Im sure his info is bad But its cool.... https://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-RARE-...253322?hash=item4b59fc498a:g:tbIAAOSwEONcHDpp
I was in a local bone yard and noticed the outline of the same emblem. The emblem itself was missing.
There were these, also. Bet Duane will like this paint scheme. http://www.designscomputed.com/cars/Maroon_Belle.htm
It was an imitation (in a positive aspect) of the 'GS California' which was an option package (for just 2 or 3 years) on the base model Special post coupe. The GS California included the GS hood (and cold air air cleaner in '69) and GS emblems (grille, sides and rear and sail panels) and the base GS 350-4 engine ... and included a set of scripted letter emblems spelling 'California'. It started as a promotion for Western US Buick Dealers to have a lower cost entry-level GS model available. Understand that the Special model was the base el strippo entry-level intermediate Buick (Skylark body) in those years. So, you get a lower cost and more basic model to sell and compete with other GM Divisions and Manufacturers with lower cost models and younger Buyers. So, the story goes that a group of "Carolina" Dealers got together (IDK if it was So. Carolina & No. Carolina) and had emblems made which spelled 'Carolina' and they put those on the cars and sell them in that general market so those cars showed 'GS Carolina'. I do not know if the cars were originally ordered as 'GS California' cars or not. I suppose they were because it would be way too expensive for a Dealer group to pay to swap a regular hood to a GS hood, etc., but the 'California' emblems came off and the 'Carolina' were put on in its place.
As were GS Colorado cars. Interesting also is how many ‘68s that were optioned with the wood steering wheel. Patrick
It appears quite a few were from North Carolina, as they were painted "Tar Heel Blue". As Dave T (Daves69) stated: "...came off a robin egg blue 68". That was a "Tar Heel Blue" car...
I'll add that a group of Colorado Buick Dealers did the same thing and marketed the 'GS Colorado', but the 'GS Carolina' cars seem to be the rarest of the bunch of three - 'GS California', 'GS Colorado' & 'GS Carolina'. All were small block cars.
I'll tell you one thing I have found curious about the Stepchild cars is that, as I recall, there were many, many more '68 GS 400s built than '69 GS 400s, yet there seem to be so comparatively few '68 GS 400s out there than '69 GS 400s. I'll admit that there is something special about seeing the 'wood' rimmed rally steering wheel on a car. Very nice.
True that! My first GS was a ‘68 400 coupe (highest production year for big block coupes) and went years without seeing another unless it was a race car at the Nats. Patrick
