The Buick Wildcat is a full-size car that was produced by Buick from the 1963 to 1970 model years. Taking its name from a series of 1950s Buick concept cars, the Wildcat replaced the Invicta within the "junior" B-body Buick sedan range. Serving as the higher-performance full-size Buick, the Wildcat was slotted between the LeSabre and the larger C-body Electra.

Following two generations of the model line, the Wildcat was replaced by the Buick Centurion for 1971.

Background

In 1962 the Wildcat was a Buick Invicta subseries, mating the Invicta's longer full-size two-door hardtop Buick body (known as the "sport coupe", body production code 4647 hardtop only)

| length = The listed retail price for the Sport Coupe 2-door hardtop was $3,849 ($ in dollars ).

Buick used the name again in 1985 for a mid-engine sports car with all-wheel drive and a fully-exposed high-performance, double overhead cam V6. The chassis used carbon-fiber and vinyl-ester resin and the body featured a 'lift-up' canopy for entry and exit. The 1985 Wildcat is still owned by Buick today and is still operational.

alt=|thumb|left|1985 Buick Wildcat Concept

During the seventh generation of the Buick LeSabre, a dealer-installed option named the "Wildcat Edition" was introduced. Made available through Buick dealers, the Wildcat Edition featured a vinyl top, Wildcat logos (on C-pillars and front fender behind the wheel), embroidered leather seat upholstery and fender skirts. The package was based on the Custom package. Little is known about the Wildcat Edition.

In 1997, a Buick Riviera Wildcat was created as a concept car. Derived from the standard Buick Riviera, the Riviera Wildcat featured carbon-fiber interior trim (replacing woodgrain trim) and black chrome; the powertrain was upgraded for increased power.

alt=|thumb|2022 Buick Wildcat EV

On June 1, 2022 the Buick Wildcat EV concept car was revealed in a press release. The concept was an electric vehicle (EV) and was intended as a design study for Buick rather than a proof of concept for a future production vehicle. The intent of this was to create a new design language for Buick to be used as early as 2023, and to reposition the marque in the market to appeal to a younger audience than it had been reaching. This car complimented General Motors' commitment to produce only electric vehicles by 2030. Buick announced in this release that their first production EV is anticipated in 2024. The Wildcat EV concept incorporates a redesigned corporate Trishield emblem, which eliminates the ring and separates the shields from each other. The insides of the shields feature colored "swooshes", retaining the red, white, and blue color scheme of the old logo. It also appears that the new emblem can light up as well, similar to Lincoln's illuminated star emblem.

Notes

Further reading

  • 1962 Wildcat at secondchancegarage.com
  • https://www.buick.com/discover/news/electric-vehicle-future