Buick 4-Door Hardtop 1967

Sometimes it takes a large canvas to do a subject justice.  Putting it another way, an automobile styling axiom is that it's easier to produce a good design on a large car than on a small one.

Today's example is the 1967 full-size Buick four door hardtop sedan with a 123.0-inch  (3124 mm) wheelbase.  Model names for non-compact/intermediate Buicks were LeSabre, Wildcat and Electra, the latter being the most expensive.  Some background on LeSabres is here -- scroll down to the Third Generation section.

The 1960s represented something of Silver Age (maybe even a Golden one) for General Motors styling.  That was when the peppery Bill Mitchell was Design Vice President.

One of his team's better efforts in those days was the 1967 facelift of the 1965 large-body four-door hardtop sedan.  Yes, those cars were long and large.  Yet graceful, as can be seen below.

Gallery

1968 Buick LeSabre 4-door hardtop - factory image
Nearly identical with '67 models, I include this photo because it does a good job of showing the design.  That downward curving character line echoes Buick's famous 1949-1958 chrome SweepSpear.

1965 Buick Wildcat 4-door hardtop - car listed for sale
Here is the initial design that was facelifted for the '67 model year.  The windshield and door cut lines are the same, but most of the sheetmetal cladding was changed along with the aft section of the passenger compartment top.  General Motors was prosperous then, and could afford such a drastic "freshening."

1967 Buick LeSabre 4-door hardtop - factory photo
The grille is simple, though lacks the traditional Buick vertical chrome bars (which might well have spoiled the design).

1967 Buick LeSabre 4-door hardtop - factory photo
Graceful in side-view, the rear fender area seems a bit heavy in these quarter views.

1967 Buick Electra 4-door hardtop - for sale car
Now for a mini-walkaround.

Electras were longer than LeSabres and Wildcats, having a 126.0-inch (3200 mm) wheelbase.  The passenger compartment top differs from what was shown in the previous 1967-68 photos.  And the effect of the lengthening is a degradation of the design.  The rear overhang seems too long, and the reshaped top is angular enough that the graceful feeling of the LeSabre version is lost.

A trunk made for several sets of golf clubs.

Pontiac Hardtop Coupe Variations 1965

Pontiac styling probably reached its apex during most of the 1960s.   This post focuses on the 1965 model year redesign of 2-door hardtop coupes.

Pontiac's standard size models that year were Catalina, Star Chief, Bonneville, and Grand Prix.  Star Chiefs were only available as four-door sedans and four-door hardtop sedans: the other models included hardtop coupes.  Pontiac's Tempest compact line also had 2-door hardtops, but on a different body platform, so those cars are not treated here..

Gallery

1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2 hardtop coupe - BaT auction photo
The 2+2 was a performance-enhanced model, so has a few special trim items such as the faux-louvers on the front fender: otherwise, it's typical Catalina 2-door hardtop.  Catalinas and Grand Prix's had a 121.0-inch (3073 mm) wheelbase.  The wheelbase of the Bonneville in the next image is 124.0-inches (3150 mm).

1965 Pontiac Bonneville hardtop coupe - car listed for sale
The Bonneville's extra length takes place abaft of the rear door cutline.  Compare the position of the wheel with the aft point of the rear side window.  Or the aft point of the roof with the wheel below.  The rear fender bulge and length on the Bonneville strike me as being too great, disturbing the proportions of an otherwise attractive design.

1965 Pontiac Grand Prix hardtop coupe - car listed for sale
Model year 1963 saw the appearance of the classic Pontiac Grand Prix.  Its backlight window was a concave, dished-in shape echoed by the aft edge of the wide C-pillar.  That combination was carried over for the 1965 redesign (which wasn't as nice as the '63 original).  One virtue is that the top seems "lighter" than the convex alternatives seen on the Catalina and Bonneville.

Now for a brief walkaround of the Catalina shown in the top image.