It’s not my fault I came of age during the era of Malaise! Nonetheless, like you Boomers, I was always excited for September and the new model year. One of the cars that caught my eye as a kid is the Pick of the Day: a 1979 Buick LeSabre Palm Beach. It is listed on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Concord, North Carolina. (Click the link to view the listing.)
I was too young to be aware of the cars debuting for the 1977 model year, but my new neighbors pulled up in a brand-new 1977 Pontiac Bonneville Brougham and got the ball rolling. A four-door painted in two-tone green, it was the neatest thing to me, especially with the Rally II wheels. From that point on, I started to become aware of different model year changes, especially for all the cars from General Motors.
This was aided by shopping for a new car for my mom in the fall of 1978, resulting in a Pontiac LeMans wagon. However, I was familiar with the Buick brand because it was my mom’s 1972 Buick Estate Wagon that had been rear-ended and relegated to the junkyard. I knew the difference between the LeSabre and Electra, and I knew the Electra gained a redesigned rear end in 1978. What I didn’t know was what a fancy white and yellow LeSabre I’d see around town was.
This particular vehicle was a 1979 Buick LeSabre Palm Beach, advertised as a “new personal motor car by Buick.” Per the four-page brochure, “The Palm Beach is designed for that particular breed of driver that comprehends an extraordinary motor car, and isn’t bashful about it.” Below is the list of equipment included with the Palm Beach:
- Designers’ accent paint treatment (with White and Yellow Beige accent paint)
- Yellow Beige door handle inserts, pillar applique, lower body and fender molding, and bumper rub strips
- Gold body side stripe
- Yellow Beige grille bars
- Yellow Beige wheel covers
- White sport mirrors
- Window frame scalp molding
- Belt reveal molding
The interior also was given a treatment:
- LeSabre Limited trim with Palm Beach cloth on 55/45 seats in Yellow Beige
- Special door trim with wood grain applique
- Longer pile carpet
- Special wood grain applique on the instrument panel and steering wheel
- Custom seat belts
- Palm Beach logo on the instrument panel
I don’t recall the driver of the local LeSabre Palm Beach I used to see, but I imagine it was a lady dressed in her tennis outfit headed to the DuPont Country Club. Sounds about right, doesn’t it?
This 1979 Buick LeSabre Palm Beach has absolutely no description in its ad, but I spy the optional, classic five-spoke chrome-plated rims. The X in the VIN means it is powered by the last of the Buick 350s, with this one having a four-barrel. Other noticeable options include cruise control, a tilt steering wheel, air conditioning, plus an upgraded cassette stereo. The luggage rack with a center brake light appears to be a later add-on.
One online resource states that 4,001 LeSabre Palm Beaches were built. If a LeSabre of this era is not common to find these days, then you can imagine how uncommon a Palm Beach may be. If you’re like me and appreciate this era of American cars, this is a neat find, but is it $17,900 worth of neat? Only you know for sure.
Click here for this ClassicCars.com Pick of the Day.
Source: www.classiccars.com