$1,200 Project: 1975 Buick Century Free Spirit
I still distinctly remember the U.S. bicentennial and all of the related hoopla surrounding that. One of the things that I don’t remember, at least from that era, is Buick getting a chance to show off their wares in front of a few million people either live at the track or on tv. This 1975 Buick Century Free Spirit is listed on Craigslist in Calais, Vermont with an asking price of $1,200 instead of the expected $1,776.
This car is in almost mint condition and.. hey, wait a minute. No, you can clearly see that it’s a project but I’m surprised at how good the body looks on this car. Or at least the passenger side body, there isn’t one photo taken of or from the driver’s side at all. There must have been one heck of a spider nest over there to not walk eight feet and make with the snapitty-snap a couple of times. The fine folks at Phoenix Graphics have replicated these graphics so the next owner can make this car sharp again.
Yes, this is a project and some would say a major project but we’ve all seen cars in worse condition than this sweet Free Spirit. Speaking of that name, Buick got their foot in the door at the Indianapolis 500 for a couple of years in and around the 200th anniversary of the founding of the United States. I know, that’s quite a coup, no pun intended. The 1975 Century Free Spirit and/or the 1976 Century Free Spirit, in the revised body style, would be an unusual jewel in any serious and wealthy car collector’s.. collection. The “Free Spirit” name was meant to reel in somewhat aging buyers to relive their youth and to be free spirits again. As if winning several wars and living through depressions, dust bowls, and gas crunches weren’t enough fun.
I’m not kidding when I say that this is the only interior photo, you should know by now that I don’t joke around. Again, it’s taken from the non-spider-nest side which shall formally be known as the passenger side. You can almost see the spiders coming in through the open floor there, this car needs some serious de-spidering, welding, and general restoration. I sure hope that the seats are in the spider-filled trunk otherwise the next owner will be scouting yon and hither for an interior. The seller is a person of few words, here they are describing the interior: “Floors shot”. That’s it, my friends. But, they are from Vermont.. (I kid the normally talkative Vermontians) (cough)
The Buick Free Spirit cars were replica Indy Pace Cars, they did not have the powerful 455 V8s that the actual pace cars had. That being said, for 1975 they weren’t total slouches, unlike me in that same period. They had Buick’s 350 cubic-inch V8 with 165 hp. This one, of course, doesn’t run. Here is the seller’s entire listing text: “Buick Free Sprit Pace Car – Floors shot – Has engine/trans – T-top – Project. Have about 210 other old cars – All projects – Thanks”. Can this one be saved? With fewer than 1,700 built it sure deserves a chance to live again.
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Comments
Love the interior. If the doors are locked, you can climb in through the floor
Yeah, no…this vehicle is toast
Not too familiar with GM’s body platforms from this era but this looks a lot like a Monte Carlo. I wonder if the interior would swap over.
Sad to see this once unique car in such neglected condition. It would be nice to think that someone will bring it back to life but, at this point, given the costs involved, I’m afraid it will be nothing more than a parts car. I hope I’m wrong.
It is hard to imagine a less-practical, more-audacious car schlepping around the wilds of Vermont. Two-door, RWD, automatic, (probably) an open rear-differential; I wonder how many winters it made before being relegated to its Back-40 resting spot? It would make for a real home run at any car show. It looks doubtful any one would, but I hope someone does, rescue it.
Judging by the mould and the proximity to the ground I’d wager the passenger side body is much worse than the pictures suggest.
Save the glass tops and the rest is likely crusher food IMO.
Not a lot of spirit left in this one…
“Flintstones, meet the Flintstones”, I don’t think the t-tops helped that situation. They leaked from new. I remember the Bicentennial graphics. There were several makes that had that, but GM had the most, I think. Nova’s, Vega’s and these. I think these were the most popular. My favorite bicentennial vehicles, were the 1976 Kenworth Aerodyne’s.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bigrigbill/7352271324/in/set-72157626104252794
This should be a free-Free Spirit, although I wouldn’t take it away for free.
The floor being completely rotted I would almost guarantee the frame is also.
Current owner would have to pay for hauling, if I were to take it.
With scrap about $200/ton it would have to be a 12,000 lb. car…and it’s not.
I remember these cars when they were new on the road and I remember thinking how ugly they were then and then you have the golden years of the 165hp 350, what an embarrassment to a great engine. If the owner hauled this heap to my shop and tried to give it to me I would still say NO GET IT OUT OF HERE!
It has the early style Hurst Hatch t/tops with the surround molding on the glass. Those were recalled and refitted with a newer design around 1979. Looks like this guy didn’t pay attention to his mail. He could have had those leaky ones fixed for free. He would have probably still had floors as a result.
Driving one of these would be akin to driving a yellow car fast. Stand out like a sore thumb………………..
Back in the day, T-tops out and riding around in your swivel buckets, this car was probably pretty damn cool.
Bruce Cliche collection. Old man died last year. His son has been attempting to clear out his massive collection. https://barnfinds.com/classics-in-vermont-bruce-cliche-collection/
If that is a “Collection”, then I am a 65 year-old, 210 lb “Stud Muffin”. Watch for me on Tinder.
Good eye. Odometer shows 50,000 miles. Drivers side of car is against a huge bush. Seems like a parts car now.
Appreciate the reminder on the earlier feature Jeff. Irregardless of collectability , there are few/none of these left. Hard to fault the asking price as there appears to be plenty of salvageable parts. Imagine if a photo/account of history were available (?) Appreciate all submissions, nice work as always !
Looking back the 70’s were a bit of an embarrassment. With it sitting down on the ground I’m guessing the frame is probably gone too. Too bad they didn’t sit it up on blocks rather then let the tires go flat and sink to the ground. If you went over the body on this with a pick hammer it would be a sieve with windows. Strip it and scrap it.
I love the red white and blue bicentennial scheme. When I was a kid and neighbor Bought a new bicentennial nova. I use to love it when my parents would drive me by the car and I would be glued to the window looking at it.
Those were the “Spirit of America” Chevrolet models. They came in Impala, Nova, and (I believe) Vega flavors.
I think this offends me more than the Buick phaeton.
They may have screwed up the storage with it but at least they tried. This poor old girl was just left to rot in the woods.
Remove the salvageable parts, recycle the rest. Too far gone for a restoration.
That passenger door looks like its one rainstorm away from its hinge pins breaking free. These were heavy doors if I recall. The weather stripping used during this period was “closed cell” with a slippery skin on it that barely sealed well when new. Any tear or breach in the skin would result in water collecting and then began the process of rust. I think Buick used “Free Spirit” as a marketing campaign in this timeframe, not just making a connection to the Bicentennial. Free spirit was used on their print ads with an eagle flying over their nameplate.
Not an eagle….the Buick Hawk
Idk why but for some reason unknown to me I wish I had the funds to tackle this mangy stray dog. Don’t even know why either.