Is Buick the King of Torque?

Sometime in 1984, the muscle car hobby became aware of the 1970 Buick GS Stage 1 running 13.38 in a vintage road test. This was presented in an article ranking the 50 fastest muscle cars. All hell broke loose among the Mopar fanatics—how could a Buick run faster than any Hemi? This led to a drag race between a Gran Sport and Hemi GTX. Though the list was updated to feature more periodicals and week out the ringers, the score was not settled (and an optimist would suggest it never has been).

Buick folks like to tout the 1970 455 Stage 1 as having the most torque of any car in the era: 510 lb-ft. It comes on at a very low 2800, in typical Buick fashion. However, many online fanbois tend to be misinformed about their automotive history, so we at The ClassicCars.com Journal have decided to set the record straight and, hopefully, put a stop on the online misinformation that seems to appear every few weeks.

The 1970 GS Stage 1 is the “King of Torque”?
General Motors’ last year for high-compression engines was 1970, so this is the baseline that we have to work with because power would no longer reach such heights. However, Buick folks tend to forget that Cadillac was producing a 472 and 500 in the same moment. Both engines exceeded Buick’s 455 in torque: 525 and 550, respectively. King of Torque? Cadillac, obviously!

Alright, so maybe the King of Torque among muscle cars!
Not quite.

Oldsmobile introduced a 455 in 1968 that offered as much as 510 lb-ft of torque. This engine was never installed in a mid-size car, as the Hurst/Olds’ state of tune only featured 500. When Oldsmobile upgraded the 4-4-2’s engine to a 455 in 1970, it too only put out 500.

But there was an interesting option available for the Cutlass Supreme called the SX package. Touted as having “outstanding city and turnpike performance,” the “Y79” option included the L33 320-horsepower 455 two-barrel, dual exhausts with notched rear bumper like the 4-4-2’s, Turbo Hydra-matic transmission, and distinctive ornamentation. Optional was the W32 engine, which was the 455/365 that was standard for the 4-4-2—as you already know, torque was at 500 for that one.

In the middle of the model year, Oldsmobile made a running change: the L33 was eliminated from the package and the L31 was substituted in its place. The L31 was a four-barrel 455 that was commonly found on full-size Oldsmobiles, but this was the first time it was appearing in a mid-size model. Horsepower and torque was 365/510.

Note that, on paper, it’s five horses more than the 1970 455 Stage 1.

Nevertheless, the 1970 455 Stage 1 had the most torque of any performance car until the advent of the 2003 Dodge Viper!
Again, not quite.

This second-generation Viper featured an updated V10 offering 500 horsepower and 525 lb-ft of torque. What this claim misses is the different manners in which power was measured—an amateur mistake. Today, cars are measured in net terms, which means the dynometer records power while installed in a vehicle with accessories. In 1970 (and through 1971 in the industry), power was measured in gross terms, as if it was on an engine stand without any accessories.