Buick Apollo: Buick’s version of the X-body compact

The Buick Apollo was a compact car sold from 1973 to 1975. It sat on the GM X platform together with the Chevrolet Nova, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Ventura, and it was named after the Greek god.

Buick Apollo at a glance

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Apollo.

History of the Buick Apollo

The Apollo arrived for the 1973 model year as Buick’s compact entry, sharing the X platform with the Chevrolet Nova, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Ventura. It was offered as a coupe, a two-door hatchback and a four-door sedan.

Power came from a 250-cubic-inch Chevrolet inline six as standard, with an optional 350-cubic-inch Buick V8 in two- or four-barrel form. A three-speed manual gearbox was standard and the three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic automatic was optional. For 1975 the Oldsmobile 260 became the base V8.

Equipment was generous by compact standards: a semi-closed cooling system, manual brakes with finned front drums, coil spring front suspension with an anti-roll bar, full-foam seats and a flow-through ventilation system. There was no conventional aerial on the body — two wires were embedded in the windscreen glass instead.

For 1974 the changes were subtle: a chrome strip above the grille and roof-mounted safety restraints. That year also brought the GSX package for the coupe. It was cosmetic only, with a blacked-out grille, unique stripes, white vinyl bucket seats and wire wheel covers, and could be ordered with the six or either V8.

The 1975 Apollo was available only as a four-door sedan, on the redesigned, boxier X-body shell that replaced the earlier «Coke bottle» shape. For 1976 the Apollo name was dropped altogether and the sedan became a Skylark, joining the coupe and hatchback.

Design and features

• X-body engineering: the same basic car as the Chevrolet Nova, with Buick trim and engines.
• Three body styles: coupe, hatchback and sedan in 1973–74; sedan only in 1975.
• Embedded aerial: two wires in the windscreen glass instead of a mast on the body.
• GSX package (1974): blacked-out grille, stripes and white vinyl bucket seats on the coupe.

Buick Apollo versions

• Coupe: two-door, renamed Skylark for 1975.
• Hatchback: two-door with a lifting rear glass, also renamed Skylark.
• Sedan: the only Apollo left in 1975.
• GSX (1974): cosmetic package on the coupe, in red or white.

The Apollo was replaced by the Skylark, and the 1974 GSX package borrowed its name from the Gran Sport line. More Buicks are in the Buick collection.

Sources

• Buick Apollo, English Wikipedia: production, engines, equipment, GSX package