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It takes a lot of gumption to take a verified development car from the 1960s, scrap everything, and build one of the wildest street machines of recent memory: a twin-turbo, Nailhead-powered 1963 Buick Wildcat. But that is exactly what Jeff Flisnik did.
This 1963 Buick Wildcat started as one of 10 development vehicles to test the soon-to-be-released dual-quad intake manifold for the ’64 model year. Eight of the 10 cars were crushed, two escaped this fate, and the car you see here is the only one known to exist (the other is still missing). The current owner has the original build sheet to back up its veracity, and he purchased it from the former GM employee who saved it from destruction in the ’60s.
Buick Wildcat is not the first machine you think of when you talk street muscle with your buddies. A Gran Sport Stage 1 or Grand National? Yeah, now you’re getting somewhere. Even in the 1960s, it was not on the list of top 10 cars lusted after by hot rodders.
Of course, there’s never been a Buick Wildcat like this. Jeff dared to slap twin turbos and electronic fuel injection on top of a 425 cubic-inch Nailhead V8. He fabricated the turbo setup himself.
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This was originally a four-speed car, so Jeff kept a stick in it. He backed the Nailhead with a Liberty’s Gears-built Tremec five-speed and Ford 9-inch rear. Somewhere, David Dunbar Buick is smiling.
This interior just screams 1960s greatness, but a five-speed replaces the factory four-speed, and custom gauges replace the factory dials.
Jeff believes a hot rod should retain the same brand of engine it was born with, ergo there’s no LS swap here. He didn’t go with a later-model Buick V8, either; nope, this is an honest-to-TV Tommy Ivo Nailhead, just like it had during the Kennedy administration.
What Is A Wildcat?
Think of the Wildcat as Buick’s answer to the Impala Super Sport, and you’re close. Bucket seats and a console were part of the package, as was a tachometer and padded instrument panel. A brushed finish panel and three, count them, three, Ventiports adorned the front fenders.
And the name? Pure gold. It originally appeared as a ’53 GM Motorama show car, a fiberglass, two-seater (sound familiar?). Wildcat II and III came along in 1954 and ’55, respectively, and there was even a Buick Wildcat show car in 2022 that supposedly pointed to Buick’s EV future.
Not since Tommy Ivo put four Nailhead V8s in his dragster has there been a Buick-powered vehicle like this. The owner says it makes 700 horsepower with 6 psi, but can make 900 with a little more boost. (Photos by Brian Wagner)
The production Wildcat arrived as a sub-series on the Invicta in 1962, but a year later, it became its own model in the Buick lineup. Like our feature car, it came as a two-door hardtop, but later a four-door hardtop and convertible were added to the series. You could even get the buckets and console in the four-door sedan, which was unusual back then.
Our feature car is dubbed the 1963 T-Type, and it retains those unusual fenders. They look especially striking with the mirror-like black paint. Jeff said the body was shockingly well-preserved. All it really needed was paint.
The factory trim makes this car a standout on the street or at shows. The wheels were custom-made to the owner's specifications. (Photos by Brian Wagner)
Like Buick T-Types from the 1980s, it is turbocharged. But while one turbo is good, Flisnik decided to double down in that department. Since you cannot simply order a ready-made twin-turbo setup for a ’63 Buick with a Nailhead, the owner fabricated his own.
Fuel is delivered by a 950 Holley Sniper EFI system. Revel Engines put together the 425 with Diamond pistons, big-block Chevy rods, and titanium valves (among other upgrades to keep it all together). With only six psi of boost, the engine makes 700 horsepower, which is fine for most street muscle enthusiasts—even in a two-ton land yacht. Jeff is sure if he turns the wick up, 900 horsepower is easily attainable.
The interior was done by Erica Ewald of Classic Customs, and it is perfectly close to the splendor of the original. The steering wheel retains the two-spoke design from 1963, but it is smaller in diameter; the custom-made Classic Instruments gauges are modern, as are the HVAC and stereo systems. All that spectacular red contrasting with the black paint, chrome, stainless, and aluminum is just glorious.
Jeff Flisnik created his own twin-turbo setup for the 425 cubic-inch V8, and the interior screams 1963.
The suspension is air from Ridetech at all four corners, with stainless upper and lower control arms and power rack-and-pinion steering. A Ford 9-inch rear with 3.73 gears is mounted to a stainless four-link suspension.
Stopping this classic are 14-inch Wilwood rotors and six-piston calipers on all four wheels. As for those wheels, they are one-of-a-kind, and Jeff had them custom-made.
A Holley Sniper fuel-injection system feeds the 425-inch Buick engine. (Photo by Brian Wagner)
While some may be afraid to drive such a wondrous piece of automotive art, Jeff said after the show where it made its debut, his 1963 Buick Wildcat would never be trailered again. His goal is to drive it, drive it, and then drive it some more.
