Buick Wildcat
Introduced in 1962, the Wildcat was one of the first personal luxury coupes that featured a performance-tuned engine and options. Of course, since it was a Buick, luxury appointments and upscale options were guaranteed. Even before the Rivera GS or the start of the muscle car craze, Buick noticed that there was a market for full-size coupes with muscle performance (via Hemmings).
Young, successful people wanted an upscale product that looked expensive but still had enough power to make everyday driving fun. In those days, luxury coupes like Thunderbirds or Eldorados were big, heavy cruisers with soft handling. That’s why Buick introduced the Wildcat. The Wildcat was a separate model available as a regular four-door hardtop, two-door coupe, or convertible. Under the hood was always a powerful V8 from the top of Buick’s engine lineup. The best year was 1967 when the Wildcat had the mighty 430 V8 engine producing 360 hp. This kind of power in an unassuming sedan or coupe was unheard of at the time and provided great performance and exclusivity to owners.