1970 · Buick · United States
1970 Buick Wildcat
The final Wildcat, Custom trim only, with the 370-hp 455; 23,645 built.
United States · researched through 2026-09-22
For its final year the Wildcat came only in Custom trim, standard with a 455 V-8 rated 370 hp, before the nameplate was replaced by the Centurion for 1971. The Standard Catalog lineage gives 23,645 Wildcats for 1970, built across just three bodies: a two-door hardtop, a four-door hardtop, and a convertible. The two-door hardtop is disputed between 9,447 (TeamBuick) and 9,477 (OldRide); this record's own sourcing notes that OldRide's figure, combined with its other two rows, is the one that sums to the 23,645 total, while TeamBuick's does not, though that arithmetic fit is not treated as proof on its own. The four-door hardtop, at 12,924, was the single most popular body, and the convertible, at 1,244, the rarest by a wide margin.1,2,3
The 455 four-barrel is rated 370 hp, SAE gross, with no separate rpm or torque figure found in an accessible documented source for the year; no other engine, and no transmission listing, was found either, and no options list beyond what the paint and trim charts themselves imply was found for 1970.1
Factory prices ran $3,949 for the two-door hardtop, $3,997 for the four-door hardtop, and $4,079 for the convertible, a $130 spread across the three bodies. Shipping weights ran 4,099 lb for the two-door hardtop up to 4,214 lb for the convertible, with the four-door hardtop at 4,187 lb in between; the price and weight orderings agree exactly, with the lightest body also the cheapest and the heaviest also the most expensive.3
Fourteen exterior colors were charted under a numeric rather than letter code scheme, from Glacier White and Silver Mist through Fire Red and Misty Burgundy; seven further Riviera-only colors are excluded, and no black shade is listed on the source page at all for 1970. Separate vinyl roof codes covered white, black, dark brown, dark green, and dark gold, each with a matching molding color, and stripe colors ran white, black, gold, and red. Interior trim was charted separately for each of the three bodies: five codes for the two-door hardtop in Black, Green, Pearl White, and Saddle (Black repeated across two codes); six codes for the four-door hardtop in Black, Sandalwood, Green, Pearl White, and Red; and two codes for the convertible, Black and Pearl White only. Trim codes throughout carry a # or * mark whose meaning this record cannot resolve for 1970 specifically, since the source page gives no legend for that year even though a later year's equivalent page defines the same two marks as bucket-seat and notchback-or-60/40 indicators.2
The VIN's plant-code digit named eight assembly locations for 1970: Flint, South Gate, Doraville, Framingham, Leeds, Fairfax, Wilmington, and Fremont. The series-code pair carried only one value, 66, since the Wildcat Custom was the sole trim remaining; body-style digits covered the two-door hardtop, four-door hardtop, and convertible, and the year digit read 0. No overall-length, wheelbase, or performance-test figure was found in an accessible documented source for the Wildcat's final year, so those sections carry only the shipping-weight figures given above.2
Fact sheet · 1970 · United States
The numbers
1970 Buick Wildcat — The final Wildcat, Custom trim only, with the 370-hp 455; 23,645 built.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-22.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Key facts
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcat, all bodies and trims1 Wildcat (all trims) · all bodies · not stated by source | 23,645 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcat Custom 2-door hardtop (46637)2,3 Wildcat Custom · 2-door hardtop · not stated by source TeamBuick 9,447; OldRide 9,477. The OldRide figure is the one consistent with the 23,645 total. | Unknown | built, model-year | Disputed |
| Wildcat Custom 4-door hardtop (46639)2,3 Wildcat Custom · 4-door hardtop · not stated by source | 12,924 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Wildcat Custom convertible (46667)2,3 Wildcat Custom · 2-door convertible · not stated by source | 1,244 | built, model-year | Reported |
Package rows are subsets of the total.
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Wildcat Custom 2-door hardtop (46637)3 | $3,949 | factory price as listed by secondary compilation (Standard Catalog lineage), basis not further stated, 1970 |
| Wildcat Custom 4-door hardtop (46639)3 | $3,997 | factory price as listed by secondary compilation (Standard Catalog lineage), basis not further stated, 1970 |
| Wildcat Custom convertible (46667)3 | $4,079 | factory price as listed by secondary compilation (Standard Catalog lineage), basis not further stated, 1970 |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 455 V-81 455 cu in · 4-barrel | 370 hp (SAE gross) | standard | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Paint
| Code | Color | Built |
|---|---|---|
10 |
Glacier White2 | Not yet sourced |
14 |
Silver Mist (iridescent)2 | Not yet sourced |
25 |
Gulfstream Blue (iridescent)2 | Not yet sourced |
28 |
Diplomat Blue (iridescent)2 | Not yet sourced |
34 |
Aqua Mist (iridescent)2 | Not yet sourced |
45 |
Seamist Green (iridescent)2 | Not yet sourced |
48 |
Sherwood Green (iridescent)2 | Not yet sourced |
50 |
Bamboo Cream2 | Not yet sourced |
55 |
Cornet Gold (iridescent)2 | Not yet sourced |
58 |
Harvest Gold (iridescent)2 | Not yet sourced |
63 |
Desert Gold (iridescent)2 | Not yet sourced |
68 |
Burnished Saddle (iridescent)2 | Not yet sourced |
75 |
Fire Red2 | Not yet sourced |
78 |
Misty Burgundy (iridescent)2 | Not yet sourced |
Color names are the factory's. We don't show color swatches, because a screen color is no guide for a restoration.
Interiors
| Code | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
468# |
Wildcat Custom 2-Door Hardtop: Black, vinyl2 | Not yet sourced |
478* |
Wildcat Custom 2-Door Hardtop: Black, vinyl2 | Not yet sourced |
460# |
Wildcat Custom 2-Door Hardtop: Green, vinyl2 | Not yet sourced |
465# |
Wildcat Custom 2-Door Hardtop: Pearl White, vinyl2 | Not yet sourced |
466# |
Wildcat Custom 2-Door Hardtop: Saddle, vinyl2 | Not yet sourced |
438# |
Wildcat Custom 4-Door Hardtop: Black, cloth and vinyl2 | Not yet sourced |
468# |
Wildcat Custom 4-Door Hardtop: Black, vinyl2 | Not yet sourced |
434# |
Wildcat Custom 4-Door Hardtop: Sandalwood, cloth and vinyl2 | Not yet sourced |
460# |
Wildcat Custom 4-Door Hardtop: Green, vinyl2 | Not yet sourced |
465# |
Wildcat Custom 4-Door Hardtop: Pearl White, vinyl2 | Not yet sourced |
466# |
Wildcat Custom 4-Door Hardtop: Red, vinyl2 | Not yet sourced |
468# |
Wildcat Custom Convertible: Black, vinyl2 | Not yet sourced |
465# |
Wildcat Custom Convertible: Pearl White, vinyl2 | Not yet sourced |
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Shipping weight range3 | 4,099-4,214 lb | 1970 Wildcat Custom bodies |
Identification
- VIN
- Example as printed: 434270H000000. Digit 1 = 4 (Buick); 2-3 = series (Wildcat Custom 66); 4-5 = body (37 2-door hardtop, 39 4-door hardtop, 67 convertible); 6 = year (0); 7 = plant (H Flint, C South Gate, D Doraville, G Framingham, K Leeds, X Fairfax, Y Wilmington, Z Fremont); last six = production number.2
- Vinyl roof and stripe codes
- Vinyl roof codes 12A white, 12B black, 12F dark brown, 12G dark green, 12H dark gold (molding colours matched); stripe colours A white, B black, H gold, R red.2
Where the sources disagree
Identification
Read a 1970 Buick VIN
The VIN decoder runs in your browser and never sends the VIN anywhere. How the factory numbered this year's cars:
Same model year
Also in 1970
- AMC AMX The last two-seat AMX: a restyled nose, a 360 base V8 and a 325-hp 390. At 4,116 cars it was the rarest of the three two-seat years.
- AMC Javelin Penske and Donohue brought the Javelin to Trans-Am, and the showroom answered with 2,501 Mark Donohue Javelins and 100 red-white-blue Trans Am Javelins, while total production fell to 28,210.
- AMC Rebel and Rebel Machine AMC's intermediate supercar: a 340-hp 390, four-speed and Hurst shifter in the Rebel hardtop, first in white with red-white-blue stripes. Totals reported for the one-year run range from about 1,200 to 2,326.
- Buick Riviera The 455 (370 hp gross) arrived with a restyle; production fell to about 37,300 with some 3,505 GS cars.
- Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX Buick's GS went to a 455 rated at 510 lb-ft, the Stage 1 option added 10 advertised hp, and a mid-year GSX package was built 678 times in two colors.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The year the Chevelle Super Sport split into RPO Z25 SS 396 and RPO Z15 SS 454, with the LS6 454 rated at 450 gross horsepower.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova Last year the source engine table lists the big-block (as 402) in the Nova. Enthusiast-compiled production: 307,280 cars; Super Sport 19,558.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS The Malibu/Custom El Camino could carry either RPO Z25 SS 396 or RPO Z15 SS 454, including the 450 hp LS6; the El Camino share is not separately published.
- Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS The first Monte Carlo, with the SS 454 as RPO Z20: 3,823 of 145,976 Monte Carlos per Chevrolet-report-derived tables.
- Dodge Challenger Dodge's first pony car arrived as a 1970 model with nine advertised engines, base, SE, R/T, and R/T SE hardtops, two convertibles, and a one-year Trans-Am homologation special, the T/A.
- Dodge Charger The last year of the second-generation body: a new full-width grille, three series (Charger, 500, R/T), the 440 Six Pack added to the R/T, and production roughly half of 1969's.
- Dodge Coronet R/T and Super Bee The final Coronet-based R/T and Super Bee: the R/T fell to 2,615 cars, while the Super Bee added a 3-speed manual and kept its Six Pack and Hemi options.
- Dodge Dart GTS, Swinger and Demon With the GTS gone, the Swinger 340 was the only performance Dart; it kept front discs, Rallye suspension and a twin-scoop hood and sold about 13,800 beside the new Challenger.
- Ford Fairlane The last Fairlane year: the name survived only on the Fairlane 500 beneath the new Torino, with a mid-year Falcon sharing the body at the bottom of the range.
- Ford Maverick Grabber The Grabber appearance and tire package arrived in mid-1970 on the new two-door Maverick; no Grabber count for 1970 was found.
- Ford Ranchero GT The Torino-based Ranchero GT could take the 429 Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet; reference counts give 3,905 GTs, while Barn Finds rounds the GT figure to about 3,600 of 21,640 Rancheros.
- Ford Thunderbird The 429 at 360 hp was the standard and only engine listed in the 1970 catalog.
- Ford Torino A new, longer body on a 117-inch wheelbase; the Torino Cobra became its own model with the 429, offered in 360, 370 (Cobra Jet) and 375 (Super Cobra Jet) horsepower forms.
- Mercury Comet and Cyclone A new, longer Montego-based Cyclone in three versions: the 429 Cyclone, the small-block Cyclone GT that outsold both others, and the Ram Air 429 Cobra Jet Cyclone Spoiler.
- Mercury Cougar The last first-generation Cougar moved to the 351 Cleveland, kept the Boss 302 as an Eliminator-only engine, and built 2,268 Eliminators.
- Mercury Marauder and S-55 The second and last year of the 1969-70 Marauder: production fell to about a third of 1969's, with the X-100 near half of it.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The 4-4-2 got a standard 455 rated at 365 hp, the W-30 went to 370 hp, and the small-block W-31 moved to the Cutlass and F-85 coupes.
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda The E-body redesign split the line into Barracuda, Gran Coupe, and 'Cuda hardtops and convertibles, put every Chrysler performance engine through the 426 Hemi on the order form, and added the one-year AAR 'Cuda for Trans-Am homologation.
- Plymouth Duster 340 and 360 Plymouth's new Valiant-based fastback coupe arrived with a 275 hp 340 performance model priced at $2,547; the Standard Catalog lineage counts 24,817 Duster 340s among 217,192 Dusters.
- Plymouth GTX, Belvedere and Satellite Now hardtop-only, the GTX fell to 7,748 cars while its 440 Six Barrel option cost just $119.
- Plymouth Road Runner Production halved from 1969, the 440 Six Barrel became a regular option, and the winged Superbird was built as a Road Runner hardtop to put Plymouth back on NASCAR superspeedways.
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am A late-arriving, coupe-only second generation: 48,739 Firebirds, 3,196 of them Trans Ams, and 88 Ram Air IVs.
- Pontiac GTO A new Endura nose, a 455 added beside the three 400s, and GTO production falling to 40,149.
- Pontiac Grand Prix The SJ took a 370 hp 455, Hurst built the SSJ, and production fell to 65,750.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The T-37 and GT-37 bring budget performance to the Tempest.