Buick Apollo

The Buick Apollo is a compact car that was manufactured from 1973 to 1975 by Buick. It was based on the GM X platform along with the Oldsmobile Omega, Chevrolet Nova, and the Pontiac Ventura. The car was named for the Greek 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 coupe, hatchback, or as a 4-door sedan. The two-door models were renamed Skylark for 1975; only the 4 door sedan in the '75 model year carried the Apollo nameplate. 112,901 were built.

The 1974 Buick Apollo debuted with very subtle differences. The grill surround was enlarged, and roof mounted safety restraints were added. A GSX package was available on the coupe for 1974, however, the GSX was relegated to purely cosmetic changes, lacking any performance upgrades that distinguished it in previous years. It was available in red or white and featured a blacked-out grille, unique striping, white vinyl bucket seats with red interior accents, and wire wheel covers. The GSX was available with both the L6 and the 350 V8, and could be ordered with any of the optional equipment available to other Apollo models.

Standard equipment on the Apollo included in no particular order, a 250 cubic-inch 1-barrel L-6, semi-closed cooling system, manual brakes with finned front drums, coil spring front suspension with stabilizer bar, extensive use on insulation and sound deadening materials, flow-through ventilation system, full-foam seats, front and rear ashtrays, strong, reinforced front bumpers, carpeting, deluxe steering wheel, roof drip moldings, and front and rear wheel opening moldings.

Optional available equipment included a 350 cubic inch 2- or 4-barrel V-8, Turbo Hydra-matic 350 auto transmission, variable ratio power steering, power drum or power front disc brakes, E78x14 bias-belted tires, custom cloth interior trim, convenience center storage compartment, tilt steering wheel, climate control air conditioning with low Freon detector switch, rear window defogger (blower), tinted glass, sport mirrors with drivers remote control, bumper protective strips with white accent stripe- front and rear, bumper guards front and rear, color-coordinated body protective side moldings, deluxe wheel covers, deluxe wire wheel covers, chrome-plated styled wheels (Buick rally wheels) and a custom vinyl top. 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.

The 1975 Apollo was only available as a 4-door sedan and adapted the redesigned X-body shell with a boxier European look which replaced the former Coke-bottle shape. For 1976, the Apollo nameplate was replaced with the Skylark name and the 4-door sedan body supplemented the existing Skylark 2-door coupe and hatchback body styles.