Buick built its reputation on a mix of performance, luxury and the occasional rare edition, and the brand’s history is full of memorable nameplates. This gallery follows the brand from a 1930s straight-eight to a supercharged flagship sedan. Here are twelve Buicks that built the brand, including a GNX numbered 1 through 547.
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1. Buick Century (1936): Built For 100 mph
Buick sold the 1936 Century with a 320 cubic inch straight-eight making 141 horsepower. The car was billed as capable of sustained 100 mph running, and that promise gave the model its name. Details come from A Wikipedia history of the Century.
A claimed 100 mph capability was a bold selling point for the era, and the name made the promise explicit. The Century shows how early Buick tied its identity to speed, a thread that runs through several later cars on this list.
2. Buick Skylark (1953): The 1,690 Showpiece
The 1953 Skylark sold for just over $5,000 and only 1,690 were built. It also introduced Buick’s 322 Fireball V8, a V8 that debuted in this model. Details come from Wikipedia’s Skylark entry.
Low volume and a premium price made the first Skylark a showpiece rather than a sales driver. That exclusivity is a large part of why the name carried weight for decades afterward. A price above $5,000 paired with such a small build count marked the Skylark as a special model from its first year.
3. Buick Electra 225: Deuce And A Quarter
The 1959 Electra arrived with Delta-Fin styling and a 325-horsepower 401 Wildcat V8. Owners soon gave the long full-size Electra 225 a street name, the deuce and a quarter. Details come from Wikipedia’s Electra history.
The nickname came from the car’s length, and it stuck because the Electra stood for big, comfortable luxury. Few Buick nicknames have lasted as long in car-show conversation. The 325 horsepower rating and the fins together defined the look and power of the 1959 model year for the Electra.
4. Buick Riviera: A Million-Plus Coupe
Motor Trend named the Riviera its Car of the Year for 1979. Production of the personal luxury coupe totaled 1,127,261 through November 25, 1998. Details come from Wikipedia’s Riviera history.
A run of more than a million cars across several generations shows how durable the Riviera formula was. The Riviera was positioned as a personal luxury coupe throughout that time. That longevity, running into the late 1990s, helps explain why the Riviera earns a place among the cars that built the brand.
5. Buick Wildcat Gran Sport (1966): Rare Gran Sport
The 1966 Wildcat Gran Sport came with a 340-horsepower single-carburetor 425 V8 as standard. A dual-carburetor version rated at 360 horsepower was optional. Details come from Wikipedia’s Wildcat summary.
Just 1,244 were built, which makes the sporting Wildcat a rare find today. It showed that Buick could package muscle-car power in a large, well-equipped body. Buyers who wanted the extra output could step up from the standard engine, giving the car two distinct power levels.
6. Buick GSX: Torque King
The 1970 GSX packed a 455 cubic inch V8 rated at 350 horsepower, or 360 in Stage 1 form, along with 510 lb-ft of torque. Only 678 were built. Details come from Wikipedia’s Gran Sport history.
The 510 lb-ft torque figure and the tiny production run make the GSX a standout among Buick performance models. Such a large engine in a car built in such small numbers explains the model’s reputation.
7. Buick GNX: Numbered 1 To 547
Buick built just 547 GNX models, and each was numbered from #001 to #547. The limited run is the figure behind this gallery’s headline. Details come from Buick’s own GNX history.
Numbering every car turned the GNX into an instant collectible. The scarcity, as much as the performance, explains why the badge still draws attention at car shows. The numbering also makes every surviving example traceable to a single place in the build sequence.
8. Buick Regal: Two Runs, One V6
The Regal was sold in North America from 1973 to 2004 and again from 2011 to 2020. Among W-body cars, the 3800 V6 was unique to the Regal. Details come from Wikipedia’s Regal history.
Two separate runs show how often Buick returned to the name. The link to the 3800 V6 gave the Regal a distinct place among its W-body relatives. Because the figures come from a general reference rather than a sales chart, they describe the span of the nameplate rather than any single year.
9. Buick LeSabre: Eight Years On Top
The LeSabre was the best-selling full-size car in the United States for eight straight years. That sales record made it one of the steadiest performers in Buick’s lineup. Details come from Wikipedia’s Buick overview.
Eight consecutive years at the top points to a formula buyers trusted: roomy seating, soft ride and a familiar badge. The LeSabre supplied everyday volume while other Buicks on this list drew the attention. Holding that position year after year points to steady demand for the nameplate.
10. Buick Reatta: Two-Seat Surprise
The Reatta was a two-seat grand tourer with a 1988 retail price of $25,000. A total of 21,751 were built from 1988 through 1991. Details come from Wikipedia’s Reatta page.
Buick chose a small, upscale coupe for a brand known for large sedans. The short production window makes the Reatta a distinctive and sometimes overlooked piece of the company’s story. Even so, the quoted price put the car well within reach of buyers shopping for a stylish two-seater.
11. Buick Roadmaster Estate (1994-96): Last Big Wagon
The 1994-1996 Roadmaster Estate produced 260 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque. DrivingLine described the wagon as the last of the big-body family haulers. Details come from DrivingLine’s wagon feature.
Strong output in a car sized for hauling people and cargo gave the Estate sleeper appeal. It closed a long tradition of full-size American station wagons. Readers looking for a family hauler with real muscle would find few rivals in the mid-1990s wagon aisle.
12. Buick Park Avenue: Supercharged Flagship
The Park Avenue became its own model in 1991. It offered a supercharged 3.8-liter V6, pairing luxury with forced-induction power. Details come from Wikipedia’s Buick overview.
Becoming a standalone model in 1991 gave the Park Avenue its own identity within the Buick range. The supercharged 3.8-liter V6 added a performance angle to a car otherwise defined by comfort and luxury. The combination made the Park Avenue a natural fit for buyers who wanted comfort first and speed second.
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