General Motors produced roughly 1,100 examples of the Buick Century Turbo Coupe between the 1979 and 1980 model years, making this lesser-known Buick performance coupe one of the more rare GM vehicles of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The Detroit muscle-obsessed YouTube channel Cars and Zebras managed to film one of these rather uncommon Buick two-doors during a visit to the Mid Michigan Motorplex this past summer. The 1979 Buick Century Turbo Coupe in question was competing in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race series, a local Michigan race series that is open to muscle cars built in Canadian and U.S. assembly plants between 1955 and 1979.
The Turbo Coupe found a worthy rival for its tame 175 horsepower, single turbocharged 3.8L V6 engine in the way of a 1973 Buick Century Gran Sport. This particular Century Gran Sport left the factory with a 350 cubic inch V8 engine (and the optional $45 four-barrel carburetor), which produces an equally as unimpressive 195 horsepower – although its torque rating of 290 pound-feet makes up for the lack of power.
Both of these oddball Buicks feature a TH350 three-speed automatic transmission, however the Turbo Coupe has slightly shorter 3.42 rear gears, while the Gran Sport has to make do with highway-friendly 2.73 gearing. The Turbo Coupe is also significantly lighter, tipping the scales at 3,400 pounds to the Gran Sport’s sizable 4,200 pounds. Both of those figures account for the weight of the driver, just in case any ultra-knowledgeable Buick fans are wondering why both vehicles are quoted as being a bit heavier than usual.
Neither of these vehicles are particularly fast, but quick acceleration and high speeds aren’t necessary to have a close, entertaining drag race. Place your proverbial bets in the comments and check out the video embedded below to see which of these Buicks emerges victorious.
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