The Buick Centurion was created, manufactured and sold by the Buick division of General Motors at the beginning of 1971 through the year 1973. This car was said to be the spin-off of another vehicle named the Buick Century which was made available to the public during the year 1937 to 1958. This Buick Centurion replaced the position of the Buick Wildcat as the sporty line of their full-size cars in the market. This car was introduced in 1956 at the Motorama as a concept car which featured a red and white fiberglass body with a bubble top roof which was modeled after an airplane design. It can now be seen in the Sloan Museum in Flint, Michigan under the Buick gallery.
During the early 70's the Buick street rod model introduced a convertible concept car named Centurion which is basically similar with the older version of the Buick Century. It had a two door or four door option with a hard top or convertible for choices.
It is similar in design with the Buick LeSabre, however different in badging, grill work, trim and front end looks. It has a smaller rear window which provides for a more formal look with a more standard vinyl roof. In 1971, the Centurion replaced the Wildcat Buick as a full-sized but a mid-line car that was both lower in price but with a larger and luxurious body style that can be marked as both luxury and a sport car in one.
The interior of the car is far more of an upgraded version then the old LeSabres with its notch back bench seat and center armrest equipment coupled with luxurious upholstery. This car is equipped with a variable-power steering and powerful disc brake which was made as the standard design for the entire model. However, in 1972 these street rods made a minor appearance change to make its design and concept more appealing to the masses.
At the same time, they also changed the horse power of the car which made it have a more powerful driving experience and at the same time they installed a turbo hydra-matic transmission, power steering and power brakes to make the driving safer and smoother for its clients.
In 1973, the Centurion street rod made more additions and changes to the growing number of its patronage in order to engage them to purchase the new line. The changes featured a larger front bumper as well as a new vertical grille that the LeSabre model was formerly known for.
The standard vinyl roof was no longer used on their two-door hardtop coupe, instead a more formal rear window was replaced with a back light which the LeSabre coupe is also known for. The engine was down graded into a four-barrel 350 V8 with at least 175 horsepower. However they also offer a 250-horsepower 455 four-barrel as an optional consideration.
With the Buick LeSabre street rods being dropped during 1972, the only convertible Buick being offered was the Centurion which lasted only until 1973 since it was replaced by a LeSabre Luxus in 1974. This car reinstated the convertible series until another one was introduced in 1982 which was the Buick Riviera. The evolution of the convertible through the years made it more popular and in demand to most people.
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