Jacquie Benthin's Awesome GSX!

[Xplantdad]

Bruce,

Here are a few photos of my GSX. Took me a loooong time to find this car! I'll have to admit I knew very little about GSX's until about 6 years ago when my husband, Glenn, and I found one hiding in the weeds behind an old trailer house in rural Oklahoma. It was for sale, needed a complete restoration, and we had no idea how much it was worth or what to offer. We posted a question on the Buick forum asking "what's it worth". Good Lord, you would have thought we found the Hope Diamond! The Buick guys were all over it. Turned out it was a Stage One, 4-speed, A/C car. The race was on to try to get this car to the house before the Buick guys had time to get to Oklahoma and buy it out from under us. They were able to trace who owned the car from some of the information we had given them and began calling making offers. To make a long story short, the owner decided to take sealed bids. She wanted to get as much as she could for the car, which we all understand, but being close neighbors I believe she was a bit partial to us and gave us a tip on what to place in our sealed bid. She said, "Just write down that you will pay $1 over the highest bid, and you'll get the car." That's what we did, and the car was ours. And the coolest part about it was that the Buick guys were Cheap! We got the car for less that what we would have bid.

We learned a lot about the GSX with that car. We held on to it for a couple of years. We took it all apart, cleaned it up, asked lots of questions, and struggled with the idea of restoring it. But in the end, we decided to sell it, the way it was. I began to miss it almost immediately. I love Camaros and Chevelles, but there was something about that Buick - I just had to have one! So the search was on, and it wasn't easy, but I eventually found the perfect one, which leads us to this, my GSX, my favorite of all our cars, and the one I leave the guys in the dust with!!

As the story goes, this GSX spent it's first years at the drag strip. In the mid-70's it was wrecked and stored away in an old school house, only to be forgotten. It had only 25k miles put on it during it's short life. In 1981, a gentleman who was passionate about Buicks heard about the car and set out to find it. There is was, still parked in the school house, front end wrecked and wheelie bars still attached. He was able to purchase the car and subsequently owned it for the next 21 years. He spent those years giving the car the frame off restoration it deserved. In 2002, he found it necessary to sell the car and he sold it to a local dealer. The dealer took it to auction, and that's where I found it. LOL - I've got more money into this thing than I'll ever get back out of it, but that's OK, it's Not for Sale!

This car is the 254th GSX produced in 1970. It still retains its original numbers matching "SS" Stage One 455 engine, "BB" Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 transmission, and 3:64 posi rear end. It now has 27,000 miles. It is finished in the correct factory "QQ" Saturn Yellow with correct matte black hood and stripe details. Factory options include quick ratio power steering, power disk brakes, tilt wheel, speed warning indicator, Sonomatic AM radio, bucket seats and full length console, factory hood tach and gauges, heavy duty suspension, factory front and rear spoiler, special rally steering wheel, WG 7x15 chrome wheels with super wide oval white billboard lettered G60-15 tires, and outside racing mirrors.

I've had lots of fun with the car and have fondly named it "The Beast". It has won Best In Class at the Concours de"Elegance in Oklahoma City and numerous Saturday afternoon local-yokel car shows. But my favorite thing about it and the most fun I have...is running the 1/4 against the guys (particularly my husband), and leaving them in the dust! Those Hemis, LS6's, ain't got nothing on this baby! Hope you enjoy the photos...

[SSJunkie68-69]

cool car and the story behind the story......

[SS427]

Very, very nice car Jacqui though we will have to see about that LS-6 comment.............


Rick

[mockingbird812]

Holy Moly Jacquie - what a beauty! Cool story too.

[67rscoupe]

Stunning!

[mmcporter]

As a fellow Buick owner, I can only say "WOW." As an LS6 owner, I would say "let's let the timeslips do the talkin!"

Seriously, great car and fabulous story!

[Shevelle]

Thanks to everyone for the nice comps - and especially to you, Bruce, for featuring the car. I figured I may ruffle a few feathers with the LS6 comment.

[jeff morocco]

"certified hemi slayer"

very nice car jacquie

[SS427]

[ QUOTE ]
I figured I may ruffle a few feathers with the LS6 comment.

[/ QUOTE ]

That wasn't a ruffle, that was a challenge.

[Shevelle]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I figured I may ruffle a few feathers with the LS6 comment.

[/ QUOTE ]

That wasn't a ruffle, that was a challenge.

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL - Well Rick, load that bad boy up and head to OK. I'm always up for a good challenge!