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| 1970 Buick LeSabre, Canon EOS Rebel T1i, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM |
Bobbi and I were having a late lunch at Twenty Tap when this '70 Buick ragtop rolled past. Fortunately I was able to stand up and grab a shot before the light turned green. The 18-135mm travel zoom let me take a shot that didn't require trying to Photoshop a bunch of diners out of the picture.
The LeSabre nameplate denoted the most basic of Buick's full-size cars, originally beneath the Invicta and Electra. The Invicta eventually got subsumed by the Wildcat (which was in turn replaced in '71 by the Centurion.) Now that I know to look for the "Sweepspear" on Buicks, I can't not see it.
Also note the three vestigial chrome "Ventiports" on the fender behind the front wheel well. If it were the more upmarket Electra, it would have had four.
The base engine would have been a 260bhp 350 with a 2bbl carburetor. There were two optional 4bbl 350s; a low-compression one that would run on regular gas that was rated at 280 SAE gross horsepower, and a premium-fuel-only 10.25:1 compression version rated at 315. Top of the line was the then-new 370bhp Buick 455cid V-8, which was also a high-compression engine that required premium gas.
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