History & Heritage: Buick LeSabre

Once upon a time, Buicks were a big deal, even driven by royalty. Eventually they settled into their position, a step below Cadillac in General Motors' pecking order.

A star among the Buick stable was the LeSabre, a nice car, though not a performance vehicle. It wasn't even the most luxurious Buick, since it always had the lowest sticker price of the full-size models.

But what the LeSabre was - America's best-selling full-size car during its 47 years in existence - made up for what it wasn't. Replaced just two years ago by the Lucerne, LeSabre was also the longest-lasting model in continuous production of one of the longest-lasting nameplates in automotive history.

Used first on a Motorama show model in 1951, LeSabre got its real start in 1959 when Buick changed its entire line, introducing LeSabre with the short-lived Invicta and the much longer-lived Electra (through the 1990s). With a 250-hp V-8, LeSabre came as a convertible, a two- or four-door hardtop, a two- or four-door sedan and a station wagon (available every year through 1985 except 1965-69). With an optional "power-pack," which included a four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts, you could get 300 horsepower.

A car born as the '50s'  fins era was peaking, the first LeSabre had a wide recessed grille filled with rectangular "teeth." With its upswept fenders accommodating slanted headlights, it's easy to see how kids could view its front end as a face.

Second-generation models (1962-4) boosted base power to 280 horses, while the 1965-1970 models dropped the sedans and introduced the LeSabre Custom as the more luxurious trim level. The four available engines included a 455-cubic-inch V-8.

The fourth-generation LeSabre (1971-76) got a complete makeover, with a much different front end featuring a centered grille with a crosshatch pattern. An automatic transmission, which had always been optional but chosen by most buyers, finally became standard, along with power brakes and steering. Convertibles (dropped after 1972) had the inner-folding `scissor' top found on full-size GM ragtops of that time.

Power was down considerably so the cars could use low-lead or unleaded gas and the 1976 LeSabre has the dubious distinction of being the only full-size American car that offered a V-6 as the standard engine.

Generation Five LeSabres (1977-85) were much shorter (10-15 inches) and lighter (700-800 pounds) to help GM meet new fuel efficiency ratings mandated by Congress. Buick's three "portholes" disappeared on LeSabre after 1979. Buick engines lasted two more years before they were discontinued.

The 1986 LeSabre moved to a front-wheel-drive platform with a 3.8-liter V-6 rated at 165 hp. That number rose to 205 during the sixth generation's five-year run and LeSabre started receiving accolades from J.D. Power and Associates for customers' satisfaction with its quality and reliability.

The 1992 model brought the oval grille we see more often on today's roads. Now strictly a four-door sedan, LeSabre came in Custom or Premium trim levels. The eighth and final generation began with the 2000 model and ended when the final LeSabre was made in July 2005.

With no racing background or hot performance models, LeSabre can be described as safe, even boring. But it provided a lot of people with a very comfortable way of getting from here to there. So let's give LeSabre its due. It did what it was designed to do - and did it well - for 47 years.