...and we're back!

[Smartin]

I don't know what happened there. I have contacted vBulletin and they said it was a server issue. I contacted my hosting company and still have not heard a response from them yet.

At least it works again.

[Phil Genario]

hi adam, if you would,please put this thread in its proper place as i am not sure how to log it on , as you can tell im not the greatest on the computer.hi, guys and thanks for your intelligent comments on my post last week regarding originality. i do admit i came across as being harsh on the subject and should have introduced myself to you great guys before i made my statements. my name is phil genario, i reside in lakewood n.j. which is about an hour north of atlantic city. pretty close and accessible to both pixley and hooterville as well.like many of you guys i also grew up in a buick family as well, my parents have had lots.among my favorites:a1966 skylark 2dr, a1969 sport wagon,a1972 electra225 sport coupe,a1975 electra225 sport coupe,which i took my driving test on in1978, even though i knew how to drive probably since i was twelve!my father was a construction engineer and was instrumental in the development of the n.j. meadowlands in the early seventies. he had free reign of gated access roads,so on sunday afternoons thats where we were, me behind the wheel,... of an electra! fast forward, at 18 my first car was a 72 centurion convertible. 36,000 miles , loaded to the max.i babied it for seven years and still miss it and wonder what happened to it, dont have the vin. other new cars came and went , but i always regretted letting it go, i still remember the original owners name! this past year i found a beautiful 72 convertible. it is silvermist, black top& int, 61,000 miles a beautiful 2 owner car, 455 hi perf, ac ,am-fm stereo , tilt , mats,cruise,mags,bumper gds,a stong unrestored#2 . i will post pics asap.happy holidays,phil

[Centurion]

Phil, thanks for sharing some of your Buick history. You are right that others of us here grew up with the big Buicks of that era, and I'm pleased that you've found a beautiful Centurion. We look forward to hearing much more about it and seeing your photos when you have a chance.

[Bob Alberini]

Hi Phil,
Like my long time friend, Brian, I appreciate your sharing your Buick history with us and, yes, many of us share a very similar history. Did you purchase your current Centurion off ebay about six months ago and was it from South Carolina? If that's the same car, I remember it made quite an impression at the time but the option list is slightly different and the mileage just a bit more than what you've mentioned. That one also did not indicate the high performance 455 but other than that, it sounds like a twin. Naturally, I have the VIN and info so we can compare if there is any question. A friend of mine still kicks himself for not pursuing that one. At any rate, welcome aboard and we're glad we didn't scare you off.

[Phil Genario]

hi bob, thanks for your response, no i did not purchase it on ebay,i dont really follow it, but i really should as i am sure it is a good source to follow car value and accuracy, i do have several friends who didnt exactlylget what they paid for in terms of condition, im just not that bold! i am 46 years old and i guess i am extremely old school on how i find and buy my cars,i can honestly say that im lucky in that sense,because in nearly 30 years of buying cars ive yet to be burned.my friends arent that fortunate.i look with my head and never buy on an impulse,period. i also own a1968 camaro rally sport with 27,000 miles on it. unrestored , i looked at 1968 camaros for10 years,some nice ,some horrible ,but i didnt jump and i found one privately still owned by its original 83 year old owner. luck, maybe, my advice is dont be in a hurry ,and think, its paid off every time. anyhow about the centurion ,i did make an error on the mileage i stated ,it is 71,000 not 61,000., it came from a guy in south carolina who did advertise it in hemmings,he claimed to have owned for 2 years give or take,he didnt title it or drive it so i am sure he was a collector slash broker. idid speak to its 2 previous owners ,first ,the son of the original owner in virginia, the original owner died and his wife had alzhiemers disease, he told me his parents owned it until1987 .itwas a second car, and he told me his parents loved it very much,etc ,etc, the second owner in virginia in his 60s stated he bought it from them and owned it from 87 until 2005, it was driven to california and back in04 without incident,that sold me because it truly is turnkey,it trust it.the untouched paint is beautiful, minor factory tiger striping on top surfaces common on light metallic lacquer from the period. my mothers seamist green 72 electra had the same issue. a few light stone chips on its hood and a chip in the passenger quarter panel and thats all thats worth mentioning . i did replace the original top which was a shame because it was loaded with streaks from dried up dressings over the years,i was not about to entertain cleaning it and jeopardize streaking and wrecking36 year old paint like this.the car is so nice that the new top and window look factory, they even duplicated the passenger compartment insulator pad.i have all dash hanging tags and books including the key blanks and their gm package. i also have a quality control form from buick asking the owner to fill it out, it is left blank.i dont have the sticker or purchase order.the interior looks and smells new, engine compartment looks 2 years old.every piece of chrome and die cast including the tailamp eyebrows is flawless i am thinking of adding repro jr78s , but was advised not to ,people say it will ride hard, but thats what they came with and thet rode great. whats your take on that. also talked to someone who does paint stripes, he claims it should be sprayed on, i say hand done , i also say leave it alone, but i love the stripe. my first 72 was artic white with black top and interior with a red paint stripe, no side molding and it had factory mags and cornering lamps , it was a beauty. again whats your take on a stripe. about the info on my car please tell me what you came up with, it has a factory stock dual exhaust as did my white 72 which was a hi perf. you seem very much into documenting production and options, what is your estimate that of 2,396 cars how many may survive today. that,ll do it for now bob, thanks for your interest! phil

[dewbers]

Welcome back Phil... Sounds like you have a great car there! Glad you shared more so we can get to know you a little and understand where you're coming from. Hope we didn't blast you too much! :beers: We're all glad to have you aboard and look forward to seeing your pictures! Talk to you soon!

[Phil Genario]

hi steve, thanks for the reply, your car looks great, i love triple black, and even more so, i have only seen one other 72 in that combo, and that was p robably 20 or so years ago, i have some pictures of my 72 when i first got it.like i say im horrible on the computer,so please bear with my endless paragraphs,i just get on and get the job overwith, but im embarrased to say im getting better! i get alot of grief from my friends because im so "old school"they say the cars fit because im stuck in 1968-1972.ill try to post those pics and see what happens. thanks , phil

[Bob Alberini]

Hi Phil,
I still have a hunch the car I was talking about from ebay and the one you own are one and the same. Are the last three digits on the VIN -- 989? If so, then it almost has to be the same car.

We can discuss this further if that is the case. Only 65 72 Centurion converts were built in Silver Mist so it was not a real common color on them.

Let's see, you asked about tires. Well, if you've got a good set of steel belted radials, I'd stick with them. Those old bias ply tires did not handle real well and certainly didn't offer the ride that the steel belts do. Yes, I know that the bias ply tires came on them and steel belts weren't even an option until '73 but the steel belts are far superior.

Your car sounds so nice and original, I don't think it really needs a stripe but if you really want one, it must be black for your Silver Mist paint. As far as the application, I don't know how it was applied but the stripes for the '71s and '72s were done in paint while it was a tape stripe for '73.

The car that I documented off ebay did not have the high performance 455 nor did the VIN indicate that it had dual exhaust. It did not have power seat or windows but did have tilt and cruise.

As far as how many are left, we really have no good clue but there seem to be quite a few convertibles and they undoubtedly have the highest percentage of what remains.

[Centurion]

Phil, does your car have the protective side molding? If so, my personal opinion is that you should avoid the addition of the paint stripe. I like the stripes also, but, on a Silver Mist car, I think that the the black paint stripe would compete visually with the black insert in the protective side molding.

This is simply my opinion and others are likely to disagree. Many of the Centurions look great with both the paint stripe and side molding, depending on the color combination of the car and the stripe. On other colors, I think the cars look cleaner and sleeker with one or the other -- the stripe or the molding -- but not both.

[Phil Genario]

Hi Phil,
I still have a hunch the car I was talking about from ebay and the one you own are one and the same. Are the last three digits on the VIN -- 989? If so, then it almost has to be the same car.

We can discuss this further if that is the case. Only 65 72 Centurion converts were built in Silver Mist so it was not a real common color on them.

Let's see, you asked about tires. Well, if you've got a good set of steel belted radials, I'd stick with them. Those old bias ply tires did not handle real well and certainly didn't offer the ride that the steel belts do. Yes, I know that the bias ply tires came on them and steel belts weren't even an option until '73 but the steel belts are far superior.

Your car sounds so nice and original, I don't think it really needs a stripe but if you really want one, it must be black for your Silver Mist paint. As far as the application, I don't know how it was applied but the stripes for the '71s and '72s were done in paint while it was a tape stripe for '73.

The car that I documented off ebay did not have the high performance 455 nor did the VIN indicate that it had dual exhaust. It did not have power seat or windows but did have tilt and cruise.

As far as how many are left, we really have no good clue but there seem to be quite a few convertibles and they undoubtedly have the highest percentage of what remains.hi,bob, it has to be my car, i doubt if
theres another one floating around south carolina,, i dont have power windows or seat, and as far as the exhaust goes im now stumped, i was under the impression that the hi performance option included dual exhaust and 15 more horsepower, the spec decal under the hood does not reveal horsepower nor exhaust type. i had the window sticker for my white72 and it had the option so i was basing it on what i remember.the motor is untouched and the exhaust is still fresh looking from front to back, how recent i am not sure . now im guessing you are correct in that perhaps it is not a high performance version as i thought ,as to the exhaust ,thats a mystery.it is very correct looking and sounding, so someone down the line knew what they were doing.all fact and research books i have downplay any in depth engine options and merely say what it is.i guess it was the typical early seventies manner in which luxury came before performance, the changing of the guard so to speak! thanks, phil

[The German]

I prefer the one or the other look, my own preferance is pinstripe only looks best. The pinstripe accentuates the body lines whereas I feel the body side molding breaks the lines.

Welcome here Phil !

Seems as if you have a very nice Centurion; thanks for the detailed story – really interesting !

Now something about my decision regarding pinstripes : I prefer the pinstripes also. But before adding them to my car I first tested it with using the software "paint" witch is part of the normal windows package. It was a bit difficult to get a line to a picture of my car and the line came out much thicker than they are in reality but with these paintings I got the impression that I had to use only small lines and a colour that has not a hard contrast to the white of my car (pic. 1 - open and closed car). So I took a grey small double line tape stripe (so I could change it without greater problems) and it looks really good now (my opinion). Only on photography's this stripe seems to be too small but in reality it comes out very good; it accentuates the body line perfect because it has not such hard a contrast to the white as you can see it in the painted picture.

Next I tested different colours of the top for my car also (next 2 pics). I guess I would prefer the blue one whenever I would have to change it and if it would be available of course. With these pics I only wanted to show you what is possible with that software "paint". It´s far from being perfect, but it helps a little!

I guess it could be a good possibility for you also, Phil, to test it with such a paint software on a picture of your car; perhaps there is a friend who could do it for you. On the other hand – without having seen your car – I guess Brian could be right : a pinstripe on Silver Mist could be a failure. Anyway – test it as described and get your own idea.

BTW: I´m really curious about seeing some pictures of your car.
_____________
Rolf

[Phil Genario]

Welcome here Phil !

Seems as if you have a very nice Centurion; thanks for the detailed story – really interesting !

Now something about my decision regarding pinstripes : I prefer the pinstripes also. But before adding them to my car I first tested it with using the software "paint" witch is part of the normal windows package. It was a bit difficult to get a line to a picture of my car and the line came out much thicker than they are in reality but with these paintings I got the impression that I had to use only small lines and a colour that has not a hard contrast to the white of my car (pic. 1 - open and closed car). So I took a grey small double line tape stripe (so I could change it without greater problems) and it looks really good now (my opinion). Only on photography's this stripe seems to be too small but in reality it comes out very good; it accentuates the body line perfect because it has not such hard a contrast to the white as you can see it in the painted picture.

Next I tested different colours of the top for my car also (next 2 pics). I guess I would prefer the blue one whenever I would have to change it and if it would be available of course. With these pics I only wanted to show you what is possible with that software "paint". It´s far from being perfect, but it helps a little!

I guess it could be a good possibility for you also, Phil, to test it with such a paint software on a picture of your car; perhaps there is a friend who could do it for you. On the other hand – without having seen your car – I guess Brian could be right : a pinstripe on Silver Mist could be a failure. Anyway – test it as described and get your own idea.

BTW: I´m really curious about seeing some pictures of your car.
_____________
Rolf hi rolf, WOW! what an absolutely beautiful centurion you have!i had awhite 72 with a black top years ago and to this day i still miss it .my car had a red factory paint stripe. thanks for the tips, i stink on the computor, but i have someone who can try it for me. i would probably venture to say i will probably leave it alone because of the side molding which it has,as keith stated,and the color ,and also the remote possibility of it getting screwed up ,which is my biggest fear. tell me more about your 71,its amazing how we love these beautiful cars, isnt it? i dont think i ever loved any other car as much as the centurion ! period! look forward to hearing more about yours. take care, phil

[Phil Genario]

hi,bob, it has to be my car, i doubt if
theres another one floating around south carolina,, i dont have power windows or seat, and as far as the exhaust goes im now stumped, i was under the impression that the hi performance option included dual exhaust and 15 more horsepower, the spec decal under the hood does not reveal horsepower nor exhaust type. i had the window sticker for my white72 and it had the option so i was basing it on what i remember.the motor is untouched and the exhaust is still fresh looking from front to back, how recent i am not sure . now im guessing you are correct in that perhaps it is not a high performance version as i thought ,as to the exhaust ,thats a mystery.it is very correct looking and sounding, so someone down the line knew what they were doing.all fact and research books i have downplay any in depth engine options and merely say what it is.i guess it was the typical early seventies manner in which luxury came before performance, the changing of the guard so to speak! thanks, philbob, yep! my vin ends in 989,so were on the same page.

[The German]

... ... tell me more about your 71,its amazing how we love these beautiful cars, isnt it? i dont think i ever loved any other car as much as the centurion ! period! look forward to hearing more about yours. take care, phil

No problem, Phil, you can find my story here :
http://www.buickcenturion.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71

... and yes, you are right, it´s a special love we all have to these Big Beautiful Buick Centurions ! They are great cars - designed in a wonderful way !:)

Good luck with yours !:xyxthumbs:
__________
Rolf

[Bob Alberini]

Hi Phil,
I just felt there were way too many coincidences about your car for it not to be the same one. The beginning of the VIN on your car is 4P67T2Y which indicates it has the standard 455 and single exhaust so the exhaust was changed somewhere along the way and obviously was very properly done.

That car was absolutely stunning from the photos that were posted. A friend of mine was considering purchasing it and still mentions it on occasion and kicks himself for not bidding. At least, we now know it wound up in very caring hands. Congratulations on landing such a great example.

I have one question for you. Is the radio AM-FM or AM-FM Stereo? I was showing only AM-FM but perhaps couldn't tell. If you'll advise me on that point, I can correct or confirm my documentation.

By the way, I submitted that car for the registry after it was on ebay so if you haven't done it, you don't have to. I even have all the body plate information for it.

[Phil Genario]

hi bob, thanks for your help with this,what you can do is amazing! the radio is am-fm stereo with front and rear dual speakers. thanks for clarifiying the high performance issue,again its impossible to really know unless you know the code, and the dual exhau st issue threw me off. it is so correct appearing including pipe bends and the tip angles. i feel so good about this car!i did not realize that the electra limited and centurion hardtop in collectible automobile were yours. what perfect beautys! the electra i love as my mom had a coupe .the centurion is so sharp! all of the cars are unbelieva ble thats the first time i recall seeing centurions mentioned and featured as well. its truly about time.in 1979 i saw a flame orange convertible on the used car lot of jack schlein buick in hackenack ,n.j. it had mileage in the high 30s . i was told it was traded in on a new 79 riv, the car belonged to a woman friend of the owner and i was told it was one of few. it was identical to keiths car and was perfect, they were asking $4,995 for it ,big money! this was the dealer where my parents bought all of their cars, i forgot about the car. in 1986 i was in the dealer ordering a 87 regal and began talking to the owner after he commented on my 72 parked at the curb, he said 'I have one of those' so we starting talking ,he said he had around 15 cars , in various garages all old trades to the dealer , he said he hadnt seen his 72 in 6 years. i asked about his 72 and he said it was rare as it was orange. i asked if it was the car from 6 years earlier, and he said yes it was. he chuckled and said 'i dont even know where its parked since it was put away in 79. he passed away in the mid 90s ,and the dealer relocated to the highway and closed about 5 years ago, im a little sketchy on the dates, but im surethe car still exists. did you ever document a flame orang e72 from this dealer? when i saw keiths i immediately thought of it. phil

[Phil Genario]

hi keith, all i know is that it was your colors w ith stripe,so who knows where it wound up , but i do know it was sold new at jack schlein buick in hackensack, n.j. or as billy joel states, hackensackakakak! and traded backakakak in 1979.your car is unreal! you are a very fortunate guy . went to a couple of lcc events , but never pursued joining, lots of neat cars and intresting people to say the least.the new jersey chapter was all but breathing last time i heard ! phil

[Phil Genario]

hi keith, thanks for the input on lcci, i thought of joining to meet other enthusiasts in the club ,but was honest about the joke and the chapter as well, i dont think anyone is doing much of anything with it ,as i have been told since. i have gone to car shows in new hope,but they were at a school.i was then told about a lcc show at motel in the woods,but it was after the fact. someone later told me that one was no longer happening, so where in new hope is itnow. new hope is only 50 minutes from my door. if you wish you may e mail me any info related to the club or others you may no of to me at pgcarsport@yahoo.com and as far as the orange 72 i saw pictures of on the site , it could be, but in not sure of abodyside molding or not , memory says both stripe and side moldings and if so they were factory ,and the time frame it the car was disposed of and the condition of it are not clear, i know i was told on 2 occasions it was in climate controlled storage. and it had a chrome die cast dealer nameplate on left of trunk. jack schlein,hackensack.again this was 1979. and i know th owner didnt part with anything but for crazy dollar signs! the 72 on the site just didnt click with me partly due to its condition.i can always try to invesigate it , as i still think the owners sons are still in the area. i know cars go downhill quickly, but i just have a hunch thats not it. i somehow think this car is somewhere and still nice because this dealer was fussy about every car it had . truly mom and pop! LET ME KNOW, PHIL

[Bob Alberini]

Hi Phil,
When the Flame Orange Centurion convert that we're discussing first appeared on ebay, the guy wanted $29k for it. It was at that time that I was able to document it and we were told the car was a special build for a dealer (which makes sense). This was in either 2003 or 2004. The car then resurfaced a year or two later and again on ebay but didn't sell as far as we knew. The car that has gathered so much interest on the site is indeed the same one that was offered the first time as one of our members physically inspected it and the VINs matched. The car has been in the New Jersey area each time it has surfaced. As I mentioned to you earlier, there were only 25 of these built and we have been able to locate four of them. We have Keith's car (originally from Ohio), the car from New Jersey, one in pretty sad condition (but legitimate) from Texas and another car from Missouri. It would really have been an oddity that two of them would have been in New Jersey but anything is certainly possible. Keith took me along when he went to look at his car and I had the honor and privilege of driving it for the first part of the trip home. It was a really nice car when Keith got it and he has only improved it since.

Thanks for your kind comments about my cars too. I appreciate that and it was quite a thrill to have them in CA. Gray and I have been together for 34 years so Centurions have been a part of my life for a long time and as so many of us know, once they are in your blood, they stay there.

[Phil Genario]

hi bob, i scanned and sent a few photos of my car to centurion @buick centurion .com ,i am still a bit unfamiliar on how to post pics on the site , i believe they went through, but didnt recieve an email stating such, i am pretty bad on the computer, but its about time i get it right after much ribbing from my friends, who are astounded as to why i am so stubborn about it. you can see why! a mind like a file cabinet, but put me in front of this thing and the fun ends! if i sent them incorrectly please instruct me as to where to email them on the site .thanks as to the orange 72 im speaking of,i sent an email to keith earlier today and told him of a couple of details i was unsure of, ill state them to you, i am pretty sure it had both factory body side moldings and paint stripe, i seem to now remember possibly lamp monitors,cornering lamps, a chrome dealer nameplate, jack schlein buick. possibly an aftermarket in dash 8 track. at times my memory of triviabilia really scares me! and i was told twice by dealer people these cars wer e kept in climate controlled garages, but never could get an answer as to where. also the dealer once had a twilight blue 69 riviera with 52000 miles on its used car lot in 1985 for $5,500. again telephone numbers in terms of 1985 prices, same deal new car trade , did not sell and was put away in storage, however , a friend of mine saw an ad in hemmeings in 1998 or 99 for this car .i called the ad and sure enough it was the car right down to the 1977 oil change sticker in the door jamb!the owner said it belonged to a collector of cars who bought it and resold it to this guy who owned for like 6 months. it apparantly was sold from the collection ,and the car was as perfect as it was 12 or so years earlier.so this leads me to believe these cars were properly stored. i could be all wrong here as well , since a car can and will go downhill shortly if not garaged after this period assuming the orange car was sold .the collection included a 63 pontiac grand prix, a65 riv gs ,a75 lesabre conv with 11,000 miles.an opel gt and probably others.im pretty burned out after this trip down memory lane here,lol! so who knows! phil

[Smartin]

Phil, I received an email with some attachments, but they were not formatted to where I could open them. I tried a few things to see them, but nothing worked.

[Richard Dunn]

Funny the 1972 flame orange convertible came up again in conversation here.
The dealer emailed me two days and ago and told me she's still available and waiting.
And yes I would still love to have that beauty but it is most definitely overpriced for the amount of TLC needed to bring up to show condition.
The body work needed and the top work would be a small fortune.

I can picture myself driving it. Lately when I'm driving I picture myself behind the wheel of a Buick convertible, not an Altima sedan. SCAREY!

But I've kind of given up the search for now (yeah right) but I'm keeping my eyes open.
It seems these old grand dames are turning up and maybe one will end up in my driveway. :)

[Phil Genario]

Phil, I received an email with some attachments, but they were not formatted to where I could open them. I tried a few things to see them, but nothing worked.hi adam ,please give me the e mail address, and i will resend it again, i dont know what happened.looked at the photos of your 71 on the site and its really beautiful,especially the color.phil
,

[Phil Genario]

Funny the 1972 flame orange convertible came up again in conversation here.
The dealer emailed me two days and ago and told me she's still available and waiting.
And yes I would still love to have that beauty but it is most definitely overpriced for the amount of TLC needed to bring up to show condition.
The body work needed and the top work would be a small fortune.

I can picture myself driving it. Lately when I'm driving I picture myself behind the wheel of a Buick convertible, not an Altima sedan. SCAREY!

But I've kind of given up the search for now (yeah right) but I'm keeping my eyes open.
It seems these old grand dames are turning up and maybe one will end up in my driveway. :)hi richard , yeah you sure can spend it real quick, i spent nearly $1,800 on a new top for my 72 which worked perfectly.i just replaced my original top and window, the only issue it had was streaked from old dressings. it was money well spent ,since the result was beautiful. to go into something overpriced, forget color, and than dump a ton into it, be patient and find one without the needs , id rather pay for quality over a needy one priced crazy. phil

[Smartin]

Try sending them to:

adamm@buickpartsdirectory.com

[Phil Genario]

Phil, does your car have the protective side molding? If so, my personal opinion is that you should avoid the addition of the paint stripe. I like the stripes also, but, on a Silver Mist car, I think that the the black paint stripe would compete visually with the black insert in the protective side molding.

This is simply my opinion and others are likely to disagree. Many of the Centurions look great with both the paint stripe and side molding, depending on the color combination of the car and the stripe. On other colors, I think the cars look cleaner and sleeker with one or the other -- the stripe or the molding -- but not both.hi brian, i saw your 71 in collectible auto magazine, beautiful! the color combination is gorgeous,and that steering wheel is super rare, my friend had a 71 riv with that option.plus the car was your parents car, how neat! the car sits beautiful, all featured cars were super beautiful. best of luck , phil

[Phil Genario]

Try sending them to:

adamm@buickpartsdirectory.comhi adam, sent photos to your email today, any luck? let me know.

[Smartin]

Yes, Phil. Thanks for sending those over. I will resize them and post them in another thread.

[Centurion]

Phil, thanks for your kind comments regarding my '71 Formal Coupe.

Yes, the rimblower steering wheel is quite rare. It was discontinued shortly into the 1971 model year, and, as I recall, only about 4% of '71 coupes were equipped with it.

These steering wheels tended to deteriorate from sun and use, and mine is no exception. But I've wanted to maintain this unique option, and I've never been able to locate an NOS replacement in the correct color. They can be restored, but I've never spent the money.

There's something special -- a link to the past -- when I realize that it's the same steering wheel that Mom (now deceased) and Dad (now 91 years old) grasped as they enjoyed so many trips in the Centurion.

Phil, I look forward to seeing photos soon of your fine '72 convertible. Bob assures me that, based on the Ebay photos, the car is truly spectacular.

[Smartin]

The last two of three emails I got have the pictures attached correctly, but the first email wasn't readable.

[Phil Genario]

Phil, thanks for your kind comments regarding my '71 Formal Coupe.

Yes, the rimblower steering wheel is quite rare. It was discontinued shortly into the 1971 model year, and, as I recall, only about 4% of '71 coupes were equipped with it.

These steering wheels tended to deteriorate from sun and use, and mine is no exception. But I've wanted to maintain this unique option, and I've never been able to locate an NOS replacement in the correct color. They can be restored, but I've never spent the money.

There's something special -- a link to the past -- when I realize that it's the same steering wheel that Mom (now deceased) and Dad (now 91 years old) grasped as they enjoyed so many trips in the Centurion.

Phil, I look forward to seeing photos soon of your fine '72 convertible. Bob assures me that, based on the Ebay photos, the car is truly spectacular.hi brian , i sent some photos of my car to adam and he said he will post them shortly. i can definitely relate to what you say about the car and your parents. i lost my dad this past year and thought of so many neat things we did together, many of them resonate back to cars, he loved them, especially buicks. they owned alot of them , including a 72 electra. when i found my 72 practically all i thought of was how cool it would have been to have him there with me , as he was when i found my first 72 centurion which was my first car! nearly 30 years ago.( I drove my parents nuts because it took me a year to find that car,so for a year i drove my moms 75 electra coupe around, without incident) not to bad of a deal for me, but my parents got the short end of the stick.getting inside my silver72 and looking at the dash was like looking at an old friend. phil ps my mom drives a o2 lesabre,every car prior a buick, i think she deserves a hand ,dont you! PHIL

[Phil Genario]

hi richard , yeah you sure can spend it real quick, i spent nearly $1,800 on a new top for my 72 which worked perfectly.i just replaced my original top and window, the only issue it had was streaked from old dressings. it was money well spent ,since the result was beautiful. to go into something overpriced, forget color, and than dump a ton into it, be patient and find one without the needs , id rather pay for quality over a needy one priced crazy. philhi rich , i am trying to see if this orange 72 is the car that surfaced at a buick dealer in north jersey in 1979. can you provide me with any details as far as options ,condition, etc, the car im speaking of spent many years in storage. it was a perfect car in its day. im not looking to buy it, im just very curious and can still vividly remember things about it.as thesame buick dealer owned it for many years . do you know the story of its history? i would like to contact the seller.if possible, let me know, phil