My (our) car was very quick in the 1/8 mile and I could win B/S if a certain red 289 Mustang coupe didn't show. I would drive it to Mercer from Pittsburgh and race on Sunday drive back home and my mom would drive to school the next morning, sometimes the headers would be leaking a good bit and the slicks were still on the car. Her students were very impressed with their scholars English teacher!
I sold the GS in 1969, back to Jim (bought a demo '69 Olds Tornado) and repurchased it again in 1972 and sold it again in 1979.
I really miss the Burgundy Beast.
I think that I should find another Burgundy Thin Pillar Coupe...
...(A little more information about my car after an email from Chris...)
In the fall of '66 my car had an encounter in the left rear quarter panel when an elderly couple's Ford ran a stop sign. There would have been filler there. My car was also converted to a "built" two speed auto when I sold it to Jim Schawdron and he went on to race the Burgundy Beast in 1969 when Buick and Sampson dropped out of racing. Jim also told me that the BB was a special car from Buick. Something to do with the rear end and that the Muncie was was worked over... made into a click-click transmission. I also received the skinny front 13" wheels and tires when I bought the GS back it then had two fours, the worked over automatic, a very nice aluminium fuel cooler (made by an engineer at ALCOA R&D), air shocks along with fresh air piped to the carbs from the inside light buckets.
I don't think that I have any paperwork but if our old insurance man is still alive or Jim for that matter, perhaps I can retrieve the VIN. I'll do some snooping. In all the intervening years I don't have any photos.
When I bought the GS the second time I just used it for some illicit street work. I had the Olds as a driver. Both of these cars have wonderful memories for me. My mom is 96 and I'm 64 so it has been a while and lots of cars have come and gone but these two are special.
When faster cars are built Buick will build them.
Rob
