Buicks are known for a lot of things; class, comfort, style, and in a few instances, performance. It is for this reason that most enthusiasts lean towards the conventional performance models from Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge.

But a few of us like to stray away from the pack, and take the road less traveled, and that’s where companies like Hotchkis Suspension come into play. Hotchkis has been in business for over thirty years, and just recently, have decided to take on a ’70 Skylark GS 455 convertible as a project.  The Gran Sport variant of the of the Buick range was a performance and trim option that was available on several of the Buick models over the years; including the Regal, Riviera, and in this case, the Skylark.

The car, belonging to a friend of John Hotchckis is an all original, one-owner example of Buick’s intermediate muscle car that has been left unmolested –until now. Busting the entire project out in a matter of only one day, the Buick A-body received a complete suspension overhaul in the form of every component in the catalog; including front a rear sway bars, lower control arms, tie-rod ends, ball joints, a-arms, springs and Bilstein shocks and struts help round out the package.

The difference is like night and day, as you can see from the attached video that we’ve provided all of you to watch. Where the car maintained a classic, boat-like personality as a result of its soft suspension (circa, 1970), the Hotchkis package brings the handling into the 21^st century –where it should be!

-Note: We are all aware that the 1970 Skylark GS455 model came equipped with a Ram-Air hood package from the factory, however the car depicted in this story doesn’t have one. Whether or not the car was special ordered without it, if it’s been replaced, or if it’s a clone is beyond our knowledge.