As Buick celebrates its centennial it’s only fitting to reflect on its accomplishments in the last 100 years.
Such as:
– Producing its 1 millionth car in 1920 only 16 years after it was incorporated.
– Having General Motors’ first dream car, the Y-Job, in 1938.
– Being the first to adopt rear turn signals in 1939.
– Capturing third place in industry sales with 740,000 units in 1955. (Chevrolet was No. 1 with 1.6 million sales and Ford No. 2 with 1.5 million sales.)
– Having the first mass-produced American V-6 engine in 1962.
– Selling 1 million cars in a single year for the first time in 1984.
– And building its 35 millionth car in 2000.
Not bad considering the man who founded Buick is the same one credited with creating white porcelain bathroom fixtures.
David Dunbar Buick, a plumber/inventor, holder of 13 patents for plumbing inventions and owner of Buick & Sherwood Manufacturing Co. “sanitary specialists,” dabbled in building gasoline engines in the late 1800s.
Having developed a process to add porcelain to metal to produce white bathroom fixtures, he set out to build a car.
He incorporated Buick Motor Co. in 1903, which sold its first car to Flint, Mich., physician Herbert H. Hills in 1904 and became the largest producer of motor cars in the U.S. with output of 8,820 vehicles in 1908.
That summarizes Buick’s first 100 years.
Of course, such a summary leaves out a few things, such as:
James Whiting, owner of Flint Wagon Works, brought the Buick Motor Co. from Detroit to Flint in 1904 and helped pay off David Buick’s debts so he could come to Flint, too.
Whiting talked carriage-maker Billy Durant into running Buick. A gifted promoter, Durant went to the New York Auto Show in 1905 where, though the company only had built 37 cars in ’04, he was able to talk 1,100 people into ordering Buicks.
Durant used Buick, along with Oldsmobile, as the cornerstone of General Motors in 1908, which then added Cadillac, Oakland (forerunner of Pontiac) and later Chevrolet, formed by Louis Chevrolet, a driver for the Buick race team.
Durant, by the way, tried to buy fledgling Ford Motor Co. in 1909 for $8 million, but was rebuffed by GM board members who said the price was too high. Two years later Ford was worth $35 million and not for sale.
Buick contributed more than just cars to the auto industry. In addition to Durant, who went on to found GM, two other Buick presidents were noteworthy. Charles W. Nash left in 1916 to start Nash Motors, which became American Motors in 1954, and Walter Chrysler, who succeeded Nash, resigned in 1920 to form his own company, Chrysler Corp.
But the story of Buick also must include a look at its next 100 years, especially in light of the demise of Olds and speculation about Buick’s future.
“For a while things were mixed up at GM. Buick and Olds tended to compete with one another with similar product portfolios. Between Olds and Buick, one had to go. Buick was stronger in terms of where it fit into the long-term picture. As GM moves Cadillac more upscale, Buick becomes an even more important brand as a premium step down from Cadillac,” said David Cole, director for the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich., who says Buick is on solid footing. (Cadillac marked its centennial in 2002.)
Still, Buick is seen as a builder of sedans for old people when the industry is catering to entry-level buyers who will make many more purchases in their lifetimes.
“True, the Buick buyer is older, but life expectancies are longer and you don’t want to walk away from that mature buyer with all of his discretionary income,” Cole said.
Other industry observers agree, though with caveats.
“Buick appeals to a mature buyer whose average age is 70 and whose annual income is $50,000, and the reason the income level is low is that it’s all retirement income,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, the Tustin, Calif.-based automotive research firm.
“We’re going to stick to our knitting with older buyers,” Roger Adams, Buick-Pontiac-GMC division general manager, said in an interview. “They’ve contributed to our success, and we’ll continue to address their needs while adding products to attract a broader base of younger, more affluent buyers because we need both types of buyers. Look at Rendezvous. Buyer ages range from 19 to 90, the widest profile of any vehicle I’ve ever seen,” Adams said.
To attract younger buyers, the Buick portfolio will be more balanced between cars and trucks.
Buick now offers Century, Regal, Park Avenue and LeSabre sedans and the Rendezvous. On the way are the 2004 Rainier SUV this fall (a Chevrolet TrailBlazer derivative) plus five other new or redone vehicles in the next three years. A redesigned Regal sedan that takes the place of Century/Regal models (’05), a redesigned LeSabre (’06) and a crossover sport van for ’06, as well as two “mystery machines.”
“Through the ’70s, Buick had a well-defined roll at GM, the proper car for doctors, dentists, attorneys and other professionals who didn’t want to be ostentatious or flamboyant by driving a Cadillac,” Peterson said. “The image as a car for the successful mature consumer continues today, but as an exit brand, not an entry brand. The ray of hope and the reason its future looks promising is that the average age of its car buyers is 70, but the average age of its truck [Rendezvous sport-utility vehicle] buyers is 57.
“With more trucks and more cars in the future that will appeal to the mature buyer while having more extreme styling with a bias toward younger buyers, we see the average age of cars moving to 58, the average age of Buick truck buyers moving to 47,” Peterson said.
“Buick today is one of GM’s most successful divisions and we see a natural role in the future to increase its success by positioning Buick just under Cadillac as a true premium American brand,” said Bob Lutz, vice chairman of GM and head of advance product development.
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Significant events in history of Buick
1899-1901: Plumbing inventor David Dunbar Buick (right) founds Buick Auto-Vim and Power.
– W.L. Marr builds an experimental car for Buick and buys it back for $225.
1901-02: Buick founds Buick Manufacturing Co.
1903: Buick Motor Co. is incorporated in Detroit May 19. Flint Wagon Works buys the company in September and moves it to Flint, Mich.
1904: The first production Buick, the Model B, is completed June 4 and taken on a three-day test drive to Detroit by Marr and Buick’s son Thomas.
– Flint physician Herbert Hills takes delivery of the first Buick July 27.
– Eugene C. Richard’s patent for a Buick overhead valve engine is approved.
1906-07: Buick’s north Flint complex is built, which will turn out 16 million Buicks through 1999.
1908: Buick joins General Motors, formed by William C. Durant.
– Buick’s 8,820 cars make it tops in auto production.
1911: Long-term advertising slogan reads: “When better automobiles are built, Buick will build them.”
1917-18: During World War I, Buick builds Liberty aircraft engines, mortar shells, ambulances and experimental tanks.
1923: Buick builds its 1 millionth car.
1927: Buick is GM’s premium division and most popular seller.
– Harley Earl (right) is named head of GM’s Art and Color Department, the first department of its kind in the industry. He introduces clay modeling to auto design.
1931: All Buicks are made with straight 8 engines.
1933-37: The popularity of models such as the Special, Century, Roadmaster and Limited causes Buick to increase production to 220,000 from 47,000 cars.
1937: Earl’s operation is renamed the Design and Styling Department.
1938: Earl’s Y-Job is the industry’s first concept car. The idea of the “Dream Car” emerges as a sales and marketing device.
1939: Buick is the first to offer turn signals as standard.
1940: Buick introduces Estate Wagon.
1942: Buick switches over to war production of Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines, Hellcat tank destroyers and other military hardware.
1948: Tail fins and Dynaflow automatic transmission arise from war effort.
1949: Hardtop convertible styling and portholes, or Ventiports, are introduced.
1950-51: Earl’s LeSabre concept sets ’50s-style design trend.
1953V Buick goes to V-8 engines.
– Buick builds the limited-edition Skylark for its 50th anniversary.
– Earl’s Motorama debuts in New York City.
1958: Buick begins a long-term commitment to golf by sponsoring the Buick Open at Warwick Hills near Flint.
1959: Buick introduces LeSabre, Invicta and Electra. In honor of the three new names, the “tri-shield” logo evolves from an emblem based on the Buick family’s Scottish coat of arms.
1963: The Buick Special is introduced, featuring the first U.S. mass-produced V-6 engine.
1963: Riviera debuts as a sporty, stylish coupe.
– Earl retires. Since 1927 his Design and Styling Department has grown to 1,100 from 50 employees.
1965: Buick enters muscle-car segment with Grand Sport and GSX.
1974-75: Buick introduces the fuel-efficient V-6. The 3.8-liter “3800” V-6 will become the premier engine in Buick’s naturally aspirated, turbocharged and supercharged versions.
1984: Buick worldwide sales top 1 million for the year.
1988: Two-seat Reatta debuts.
– Academy Award-winning film “Rain Man” features a ’49 Roadmaster convertible.
1991-92: Buick Roadmaster sells 40,000 in its first full year back on the market.
1999: The ’99 LeSabre is the last of nearly 16 million Buicks built in Flint. The final vehicle is completed at Buick City in June.
2000: More than 35 million Buicks built since 1904.
2001: Buick introduces Rendezvou (left), a vehicle offering the ride of a luxury car, the versatility of a minivan and capabilities of a sport-utility.
2003: Buick celebrates its hundred-year anniversary.
Source: Buick Motor Co.
The logos of Buick
1905: First logo, used on a catalog.
1906: First script logo, used on the mesh grille of some Model F’s.
1911: A large “B” contains “uick.” It arrives with the slogan “When better automobiles are built, Buick will build them.”
1913: Script overlayed on a rectangle. It appeared on the moto-meter atop the radiator before 1927. In the 1930s, it’s moved to the grille.
1937: Buick’s first shield. It depicts the coat of arms of the Scottish Buik clan-a red shield with a silver and azure checkered diagonal line and antlered deerhead and a cross.
1939: Shield updated. It is made longer top to bottom and narrower in width.
1942: Shield updated. Classic heraldic symbols are added top and bottom.
1949: The crest is widened to fit better with grille and hood styling.
1959: Tri-shield introduced. Based on the coat of arms, it honors three new model names: LaSabre, Invicta and Electra.
1975: Hawk is introduced with the Skyhawk model. The Hawk, named Happy, is so well received, it is extended throughout the lineup.
1989: The Skyhawk and, thus, the Hawk are retired.
1990: Tri-shield gets an update, emphasizing the outline of the original design.
Source: Buick Motor Co.
1904 Buick Model B
(first production model)
Engine: 159 cubic-inch,
15-21-horsepower 2-cylinder
Wheelbase: 83 inches
Tires: 28 by 3 1z2 inches
Transmission: Cone clutch,
2-speed planetary
Other: Chain drive; jump spark ignition; float feed carburetor; radiator continuous coil with water circulation by gear-driven pump; lubrication by gear-driven pump with automatic sight feed; angle iron frame; suspension by three-quarter elliptics front, half elliptics rear; right-hand driver; tilting steering wheel; dark blue wooden body.
Price: $950 side-entrance tonneau.
