autoevolution
 

1959 Buick LeSabre Hardtop Hot Rod Is Still Frowning

It seems like there’s nothing anyone can do to wipe that angry look off the face of a first-generation Buick LeSabre. Then again, why would someone want to remove one of the most iconic features of the car?
1959 Buick LeSabre 13 photos
Photo: RM Sotheby's
1959 Buick LeSabre1959 Buick LeSabre1959 Buick LeSabre1959 Buick LeSabre1959 Buick LeSabre1959 Buick LeSabre1959 Buick LeSabre1959 Buick LeSabre1959 Buick LeSabre1959 Buick LeSabre1959 Buick LeSabre1959 Buick LeSabre
Although it kind of lacks the appeal some of its competitors had at the time, this nameplate has a bit of an interesting story to it. The name came into existence in 1951 as the Le Sabre, and was used on a concept drawn by Harley Earl. At the time, in 1951, GM did not find it useful to attribute the name to one of its specific brands.

Constricted to LeSabre, the name was adopted from 1959 by what was until then the Buick Special. And for all intents and purposes, it was a trendsetter.

First off, the first generation Le Sabre was one of the few that brought to the world design elements inspired by aviation, or the incredibly good-looking and extremely dangerous tail fins.

Thanks to the car’s insane design by today’s standards, the LeSabre is one of the tuning industry’s favorite, and turned over the years into incredible projects.

One of them, created by a Denver, Colorado-based shop called Color On Wheels, manages to be something that can easily be considered a hot rod, but at the same time retains most of the original design elements.

The biggest changes can be found at the interior, where the builder went for a combination of colors and materials that looks incredibly good and modern. Combined with the chrome of the pedals, gearshift, and dashboard, the brownish interior seems quite cozy.

The 350ci (5.7-liters) V8 engine fitted under the hood is actually kind of a downgrade in terms of size from the original 364ci (6.0-liter) that was fitted back when the car rolled off the assembly lines.

This build, officially titled 1959 Buick LeSabre hardtop coupe, is going under the hammer of RM Sotheby’s without reserve during the Palm Beach auction in March.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Daniel Patrascu
Daniel Patrascu profile photo

Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories