- At first glance, the rectangular opening
at the end of the horizontal trim looks like
a broken side-marker light, but a closer
look reveals a functional exhaust outlet.
Rather than dumping spent gases beneath
the rear bumper, the Starfire’s horizontal
side-exit scheme adds a sporty touch while
reminding curbside viewers there are 370
horses under hood. Because exhaust gases
are corrosive to the die-cast, pot-metal
outer panel, note the use of a stamped
stainless insert around the rectangular tip,
which is also made of stainless steel.
1
- Fifteen years after the debut of
Oldsmobile’s side-exit-exhaust Starfire,
times had changed. At Buick, this 1979
LeSabre Sport Coupe Turbo represented the
pinnacle of Flint high performance. Since
Buick’s 350 and 455 were dropped after
1976, naturally aspirated LeSabres got 260
and 403 V8s supplied by Oldsmobile, but
they were dogs. The only ray of light was
the Buick 3.8 Turbo V6.
2
- This undercar shot shows the full-
length, dual-exhaust tracts and how each
tailpipe feeds into a resonator. Non-Starfire
dual-exhaust systems route their tailpipes
inboard of the framerails, where a notched
rear crossmember allows passage of their
unadorned tailpipes below the rear bumper.
4
- Though rare today, Olds made 15,260
Starfires (13,024 hardtops and 2,236
convertibles) and we found another one in
the same yard (Hidden Valley Auto Parts,
Maricopa, AZ). But this one has patch tubes
in place of the factory resonators. Looks like
its owner liked the through-body exhaust
tips, but struck out on finding factory
replacement resonators.
5
- Thanks to a 665-pound down-sizing
after 1976, the LeSabre didn’t totally snuff
the Turbo V6’s energy. The red-painted
turbo bonnet and air-filter housing feed
a Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel. While
smaller turbo Centurys and Regals could
be had with 150 hp (two-barrel carburetor,
6.9 to 7.9 psi boost, and single exhaust)
or 165 hp (four-barrel carburetor, 7.9 to
8.8 psi boost, and dual exhaust), the big
LeSabre came only with the 165hp, four-
barrel engine but with single exhaust, not
the duals fitted to the Century and Regal
turbo-four-barrels.
6
- This undercar shot reveals the Jetstar’s
outlets are far more than simple tips poking
through the lower quarter-panels. They’re
fed by rectangular resonators to fine-tune
the exhaust note. At low speed, they direct a
mellow burble horizontally toward sidewalk
spectators like a PT boat headed for patrol.
Only the 1956 Thunderbird comes close, but
its tips passed through the corners of the
rear bumper, not the actual body skin.
3
- This LeSabre Sport Coupe has the base
bench seat and column-shifted, three-speed
automatic transmission. The leather-
wrapped steering wheel with brushed-
metal spokes was part of the Sport Coupe
package. So was a rear antisway bar—a
quick Turbo LeSabre alert for street racers
sizing up the competition. Though only
capable of high-17s on a good day (make
that a cool night with dense air), our heart
goes out to the 1978–1980 Turbo LeSabre
for at least trying.
7