Rudy Russo Special: 1972 Buick Centurion
I might be a bit biased here because the kind of car I love best is what I call a ‘Nick Nolte’, my generic term for a big, old, beat-up American ragtop. While his hard-boiled character in the movie “48 HRS” preferred fleabag Cadillacs, a Buick Centurion much like this one co-starred with Kurt Russell in “Used Cars”. So perhaps it would be more accurate to call this big burgundy beast a Rudy Russo. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace in Redwood Falls, Minnesota for an appealing $3,500.
Between 1971 and 1973, the Centurion replaced the Wildcat as Buick’s sporty full-size car. The seller lists this car as a ’73, but that year looks noticeably different due to its federally-mandated 5-mph front bumper. “Centurion” was borrowed from a 1956 Buick concept car named for an officer in the Roman Army, and its emblem is a battle helmet, not the Buick shield. Talk about badge engineering! Considering their age, these full-size GM boats can really hold their own in modern traffic. I speak from experience, having driven this car’s cousin, my own rusty, trusty 1973 Olds Delta 88 Royale, from Hoboken to San Francisco back in 1998. It was comfortable, reliable, and gas was less than a buck! Be aware, the tank hidden behind the license plate holds 26 gallons for a reason.
This car looks nice and straight and appears to have sat for a while, with its layer of dust and moldy steering wheel. The front seat base looks original, but the cloth upholstery it’s wearing is definitely not. It needs to go, as the original white Morrokide really pops against a dark exterior color. There is rust confessed to in the lower quarters, but unfortunately, we don’t get to see any pictures of it. The seller actually doesn’t give too much info at all, he claims “poor windows” but I think he means “power”.
We can see it also has air conditioning, a power top, power door locks, remote driver’s mirror, dashboard clock, and rally wheels. The nifty speed sentinel needle was not ordered, and the back window is missing, so who knows if it’s glass or whether it has a defroster. The big 455 V8 engine here was also optional. Look at those pipes! You just know that with the top down it rumbles like an old wooden Chris-Craft.
A troublesome spot on these cars is the funky scissor-top mechanism which folds in sideways, like a crab guarding its poker hand, and they have a tendency to get out of alignment and rip the canvas. If you plan on making an offer, bookmark this article, which despite its length claims “for all its mystique, the GM scissor top is a surprisingly simple assembly”. At this price, there’s a lot of details you could ignore and just enjoy the car. I miss my old Delta 88, I would polish this thing up and rock it just as it is. What about you, would you like to fire up this big-block Buick and cruise this summer?
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Comments
I took my drivers test in one just like this but blue and it had the rich windows. They where nice.
Since part of the test is parallel parking, this land yacht would have been the last car I’d have tested in. I drove my brother’s ‘77 Firebird Formula. Nailed the parallel on the first try.
Took my drivers test in 1976 in a 1973 Centurion. Parallel parking, NO PROBLEM. aced it. Parents car was a hardtop, but I would love to get a ’73 convertible to restore, just to put a smile on my 80 year old mothers face. Dad traded in mom’s 1970 Maverick for the Centurion in 1975. What an upgrade !
Decent price if it’s running. Scissor tops are pretty easy to work on, and the parts are around. Hydro-e-lectric has the parts. Thye sourced me a rebuilt top motor for a reasonable price. No funky hydraulics and seals. Cables and a tiny motor for the top.
The only problem with these is the upside isn’t super high. I struggle with this because I want to sell my 75 Grand Ville ragtop. Problem with a ratty car like this and mine is that a collector will be upside down in a restoratiom project.
Best use for a car like this is to pay the low entry fee, tires, brakes, sort the minor stuff and drive. It’s a really fun car for a weekender. Parts are around, don’t fret the rust. Say you wind up with 8k in it. That’s not bad for a car that you could potentially daily drive.
If you want a perfect resto, there are a bunch of very clean options for 10-12k. But then you worry about depreciation and driving it. Honestly, if this were near me I would look at it. It’s an easy project.
I own a ‘72 ragtop Centurion and you’re exactly right. Mine needs some attention with rust around the wheel wells, a non functioning gas gauge, and an interior that should be spiffed up. Those improvements would have no payback in valuation. I just drop the top and enjoy this beast that drives like a dream.
Wait! No speed sentinel needle? What the h€££, does that mean?
Snotty, “Speed Sentinal” was a set point on the speedometer that would sound a buzzer if you went over the speed set point. It was a small dial adjustment at the bottom center of the speedometer.
Dad had a 401 Wildcat (might have been a 425, that was a while ago), about 1966 or so, with one of them. He kept it set at 70 MPH, but it went off whenever he put foot to it to pass someone on a two lane. On an Interstate it was set at 100 or so.
I have one in my ’62 Invicta. I set it @80
I missed out on one of these in silver a few years ago. It always gets me when I see one again.
My parents bought a 1972 Delta 88 convertible for me in 1984 when I turned 16. My best friend had a new 318i but he loved driving my car more. So did I. By year two of ownership the power top broke and I ended up making it work manually. It became my daily work out. I really miss that car.
“Used Cars”. Got that movie on DVD and just recently watched it. Love the movie for all it’s ’60 s & 70s cars. Hate that they crashed a ’65 Lincoln & ’70s Lincoln together.
Yeah, I always loved that opening scene with the Centurion.
All my Buicks, except for the early ’60s had the 455-4. Great tire melting engine.
Stanly Kowalski, you ARE Buick Centurion Convertible. You can’t afford NOT to buy this car. Why the prestige alone of driving it..
Highly underrated movie. Best seen after a beer or three. Executive Producer was Steven Spielberg, and Robert Zemeckis wrote and directed.
A high school friend of mine had a Lesabre same color same motor, same year. It was the Batmobile, and yes, he was Batman. It was his first car and I loved when he put his foot into it and that engine would howl and throw that sled down the road. That car could melt the tires at will, and peg 100 mph easily. Fond memories of that car.
Since I own one of these, the funniest thing about the opening scene in Used Cars is the huge dent the guys head puts in the door. These doors weigh about two tons each. Only way to dent them like that would be with a sledgehammer.
August 1973. I wanted a convertible. A friend had recently purchased a special order loaded white/white/saddle interior ’73 Centurion convert which she was done with. It was VERY nice. I had little to use as down payment & banks wanted big down payments on used car loans, so I had to pass hers up & got a new Delta 88 convertible for a dealer. 16 years ago, I found another ’73 Delta that I will be taking out of storage soon. Nice to see yours Chebby!
I had a friend who bought a green 73 Centurion Convert new. He traded a 69 Cad in on it. I think it was one of these things going by a car lot and it caught his eye,
Had one of these briefly in the 1980s. Step on the accelerator pedal hard, and you could just barely see that fuel gauge needle moving towards empty. These things are brutal on gas consumption. You had to drive it really carefully to get more than single-digit gas mileage.