My 1965 Buick Wildcat

[Centurion]

The 1965 Wildcat Sport Coupes (2-door hardtops) have ranked high among my favorite Buicks since they were first introduced, and these cars have been in-and-out of my life over the last fifty-seven years.

 

My parents purchased a new Wildcat Deluxe Sport Coupe off the showroom floor during February 1965, and I was a car-crazy sixth grader who fell in love with the design.  During the nearly six years that my parents owned the car, I was the self-appointed caretaker, spending hours in the garage waxing and polishing the perfectly sculpted body.  I obtained my learner's permit during the summer of 1968, and the Wildcat was the car on which I learned to drive.  The car was traded in on a new Buick in late 1970.  Early on, I wished I had begged my parents to pass the Wildcat along to me.

 

As a young adult, I was eager to obtain another '65 Wildcat coupe, and flew to Louisville, Kentucky during 1989, driving home a fully loaded Wildcat Custom Sport Coupe.  The car had everything I could have wanted, but really needed a cosmetic restoration.  Sadly, the restoration never became a financial priority, and my wife and I sold the car in 1996 to help fund an international adoption.

 

The hope that I might someday have opportunity to acquire another '65 Wildcat coupe never left me.  

 

I attended the BCA National Meet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1986, and, among the cars on hand was a beautiful, very original Wildcat Deluxe coupe.  The red interior was identical to that of the Wildcat that my parents bought new, so seemed particularly special to me.  During more recent years, the memory of seeing this car circling the track at Indy reactivated my desire for another Wildcat.

 

Several years ago, I contacted BCA member John Oscarsson -- owner of the Wildcat coupe I had seen all those years earlier at Indianapolis, and asked him to let me know if he ever wished to sell his car.  I sent the message with doubts that I would be able to follow through on a purchase if the car did become available, but knew that I wanted the opportunity to become the car's new caretaker if ever offered for sale.  

 

I was surprised to receive a message from Oscarsson last October, stating that he and his wife were selling their home and spacious garage.  The time had arrived to sell the Wildcat.  Suddenly, the prospect had become reality, and I scrambled to work out the space and money to acquire the car.  By the end of October, I was aboard a flight from Seattle to Minneapolis, where I retrieved the Wildcat and drove it home more than 1,700 miles in two days.

 

The car had less than 53,000 miles when I picked it up, and it remained in beautiful original condition.  A winner of the BCA's "Archival Elite" award, the car's paint, chrome, interior, and mechanicals are all original.  Yes, the last fifty-seven years have resulted in some deterioration of the original paint finish, so it is certainly not perfect.  But it is perfect for my taste and purpose, and, every time I climb behind the steering wheel, I instantly recall the day in 1965 when my parents purchased their similar example.

 

The car was purchased new by Dr. Harry Childs, a veterinarian in St. Paul, Minnesota.  The delivering dealership was Buerkle Buick of St. Paul.  Dr. Childs never drove the Wildcat during the winter, opting to continue driving his trusty 1947 Buick for most of his work.  He sold the Wildcat a couple of years later to John Oscarsson's father, and the Oscarssons always focused on preserving the car.

 

Here are a few images from my high-speed trip across North Dakota and Montana, as I raced to get the Buick home before the snow fell:

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Centurion (see edit history)

[Centurion]

We experienced a beautiful day last Thursday, and I took the day off.  In anticipation of upcoming car events during the later spring and summer, I fitted the car with a restored set of the 1963 Buick Riviera cast aluminum "Turbine" wheel covers with stainless steel spinners.  The Wildcat's original steel wheels were drilled at the factory with the holes needed to accommodate these bolt-on wheel covers.  As I anticipated, these look great on the Wildcat, providing a little more style while remaining all-Buick from the mid-1960's.

[lancemb]

That is really a gorgeous car, congratulations!  Excellent color combination.

[EmTee]

Love it!  Those turbines look great!!! 

[dmfconsult]

I'm not sure how I missed this post Brian, but congratulations!  That is a beautiful car!  How about posting some interior pics, as that color combination looks fantastic.  I'm looking forward to seeing that car in person.

[Centurion]

21 hours ago, dmfconsult said:

I'm not sure how I missed this post Brian, but congratulations!  That is a beautiful car!  How about posting some interior pics, as that color combination looks fantastic.  I'm looking forward to seeing that car in person.

Thank you, Doug!  I look forward to showing it to you.  This is a lesser-trim level car, with an interior equivalent to the LeSabre Custom.  (The Wildcat Custom was much more fancy.)  But the red interior was available from the factory only on this trim level for the 2-door hardtop, and this car's color scheme was part of its appeal to me.  And the red interior is identical to that of my parents' '65 Wildcat coupe when I learned to drive.

 

I need to shoot some additional interior shots, but this will give you an indication.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Centurion (see edit history)

[Ted "Wildcat65" Nagel]

Amazing.  Yours is the only one Coupe I have seen with a red Deluxe interior.  Interesting to see the interior trim around the windows-

the Custom would have bright work there.  You have the red door locks as well...very nice.