1970
Buick GSX
Use the photographs to explore materials and details. Equipment and restored finishes can differ from the version in your book.
Colours used
in this example.
A practical palette for the indicative finished example. Build colour gradually and keep the small details clear.
Suggested pencil shades, not exact factory paint matches. Test colours on your paper before building richer layers.
Build two or three light layers along the panels. Leave a narrow paper highlight beside the strongest body crease.
Establish the edges lightly before filling the centre. Follow their width through the car’s perspective.
Keep the cabin slightly darker than the glass. Follow the seat divisions without filling every seam with black.
Keep the brightest strips white. Put a narrow cool grey band beside them to suggest reflected light.
Layer charcoal gently around the sidewalls. Preserve lettering and any whitewall areas before deepening the rubber.
Use light, open pencil strokes. Keep this area softer than the car and preserve clear edges around the mechanical detail.
Look a little closer.
Explore the details from different angles.
Reference photograph 1
Yellow GSX viewed from above the front corner. Broad black bonnet graphics surround the twin openings and bonnet-mounted tachometer. Image resized and converted to WebP.
Photo: nakhon100 · Source · CC BY 2.0Reference photograph 2
Yellow GSX viewed from the rear corner. The dark side stripe wraps into the rear spoiler treatment. Image resized and converted to WebP.
Photo: Mopar89 · Source · CC BY-SA 3.0Reference photograph 3
White GSX with black bonnet graphics and a narrow coloured side stripe. The front-side view shows the divided grille and paired headlamps. Image resized and converted to WebP.
Photo: Sicnag · Source · CC BY 2.0Reference photograph 4
White GSX photographed from a different front angle. The dark bonnet panels and bright bumper contrast with the pale body. Image resized and converted to WebP.
Photo: Sicnag · Source · CC BY 2.0Reference photograph 5
Yellow GSX with a dark side stripe. The wide front-three-quarter view makes the bonnet graphics and roofline clear. Image resized and converted to WebP.
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · Source · CC BY 2.0Period finishes and details
GM’s Heritage Collection confirms that the 1970 GSX was offered in Saturn Yellow and Apollo White. Either is a sound factory-colour starting point. The GSX registry adds a black bucket-seat interior and dedicated bonnet and side graphics. Keep those graphic boundaries clear rather than replacing them with a generic muscle-car stripe. Published sources disagree on the colour production totals, so no counts are used. The two finish names themselves agree across both sources.
- Saturn YellowBodywork option
- Apollo WhiteBodywork option
- BlackInterior and graphic contrast
Screen swatches are a colouring guide rather than exact paint matches.
Use the GSX-specific bonnet and side graphics. Retain the documented black bucket-seat interior.
In the photographs
The photographs show individual cars in their present condition. Their paint, wheels and trim can reflect restoration or later choices. Use the dated finish references above when aiming for a period scheme.
In the coloured example
The pencil example uses ivory. It is a creative interpretation, not an exact paint-code match. Its tan cabin and ivory body are creative choices. The documented GSX finishes are Apollo White or Saturn Yellow with a black bucket-seat interior.
Make the details count.
Plan the GSX’s bonnet and side graphics before adding strong colour. Work from a light first layer so that the panel boundaries remain clear.
Finish the small bonnet-mounted tachometer with a sharp pencil. Preserve small white highlights so these details stay separate from the surrounding paint.
Keep the upscale motor-lodge entrance with simple portico in quieter tones. A lighter background gives the car’s silhouette room to stand out.
Follow your curiosity.
Model history and further reading.