1966 Buick Skylark Gran Sport
Buick's Skylark got fresh sheetmetal for 1966, and there was more available power for the Gran Sport. But competition was tougher than ever, and sales of the 1966 Buick Skylark Gran Sport, an upscale muscle car, skidded dramatically from the model's first season in 1965.
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Highlighting the new look were sloping sail panels that extended the rear roofline beyond the back window. Distinguishing the Gran Sport were a blackedout grille, new GS emblems, nonfunctional rearfacing hood scoops, and simulated frontfender vents.
The base 401cid "Wildcat 445" fourbarrel again had 325 bhp, but a hotter 340bhp version was made available during the model year. Dual exhausts and heavyduty suspension were included as standard equipment with either engine. Metallic brake linings and a rear stabilizer bar were among the options.
The 340bhp engine was tuned to run, redlining at 4600 rpm and making a peak 445 lbft of torque at 3200. It was nearly a second quicker to 60 mph than the base engine, and about a halfsecond faster in the quartermile. With the 3.36:1 axle, a 340bhp GS got to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds and turned 14.9second ETs at 95 mph.
It wasn't the fastest bigcube intermediate, but reviewers again lauded the Gran Sport's balanced nature. At $2,956 for the pillared coupe, and $3,019 for the Sport Coupe, and $3,167 for the convertible, however, base prices were higher than those of 442s and GTOs. Buick built 106,217 Skylarks for '66; just 13,816 of them were Gran Sports.
For more cool information on muscle cars, check out:Buick, GM's "gentleman's car" division, was an unlikely source of some of the finest muscle cars.
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