Any idea how many triple black GS Stage 1's were made in 1971? Also...Is there anywhere that gives a breakdown of production numbers?
Not for 71 models and really, Buick did not save that type of data, ie: Stage 1 4 speeds in black. One can guess an educated guess, but that's about it. There are no known surviving records for the 1971 model year Buicks.
actually Stage 1 column auto in triple black,air, steer, discs, bench seat. well optioned car in very great condition inside and out. Gotta get a valuation for insurance purposes, as Ive almost owned the car a year now. How many were made?, how many survive?
Brad is absolutely correct about an educated guess at best. But in Steve Loves book the numbers given there as accurate as anything I've seen. So, 1971 GS Stage 1 Hardtop production is listed as 114 4/s cars, and 687 A/T cars, for a total of 801. Given that Bk/bk/bk was not popular with Buick buyers in that era who actually knows. I'd suspect something like a 5% number of total production, maybe! So that would be about 40 cars. How many survive today, I'd guess 15-ish tops.
I would say as a forensic tool, to see how many were made in 1970 and 1972, not necessarily to look for numbers match but a percentage of production match. But I am not a numbers guy per se, so I have no way of delving into 1970 and 1972 production percentages.
Ive googled the Buick Stage 1 register but find it impossible to decipher. As theres no key to the abreviations My car is supposedly on there. Where else are these production numbers? Ive supplied my insurance company with N60LL 's approximation figures , plus two youtube vids one on the Triple Black convertible, the other a Stage 1 speil. These cars are very rare DownUnder so Im attempting to edumacate them. and naturally its a topic of great interest to me too. Wherever I parked at Wintersun 2 event the car drew a people like a magnet. Managed to get a couple of shots with no one blocking the pix
I think that establishing rarity in general terms would be a good thing, but delving into specific numbers is less important than the fact that it’s now a desirable combination on a rare car. That plus the condition and overall appeal of such a handsome and slick car would drive the value. (I think the value of a ‘one of 15ish’ in black is higher than a ‘one of one’ in an oddball combo.) Beautiful car. Patrick
yes pbr400, I get what youre saying Patrick. Given the late 60s early 70s penchant for bright trippy colours, particularly on Muscle Cars, e.g. Chryslers "High Impact" colours. Buicks late youth market entry with the GSX in Saturn Yellow and Apollo White, were proof of that. Here in Australia too our muscle followed your trends toward the acid trip colours, to my knowledge there were no black GTRXU1 Toranas, GTS Monaros, or black R/T Valiant Chargers. and as far as I can gather the Holy Grail of Aussie Muscle the Ford Falcon GTHO Phase 1, 2, or 3 . only one Phase 3 in black to my knowledge. Bill Bourke, one of your countrymen who came to Ford Australia to manage our High Performance division actually shipped the equivalent of a '69 Phase 2 back to the USA for your performance division to fit a 428 Cobra Jet and beefed up Auto to it as well as many features that were to appear on out Phase 3 in time to come. He had it special order painted over there as well...Black metallic with a gold fleck. That car still survives here. So yes black was not a popular choice in colours in that era, and in particular for factory muscle cars. Buick, being more of a high end machine possibly attracted a more mature muscle car buyer than the youth who went for a Plum Crazy or Hemi Orange road burner . Buicks Regal Black with no cartoon characters, stylish nostril scoops, and almost covert GS Stage 1 badge, was certainly restrained. The sledgehammer in a black velvet glove type of appeal....the luxury stomper. Its really no wonder Black is in a minority. Black is certainly beautiful, as it shows the stylish lines and curves of the Skylark off very nicely. And in todays world is a High Impact colour, for a high impact automobile. The reactions at the Wintersun car show I attended last weekend certainly proved that...and theres an even bigger gathering this coming weekend for Cooly Rocks On. Im not entered in the show but Ill be out cruising in the preceeding days this week. Anyone know how to decipher the Stage 1 registry? and anyone here know my car?
The only data I have seen for 1971 shows this for color breakdown: 204 Regal Black GS cars in 1971, with 181 hardtops and 23 convertibles. Keep in mind that these numbers include GS350, GS455, and GS Stage 1. Breaking down the 181 hardtops by assembly plant shows: 128 from Flint 19 from Framingham 34 from Fremont When you consider the total production of 1971 GS hardtops was 8,268, Regal Black paint was rare with only 181 made (2.19%). Just out of curiosity I checked to see how many black Stage 1s were made for the 1972 model year since that detailed data does exist. Of the 728 Stage 1 hardtops built in 1972, only 25 (3.43%) left the factory with Regal Black paint (13 with no vinyl top, 2 with a white vinyl top, 10 with a black vinyl top). And of the 81 Stage 1 convertibles built in '72, only 2 (2.47%) were painted Regal Black (1 with a white top, 1 with a black top). Looking at the entire 1972 GS production (GS350, GS455, GS Stage 1) shows that only 123 were built in Regal Black (113 hardtops, 10 convertibles). There were 7,723 GS hardtops built in 1972 so 113 in Regal Black is 1.46%. So assuming that buying habits of new Buick owners were somewhat consistent, I'd bet it's safe to say that your Regal Black 1971 is very rare. All of this data is pulled from the Buick Daily Car Reports so it should be accurate. Mike Trom, a member of this board, compiled all of the Buick Daily Car Reports from 1968-1972 into a single, easy to read, quick reference guide. He may still have copies available of anyone is interested. I hope this helps.
Black Muscle Cars from the factory in any model are very rare from that era, back then only Gangsters drove black cars, and they didn’t buy Muscle cars
Acacia Ridge Diner was the busiest I've ever seen it last night! We had to park right down the back. It was the second week since restrictions eased and everyone was out. Not a mask or unsociable distancer in sight! Lots of really nice ol cars, here's just a few. My Dodge Ute on it's maiden voyage there ran real hot at anything over 60 mph, we stopped halfway there to let it cool off, then by driving at 50mph the temp stayed on half, suspect a restricted radiator, as I've already flushed everything fitted new water pump and thermostat just as a matter of course. Heard a screech of rubber and a big bang while we were there, some young dude lost control pulling out onto the road and slammed into the wall,
