Buick Apollo
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Apollo (1962 automobile)
, a sports coupe powered by Buick engines.
The Buick Apollo is a compact car
based on the GM X platform
and manufactured from 1973 to 1975, meaning it shared
its platform with the Oldsmobile Omega
, Chevrolet Nova
, and the Pontiac Ventura
. The car was named for the Roman god Apollo
.
It was powered by a 250 in³ Chevrolet inline six or an optional 350 in³ Buick V8, available with either a 2- or 4-barrel carburetor. The Oldsmobile 260 was added as the base V8 option for 1975. It was available as a hatchback and notchback coupe and as a 4 door sedan. The two-door models were renamed Skylark
for 1975, and the sedan followed the year after. 112,901 were built. The Apollo appeared around the same time as the introduction of the Toyota Cressida
, Datsun 810
, the 1968-1976 Mercedes-Benz 300E
, 1972-1981 BMW 528
and the Audi 100
.
A GSX package was available on the coupe for 1974. It was available in red or white and featured a blacked-out grille, unique striping, and bucket seats, among other features.
Other options included side moldings with chrome colored highlights surrounding the molding to enhance a more luxurious effect, running parallel to the 3 front fake rectangular portholes, called "ventiports" on both front sides of the car, from front to back. Other options included chrome around the side windows and optional large chrome plating around the whole bottom curvature of both front doors on the two door model. There was also an option of extra protection with large front bumpers added to the front of the car along with the protection of a heavy absorbent bumper already mandated for the front and back. Various hubcaps and white wall tires added to the luxury look of the car. There were optional sport side mirrors for the front driver and passenger side which also added a sporty look to the car. Otherwise chrome rectangular side view mirrors were standard. Steel-belted tires were introduced in 1975.
There was no antenna mounted on the body of the car. Instead, two wires were inserted in between the layers of glass in the front windshield.
Apollo (1962 automobile)
The Apollo was a United States-built sports car/personal automobile manufactured from 1962 to 1964 in Oakland, California.Engineered by Milt Brown with designed by Ron Plescia it featured Italian handmade aluminum bodywork with a choice between two-seater convertible or fastback styles. Power came...
, a sports coupe powered by Buick engines.
The Buick Apollo is a compact car
Compact car
A compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car...
based on the GM X platform
GM X platform
There have been two X-body automobile platforms from General Motors. All X-bodies were small entry-level models.-Rear wheel drive:The rear-wheel drive X-body underpinned the Chevrolet Nova and similar cars of the late 1960s and 1970s. It was also the basis for the Cadillac Seville's K platform...
and manufactured from 1973 to 1975, meaning it shared
Badge engineering
Badge engineering is an ironic term that describes the rebadging of one product as another...
its platform with the Oldsmobile Omega
Oldsmobile Omega
The Omega was one of 2 more X-body Chevrolet Nova clones introduced in 1973 . Naturally it shared the Nova's body and many of its mechanicals, but it had its own unique nose and tail, and, being an Oldsmobile, it had a little fancier trim than the Nova...
, Chevrolet Nova
Chevrolet Nova
The Chevrolet Chevy II/Nova is a compact automobile manufactured by the Chevrolet division of General Motors produced in four generations for the 1962 through 1979 model years. Nova was the top model in the Chevy II lineup through 1968. The Chevy II nameplate was dropped, Nova becoming the...
, and the Pontiac Ventura
Pontiac Ventura
The Pontiac Ventura was an automobile produced by the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors. The word "ventura" is a derivitave of the word "bonaventure" which is Italian for "good fortune". It also shares its name with the locations of Ventura, California and Ventura, Iowa...
. The car was named for the Roman god Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
.
It was powered by a 250 in³ Chevrolet inline six or an optional 350 in³ Buick V8, available with either a 2- or 4-barrel carburetor. The Oldsmobile 260 was added as the base V8 option for 1975. It was available as a hatchback and notchback coupe and as a 4 door sedan. The two-door models were renamed Skylark
Buick Skylark
The Buick Skylark was a passenger car produced by the Buick division of General Motors. The model was made in six production runs. In each run, the car design varied dramatically due to changing technology and tastes, as well as new standards implemented over the years.-1953–1954:Introduced to mark...
for 1975, and the sedan followed the year after. 112,901 were built. The Apollo appeared around the same time as the introduction of the Toyota Cressida
Toyota Cressida
The Toyota Cressida was a mid-size sedan marketed by Toyota from December 1976 to February 1993 through four generations. It was the flagship sedan of Toyota in the United States. The same chassis with slightly different bodies was available in other countries as the Toyota Mark II, Toyota Chaser...
, Datsun 810
Nissan Maxima
The first car to wear the Maxima name was introduced in 1981. It was essentially a Japanese-market Bluebird 910 with a longer nose. The car was offered as the 810 Deluxe or 810 Maxima that first year, and all 810s became Maximas for 1982...
, the 1968-1976 Mercedes-Benz 300E
Mercedes-Benz W114
The Mercedes-Benz W114 and W115 models are a series of coupes and sedans introduced in 1968 by Mercedes-Benz, manufactured through model year 1976, and distinguished in the marketplace by nameplates designating their engines....
, 1972-1981 BMW 528
BMW 5 Series (E12)
The BMW E12 BMW 5-Series was made between 1972 and 1981. The E12 was the first series to bear the 5 Series name: the '5' denoting BMW's fifth 'New Class' platform. Designed as a replacement for the popular BMW New Class mid-size sedan, the E12 5-Series models were smaller than the large BMW E3...
and the Audi 100
Audi 100
The restyled C2 Audi 100 was launched in 1976, with an in-line five-cylinder engine...
.
A GSX package was available on the coupe for 1974. It was available in red or white and featured a blacked-out grille, unique striping, and bucket seats, among other features.
Other options included side moldings with chrome colored highlights surrounding the molding to enhance a more luxurious effect, running parallel to the 3 front fake rectangular portholes, called "ventiports" on both front sides of the car, from front to back. Other options included chrome around the side windows and optional large chrome plating around the whole bottom curvature of both front doors on the two door model. There was also an option of extra protection with large front bumpers added to the front of the car along with the protection of a heavy absorbent bumper already mandated for the front and back. Various hubcaps and white wall tires added to the luxury look of the car. There were optional sport side mirrors for the front driver and passenger side which also added a sporty look to the car. Otherwise chrome rectangular side view mirrors were standard. Steel-belted tires were introduced in 1975.
There was no antenna mounted on the body of the car. Instead, two wires were inserted in between the layers of glass in the front windshield.