1969 Buick Wildcat featured in Hemmings Classic Car to vie for ISCA Championship

Photos by Andy Starr and the author.

Many people dream of accomplishing a specific goal, but few are willing to invest the time and effort required to achieve it. Andy Starr is one of those few. Readers of Hemmings Classic Car magazine are familiar with the restoration profile of his 1969 Buick Wildcat, which was published in the April 2015 issue under the title “Wildcat Wonder.”

The article discussed Andy’s long-term relationship with it, the restoration and how his appreciation for the marque was derived from one owned by his parents when he was a child. Also revealed was the fact that Andy wanted his Buick to be competitive on the ISCA circuit, and restorer Mike Velek made it happen.

Like any serious automotive endeavor, it took hard work, time and money, but the results were impressive. And the Buick began building its resume of wins right out of the gate.

As stated in the story, “At the 2014 ISCA Piston Power Show in Cleveland, it won four awards: 1st place in ’68-’72 Restored; Outstanding Restored Engine; Outstanding Restored Interior and Outstanding Restored Car. The Buick was a top 15 award winner in Standard of Excellence Judging at the 2014 GM Nationals in Carlisle. At the 2014 ISCA Montreal Autorama and 2015 World of Wheels in Tennessee it took runner up in the ’68-’72 Restored class, as well as winning an Outstanding Restored Interior award at latter event.”

There was little rest between shows, as Andy and Mike took what they learned from the judges each time and improved the Wildcat for the next outing. As you may imagine, the pair has been very busy since the story ran in HCC (see list below). They’ve been working toward accruing enough points to secure a spot in the restored class at the ISCA Championship Finals in Chicago on March 13-15, 2015 and we have just learned that the Wildcat has earned it.

Not surprisingly, the Buick is back at Veleks Restoration for seven days of intense preparation for
the championship. The tasks include polishing all the stainless steel trim, aligning all the body seams and trim and wet sanding and buffing the paint.

Regardless of the judges’ decision, the quality of the Wildcat’s build and Andy’s and Mike’s dedication to continually refining it are deserving of all the recognition they’ve received.

Latest Wildcat ISCA Wins

54th Annual World of Wheels – Pittsburgh Jan 23-25
–    1st Place Class ’68-’72 Restored
–    Best Restored of show all entrants

56th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels – Indianapolis Feb 13-15
–    1st Place Class ’68-’69 Restored

53rd Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels – Milwaukee Feb 20-22
–    1st Place Class ’68-’72 Restored
–    Outstanding Restored of show all entrants
–    Outstanding Restored Interior of show all entrants
–    Outstanding Car Display

60th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels – Omaha Feb 27-29
–    1st Place Class 68-72 Restored
–    Best Restored of show all entrants