1964 Buick Wildcat

With just one former UK keeper since arriving here in 2020, ‘BTL 246B’ is a 1964 Buick Wildcat four-door hardtop fitted with the 6.6-litre V8 engine and the Super Turbine 400 transmission.

Bought as a birthday present for his wife in 1964, it stayed in the same family’s care until at least 2000. It’s now been in the seller’s hands since February 2021 and is being offered, he says, in “time warp condition”, which really isn’t hyperbole, as you’ll discover.

Read on for more, but this is a car with a charming history, a verifiable provenance, and, perhaps most importantly, real presence.

The Buick was professionally detailed over a period two days in 2021 at a cost of more than £1,200. That’s a hefty sum for sure but the result is still holding up well, even now.

Mind you, the canvas the white paintwork sits upon is impressive, isn’t it? With great shutlines and panel alignment, there a distinct absence of dents, dinks, and ripples too, which makes it’s quite the looker for a car that’s in its seventh decade, eh?

And that’s without even mentioning the vast swathes of chrome, huge tailfins, and those impressively engineered pillarless rear doors which make a helluva statement all by themselves.

As for condition, the badges are still vivid and bright, the lamp lenses are free of cracks and sun-damage, and the glass is excellent.

The chromework is as impressive in scope as it is condition, and the 15-inch wheels are fitted with Nexen N’Priz AH5 white wall tyres.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

Our man went around the car with a magnifying glass and a deerstalker and reports there are various chips and touch-ups to the edges of the doors, bonnet, boot, rear fins, and boot lid.

Also, he noticed a few small blisters and some peeling paint around the front and rear badges, minor marks in the driver’s door, a small area of paint cracking on the nearside C-pillar, surface corrosion and touch-ups to all door shuts, a very small area of bubbling on the offside rear wheelarch, and that some of the door seals have seen better days.

Finally, under strong light you can see some paint crazing on the rear wings and boot lid.

Now, you might be thinking that a full respray is the way to go but, if so, can we just point out the ‘Broadway Garage’ sticker on the boot lid, which suggests that this is still largely the original paint?

And we should also remind you that our man is obsessive about pointing out flaws that the rest of us haven’t noticed because he knows so many of you bid on our cars without feeling the need to come and see them in person, so he’s putting his reputation on the line with every inspection he carries out.

So, while we’re pontificating, can we respectfully suggest you think about leaving it as it is and just continue to touch-up any future problems as and when they become necessary?

After all, a car is only original once and the only vehicle that wears a patina better than a car like this is a Land Rover Defender…

The buttoned blue fabric interior is a little more subdued than the exterior but that’s not to say it doesn’t make a statement all its own because it’s not only beautifully designed, it’s also even better preserved than the coachwork.

The front bench seat might not offer much in the way of lateral support, but it does allow your passenger to slide up next to you unencumbered, so #swingsandroundabouts, eh?

It’s also very well preserved, very comfortable, and will fit three abreast at a pinch.

The rear bench seat is similarly commodious but doesn’t have the view the front seat passengers get to enjoy – and no, we are not talking about the view outside the windscreen.

Because the dashboard is utterly glorious. A winning mixture of blue and chrome and metal accents, everything is in great shape including the headlining, carpets, door cards, and dashboard.

Peer more closely and you’ll enjoy details like the brake pedal that’s labelled ‘POWER BRAKE’. The glovebox, with its natty pocket for the owner’s manual. And the heater controls that slide fore and aft above the factory-fitted radio.

And that radio is an absolute beauty. A Buick Sonomatic radio that cost $90.30 as a factory optional extra, it sits in pride of place in the dashboard and plays through modern-but-retro-looking Retro-Mod Series speakers.

For all its retro charm – and it has a LOT of charm – one nicely judged modern flourish is the air-conditioning system, which the previous owner fitted, and the seller has had recharged.

The boot isn’t quite as nicely presented as everywhere else, but it is solid, vast, and would be ripe for a few quid spent on getting a professional to tidy it up.

The boot also hosts the tool kit and a full-size spare wheel whose tyre still has the factory label stuck on the tread.

Oh, and the original tyre pressure sticker is still on the underside of the bonnet too, which lends further credence to this being the original paintwork.

As for our man-with-the-clipboard’s assessment of the interior’s cosmetic condition, he said: “the interior is lovely, and the only point of note is some wear to the chrome trim on the door armrests.”

A new exhaust system was manufactured in 2021, and the rear brake shoes and all four dampers were replaced in the same year.

$364-worth of ignition components were purchased in 2023, and it was serviced by Universal Classic Cars in June 2024, the same year it received a new power-steering pump and steering gear.

Of course, it starts perfectly, idles smoothly, and revs with the sort of noise you only get from a under-stressed 6.6-litre V8: as Lee Child wrote a “hammer heavy V8 beat.”

The condition of the engine bay is pretty darn good too. Sure, you could tweak a few bits and bobs to improve their condition, but no-one is going to look on aghast if you leave it exactly as it is.

There’s plenty of evidence of recent expenditure too in areas like the ignition and air-conditioning systems and the coolant cap.

As for the underside, it looks well protected by a good coat of underseal – and that’s underseal that’s surely been there a while and put there to protect rather than a recent coating applied to deceive.

The Buick doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it MoT’d at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic vehicle, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear bar the marker for being an imported car.

The history file also includes the original sales tag, the Owner’s Guide, the Protection Plan booklet, and even the original sales invoice that shows the first owner received a $522 part-exchange allowance against his 1956 Chevrolet Belair.

A newspaper article from 2000 reports that the first owner bought it as a birthday present for his wife on the 1st of July 1964 from the Broadway garage in Newburgh, Orange County, New York, the same folk whose sticker adorns the boot lid.

The history file has plenty of paperwork from its time in the ‘States too, including invoices for servicing. More recent paperwork includes an Inspection Report from 2021, which is available for inspection in full online.

Our estimate is in the region of £10,000 and £15,000, which doesn’t sound like much to us considering you’ll be able to say you’ve owned, if not tamed, a Wildcat.

And this is a very nice example too; solid and running well, for us its main charms are its original condition and romantic backstory – and we’re all suckers for a romantic backstory, aren’t we?

Sure, you could tidy it up a bit, but we’d be tempted to just live with its character it develops and just drive the hell out of it with a loved one beside us and all four windows rolled down, all the better to hear that epic exhaust note.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.