The beginning of 1971 saw the end of the muscle car era. Due to
increased government regulations and a looming global oil crisis
car manufacturers were forced to lower compression in their engines.
Along with other The 1971 Buick GS 455 was not immune to the low
compression movement. The changes in compression meant a loss of
35hp in the 455 cid and over 50hp in the 350 cid version.
The 1971 Buick GS still featured a four barrel carb and true dual
exhaust with hood scoops. The car was available with an automatic
or a standard transmission. However, the steepest available gear
was 3.42. When you combine all these changes the Buick was now a
15 second quarter mile car. Not suprisingly, sales dropped nealry
in half in 1971.
