1964 Buick LeSabre Sport Coupe
Buick's stylish Sport Coupe that was all the rage back in 1964
For some, it's a symphony for the senses: The whisper of eight pistons moving with each muted explosion; passing air whipped into a frenzied turbulence as it hurriedly surges into the open side window.
The 1964 Buick Le Sabre Sport Coupe was Buick's best-seller in its full-size lineup, the Le Sabre was approaching its sixth year of production when engineers introduced several refinements. One of the most notable was the deletion of the big 401-cu.in. V-8, which was standard equipment in 1963, in favor of the new 300-cu.in. V-8. This smaller engine helped reduce front-end weight by some 195 pounds (add to that changes to the suspension, steering, frame and wheels, and total weight was reduced by 300 pounds).
Just how the 300-cu.in. V-8 came into existence can be explained (albeit in somewhat simplified form) by saying that Buick needed a replacement for its discontinued all-aluminum 215-cu.in. V-8. The existing 225-cu.in. V-6 was slated to fill the void--however, a tremendous gap would then exist between the 225 and the monstrous 401. Rather than leave that gap intact, engineers opted to take the 225 and add on two more cylinders.
The resulting 300-cu.in. V-8--dubbed Wildcat, in 401 fashion--was cast using not only the same V-6 bore spacing, but also the same 3.75 x 3.40-inch bore and stroke. Part of the aforementioned 195-pound weight loss was due to the engine's compact size. That reduction was enhanced by the somewhat extensive use of aluminum in the new engine; aluminum parts included the water pump housing, timing chain cover, rocker arms, pistons, intake manifold and the one-year-only wedge-shaped aluminum cylinder heads. Along the way, the 300-cu.in. block became the lightest Buick V-8 engine in regular mass production.
When topped with the standard two-barrel carb and 9.0:1 compression ratio, the engine was able to produce 210hp and 310-lbs.ft. of torque.