Today’s Buicks are mostly pleasant, but unexceptional, sedans and SUVs made for the Chinese market (oh, and also sold in the U.S.!). It wasn’t always so. Buicks had an important place in GM’s ladder of brands as the top non-Cadillac. For most of Buick’s history, they were “doctors’ cars”. Classy, luxurious and consistently handsome cars signifying a level of achievement by the owner but not so ostentatious or pretentious as Caddys could be. At least that was the image. Buick got involved in the compact, midsize and muscle car markets, so the image was self-diluted in many ways. Still, it held pretty well until this century, when the Sloan ladder has become more of a step stool. Settle in to see twelve more drool-worthy Buicks I slobbered on during Scottsdale, Arizona’s January auction week.
One thing that stood out at the Barrett-Jackson auction (the most appropriate Arizona auction to sell a Buick at) is that they had a lot of expensive Buicks. Of the 35 at B-J, 12 sold for over $100,000. Buick prices averaged about $10,000 more than Barrett-Jackson’s overall vehicle average ($74,700 vs $65,692).
The 1953 Roadmaster Skylark convertible above exemplified this trend when it sold for $143,000. As I’ve noted in my Olds and Cadillac auction articles, this Skylark was sold individually as one of a set of four cars that were introduced at the 1953 GM Motorama, all running through Barrett-Jackson back-to-back. The Buick was actually the least expensive of those four, but not the least expensive ’53 Skylark there. B-J had a yellow one sell for $73,700 and also a white one sell for $176,000.
I would take the red one as it’s the only one of the three without a continental spare. I much prefer the 1953 model over the 1954 with its enlarged wheel openings and sloped rear deck (like this black one sold at B-J last year). The Skylark was a two year only model that in 1953 was a submodel of the Roadmaster series. I love that Buick’s series were called Special, Super and Roadmaster. Very cool names.
1953 saw the introduction of Buick’s V8, the 322cid “nailhead”, putting out 188hp in the Roadmaster/Skylark. This was a unique and successful design, though at 14 years, not particularly long lived. Paul wrote a CC article on the nailhead several years ago you can link to if you’re interested in the whole story on this unusual engine.
Also noteworthy in Buick’s ’53 line up was the last of the wood-trimmed station wagons. Barrett-Jackson sold this 1953 Roadmaster wagon for $101,200. I was going to put it in my wagon article recently, but decided to hold onto it and put it with the Buicks because it is just so sweet. As with a few other cars in my articles, I did not photograph this one myself because while I was in the indoor tents at B-J at the end of the day, the batteries ran out on my camera and my phone. No matter, these owner supplied pictures show this glorious car well.
Though the structure is steel, all the wood is real. If you want the beauty of a woody, this hybrid approach is pretty ideal. The car is tighter and more practical to use and maintain than the pre-1949 pure woodys, but it still looks amazing. The cars may not have stayed beautiful for long for owners who housed their cars outdoors, but as a pampered collector car now, the wood should last forever.
Buick used the Roadmaster name through 1958, then resurrected it briefly in the ’90’s. I consider it in contention for the Coolest Car Name Ever (and owning a ’96 Roadmaster wagon does not make me biased!). Special and Super also were casualites of Buick’s new 1959 naming system, though Special came back as Buick’s entry level compact and midsize models in the ’60’s. Super has regrettably never reappeared as a separate model, though that’s for the best now as I don’t think Buick has sold a car worthy of the name in many years (there was a Super trim level Lucerne in 2008-11 with a 292hp version of the Northstar V8 and Lacrosse in 2008-09 that had a 300hp 5.3 LS4 V8, which admittedly is kind of super- thanks JPC and WS).
A note on station wagon survival rates. Buick made 1,690 Skylark convertibles for 1953. Barrett-Jackson has at least one almost every year in Scottsdale, and sometimes in their other auctions. Buick made 2500 station wagons for 1953 (Super and Roadmaster combined, all woodys). This is only the fourth 1953 wagon to come up in their auctions since 2001, plus a handful of other ’49-’52 wagons during that time. Perhaps these numbers show owner reluctance to part with their wagons in addition to survival. By the way, that 2001 sale was for $24,200! I wish I could have bought one back then…
Many 1950’s Buick convertibles sell for over $100k, so this 1956 Century convertible looks like a good value at $44,000. It’s not a Roadmaster or a fresh concours-quality restoration, but it’s perfectly suitable for car shows, cruise ins and general driving enjoyment. Those bumper extensions seem to stick out forever!
The styling is unmistakably Buick, with its portholes (or VentiPorts) and side sweepspear trim. Many consider the 1936 Buick Century to be the original muscle car as it was perhaps the first to use the formula that would be commonly used later of putting the engine from the larger bodied models into the smaller body to make a faster car. Dropping the Century after 1942, Buick returned to the original Century formula in 1954. The 1956 Century rode the 122 inch wheelbase B body from the Special, but used the top engine from the 127 inch wheelbase C body Super and Roadmaster, with which it shared its eight proud portholes.
Big fifties steering wheel is present and accounted for. Also common on cars of the era are handsome dashboards, which the Buick certainly has. Speedometer isn’t very sporty but it does have full gauges: fuel, temp, oil and amps.
The Century’s 322cid V8 made 255hp. For the first time since 1921, Buick had only one displacement engine for 1956, available in two states of tune. Specials had a 220hp version while all others got the more powerful version with higher compression and four barrel carburetor.
I’ll bet lots of Curbside Classic readers remember this distinguishing detail on the ’56 Buick. It’s perhaps the only car (along with the ’57) ever to announce exactly what it is on the grille emblem. Buick was definitely proud of their cars at that time, and for good reason. They were awesome!
Buick hit a high water mark in 1955-56 when it held third place in the U.S. auto market for the first time in at least 25 years (thanks JPC), behind Chevy and Ford, but ahead of Plymouth and every other brand. It wouldn’t be until the late sixties that they’d achieve that volume of sales again and after 1956 they wouldn’t hit third place again until 1982. Buick achieved their all time sales high in 1985 (same year as Oldsmobile). Like Oldsmobile, they dropped off quickly after that but never went into Olds’ terminal tailspin in the ’90’s. Around that time, in one of history’s unpredictable quirks, the Chinese discovered that they love Buicks. Today, Buick sells several times more vehicles in China than they do in the U.S. (Additional info from commenters: Buicks have been esteemed by elite Chinese since the early decades of the automobile before the 1949 revolution. That status positioned Buick to sell big numbers as more regular Chinese could buy cars over the last 20 years.)
Proving that auction lightening can strike in the most unexpected places is this 1962 Buick Electra 225 Sport Coupe at Silver. I photographed it because it’s a ’62 Electra, a car not commonly seen and a treat for a Buick lover such as myself. It’s the only one I saw in Scottsdale, not surprisingly. However, the car itself was pretty unimpressive. The seller’s description was minimal, it had cheesy wheels and the paint was very tired looking and worn through in places. It may have been mostly original, but as it sits now is in strictly curbside classic condition.
Barrett-Jackson had a similar car, but appearing in pictures to be much, much nicer, at their 2017 Las Vegas auction that sold for $15,400. Silver never made their results available online, but it was on their top 10 list reported by Hagerty. It was number 3, as a matter of fact, at $76,680! What’s up with that?!
Buick’s entry in the new musclecar category was the Gran Sport, represented well by this 1966 Skylark Gran Sport selling for $33,000 at Barrett-Jackson. The GS was actually introduced as a mid year Skylark option in 1965, then moved to a separate model designation when Buick’s version of the handsome new GM A-bodies came out for 1966. I’m a fan all of the ’66-67 A-bodies, but have always been especially fond of the Buick. It’s a nice, clean design with good flowing lines. Like the other GM intermediates, especially the Oldsmobiles, styling echos its big brothers in the showroom.
Gran Sports in 1965-’66 had the “Wildcat 445” version of the nailhead V8, which was the standard engine on Wildcats and Electras. The last year for Buick’s original nailhead design, it was a 401cid engine making 325hp and 445lbs-ft of torque (hence the name). Through 1966, Buick marketing was very coy about their V8s, always calling them “Wildcat (insert torque rating)” and rarely mentioning displacement. In the era of bigger is better, using the larger torque number just made sense, especially since Buick’s engine put out higher than average levels of torque.
Interior design was likewise clean and tasteful. Full width dashboard is very Buick. The red GS badge was the only difference from regular Skylarks. This car has the optional Super Turbine 300 two-speed automatic transmission, with three-speed manual standard and four-speed available. Bucket seats and console were optional, as of course was this car’s air conditioning.
Buick was not peoples’ first thought when looking for intermediate performance cars, as evidenced by total GS sales of 13,816 in 1966, a pale comparison to the 96,946 GTO’s Pontiac moved. While vintage Buick muscle is still not nearly as common today as are other brands, Barrett-Jackson did also have a 1966 Gran Sport convertible, which sold for $79,200.
An interesting thing I noticed when perusing Buick’s 1966 brochure at OldCarBrochures.com (a great website) is that all their “1966 Tuned Cars” are shown only with women. Nowhere does a man appear. Does that mean they were marketing to men or to women?
After a brief two year dalliance in ’68-’69 with more busy styling, Buick’s midsizers returned to their clean look, exemplified well by this 1971 Skylark convertible at Russo and Steele. Sadly, it was a no sale. I’m guessing that’s due to a high reserve rather than a lack of interest in the car, because it looked very nice. Not a show winner by any means, but a very solid car with no glaring deficiencies that would take away from its being a really fun cruiser.
This car should be a pretty affordable way to get into an attractive, relatively uncommon classic hobby car. Who can resist a red convertible? Value guides say you would expect to pay high teens/low 20’s for an example like this one.
Buick dropped their proprietary V6 after 1967, providing a Chevy I6 standard through 1971 (no six in ’72). This car, however, has the optional Buick 350cid 2-barrel V8 making 230hp backed up by the Turbo 350 automatic. A 260hp 4-barrel version was the only other Skylark option. Even with air conditioning like this car’s, GM engines still looked good and not buried too badly under the hosing.
Apart from the top and interior colors, it looks very similar doesn’t it? A case study in the value of a model and an engine, this 1970 GS 455 Stage I sold at Barrett-Jackson for $170,500. The sale was well above the value guides and even exceeded the two showpiece GSX’s there (a yellow 1970 for $148,500 and a white 1970 for $139,700). Buick muscle cars may be less popular, but that doesn’t mean they are any cheaper.
If you’re looking for a cheap way to get into some Buick muscle, you may consider super sizing it. Russo and Steele had a 1969 Wildcat that sold for only $9,000. A clean driver, it may not have been quite stock as it had a floor shifted manual transmission. Wildcats were only listed as having a column shifted three-speed manual standard, not that very many probably left the factory that way. The only tranny options were autos. This car does have its 430cid engine, which was factory rated at 360hp.
I’m a sucker for full size performance models, so it’s a good thing I didn’t come with any money in my pocket! Those long, long plus-size lines are so comely, for me anyway. GS emblem is owner added.
You’re all probably familiar with this car, Buick’s latter day mid-size muscle hero. Unlike Chevy and Olds, whose Monte Carlo SS and 442 had mildly enhanced versions of their carbureted V8’s, Buick took performance more seriously. They introduced their turbocharged 3.8L V6 for 1978 making up to 165hp, not bad for the time, and committed to continually enhancing it. The-little-engine-that-could gained fuel injection for 1984 and an intercooler for 1986, allowing the Regal Grand National to come into its own as a legitimate modern day performer with power levels not seen since the early ’70’s.
Buick’s ’80’s muscle cars were recognized as special immediately and many were bought as collector cars. So, low mileage cream puff Grand Nationals are a staple at Scottsdale auctions. The 1987 Grand National above had 13k miles and sold for $38,500.
Like most engines in the ’80’s, it wasn’t much of a looker, but unlike most engines in the 80’s, it really brought the goods. The 1986 intercooler put power up to 235hp, then one final boost for 1987 brought 245hp and 355lb-ft of torque (more than the Corvette!). Really impressive numbers for the time, and all out of an engine that in its mild base form made 110hp.
Buick was able to take their pleasantly refreshed and mild mannered 1981 Regal and somehow ingeniously turn it into the menacing, all business ’84-’87 Grand National. I think they absolutely nailed the styling. I love the ’86-’87 wheels and consider this to be one of the best looking cars to come out of the ’80’s. It was hardly modern in 1987, but it looked the part then and I think it still does.
The interior, though, is straight out of 1978 and not in a good way.
This year Barrett-Jackson was something of a 1987 Buick showroom, offering several examples of the final year of Flint’s performance car. Since well-preserved, stock, low mile GN’s are all very similar and fairly common, value corresponds closely and consistently to mileage. This 1987 with 23k miles sold for $31,900. They also had a 1987 with 7400 miles for $42,900 and a 1987 with 5700 miles for $45,100.
If you wanted the ultimate Grand National, B-J had a 1987 GNX, the limited production special edition. 1987 was by far the Grand National’s highest production year at 20,193, though the GNX only saw 547 examples made (most of them probably surviving, in good or better condition). The GNX’s enhanced engine put out 275hp and was said to be underrated. B-J’s example sold for $126,500.
In true ’60’s fashion, Buick also offered the GN’s engine and all the mechanical features as options on the regular Regal. B-J had a very cool, white 1987 Regal Limited with 33k miles. The price of $22,000 seemed like a pretty good deal for a rare semi-sleeper.
Bringing us back to Curbside Classic territory, Russo and Steele’s back field displayed a 1983 Riviera. This one has the XX (20th Anniversary) package. Buick made 502 of these, which were replicas of the convertible Indianapolis 500 pace car, minus the droptop and special engine.
I am a fan of this generation of Riviera. GM nailed the downsizing, in my opinion. They are right-sized for their mission and styling is clean and tasteful and just differentiated enough between divisions for each car to have its own look. I will say that the Eldorado is my favorite of the three, with the Riviera coming second. But the Riv gets bonus points for having reliable, if boring, engines available through the entire run. It also gets more bonus points for the T-type, with it’s crazy-handsome aluminum wheels and turbo V6 shared with the Regal. Not to mention the convertible Riviera. And the super cool optional chromed steel wheels. How many bonus points is that? Maybe it is my favorite after all…
I didn’t catch how many miles it had, but it was in clean driver condition. It was powered by the optional 140hp 307cid V8, which has the right number of cylinders but isn’t a huge power upgrade over the standard 125hp 4.1L (252cid) V6. Buick pretty extensively modified the exterior, with things like real wire wheels, special paint, unique grille, brown window, bumper and rocker panel trim and 24k gold plated emblems.
The biggest modifications were inside. Brown leather had special suede inserts, carpet was extra thick and almost a whole walnut tree gave its life for each car. The E-bodies are always great places for those who love the clubby atmosphere afforded by huge quantities of woodgrain, but the regular cars only required plastic trees to be felled to build the panels. The XX used genuine wood on the doors, dash and steering wheel, suitable for knocking on when trying to pass other vehicles.
The best thing about this uber Riviera? Some brougham lover picked it up for only $4,750. If it was as solid mechanically as it was cosmetically, that seems very reasonable.
Now we start getting to the really good stuff. The ’63-’65 Riviera is on most everyone’s short list of the most attractive American cars of all time. It was Bill Mitchell’s finest hour (which also gave us the ’63-’67 Stingray Corvette). Barrett-Jackson had this 1963 Riviera representing the inaugural model year. It was said to have its original interior and to have been repainted in a non-original pearl white color. While not a blue chip investment, this Riviera would be an enjoyable and affordable way to fill your garage with beauty for $19,250.
This interior shot doesn’t belong to the auction car. Neither this car or the one below had good interior photos online, so I lifted this off the internet. It’s the same color as the auction car, whose interior looked to be in very good condition. I had to throw the interior photo in because, like the exterior, it’s one of the best looking of the era, if not ever. You’ve probably seen them before, but it’s worth looking at an early Riviera interior any time you get a chance. The ’64 is my favorite interior, as it has available real wood veneer panels on the center console to match the door panels. The ’65 does as well, but they changed the dash color from aluminum to black.
This is the auction car’s engine. It is the same 401cid “Wildcat 445” 325hp engine Buick used in the ’66 Skylark GS shown earlier. A 425cid “Wildcat 465” version was available that made 340hp. A nice touch is the finned valve covers, complemented by a finned valley cover running under the intake manifold. Man, they really used to put some effort into making engines good looking. Buicks also sported perhaps the biggest air cleaners ever.
Oh my, we’re getting serious here. You can tell this is the real thing because lesser cars gave it a wide berth out of respect under the tent at Russo and Steele. The 1965 Riviera Gran Sport sold for $97,900 (including buyer’s fees). A high price, but I could totally see paying it. Even more so in person, this black beauty sings a siren song that any man attracted to ’60’s styling would struggle to resist. I wasn’t even there to buy and I had a hard time walking away from it. That guy in the photo was standing there for a long time, too.
1965 changes were not real significant for the last year of the Riviera’s first generation. Most obvious was moving the headlights outboard of the grille, stacked and concealed behind doors at the end of the fenders. Taillights were moved into the bumper and the fake side vents were removed in favor of smooth sides. All this gave the ’65 a slightly cleaner look, which is why it’s the favorite of the first gen years for many folks.
1965 was the first year for a Gran Sport option on Buick’s flagship. The package included the “Super Wildcat 465” 360hp dual 4-barrel carb 425cid engine (optional on non GS cars), larger (2 1/4 vs 2 in) exhaust pipes, 3.42:1 limited slip axle, and engine dress up. Special hubcaps were standard, but most are seen with Buick’s beautiful trademark five spoke chrome wheels. An optional ride and handling suspension was available (on all Rivieras) that dropped the ride height by one inch. Despite the Gran Sport option not being extremely substantive, the ’65 GS is the most coveted first gen Riviera and accordingly the most expensive.
If this immaculately restored Riviera wasn’t expensive enough for you, Barrett-Jackson had a red 1965 Riviera GS that sold for $117,700.
That does it for the Buick highlights. Except for one car. That one I will write up in a separate article running tomorrow, because I am declaring it to be my favorite car of all I saw in Scottsdale.
Buick was, from what I could gather, the car for people who wanted a quality luxury car but didn’t want the ostentation that usually came standard with a Cadillac. From the trim and sporty Skylark to the effervescent and dignified Electra, Buick always seemed to give more than their price tag would suggest. While I personally wouldn’t own one, I can definitely see why some folks remain Buick men for their entire lives.
In the 1930s Buicks were known as “Doctors’ cars” because they were quite upscale and suitable for a professional man, but not as flashy as a Cadillac. That ’53 woody wagon is a gorgeous sight to behold!
The GS (Gran Sport) Buick models were particularly enjoyed by those who weren’t pushy or ostentatious, but wanted a car that could/would “suck the headlights” out of lesser cars as they flew by you.
Quoting my observant Grandfather: “Gangsters, politicians and ‘Neveau Riche’ people drive flashy, vulgar Cadillacs. ‘Old Money’ and those of us with quiet, conservative good taste favor Buicks.”
Heck yeah Buicks!
Good thing I wasn’t there, or else that 83 Riv would have been coming home with me!
Some great stuff, but first a couple of nits. The Buick Super came back as the LaCrosse Super several years ago. Also, Buick had been number 3 in production several years between 1916 and 1931 (as well as number 2 in 1907-10). Finally, China’s love of Buicks goes back to Buick’s reputation there as a prestigious car before the 1949 revolution.
I love that 62 Electra 2 door – I am not sure I have ever seen one. It is also interesting to look at those 70-72 Skylark convertibles. The coupes had a distinct look from the Cutlass Supreme due to the different roof, but the convertibles start to look like a Cutlass or GTO from a distance.
When you think about it, very few cars have been 1) as popular as Buicks over a long, long period and 2) have seen such a wide range of their cars become collectible.
Everytime I would see a ’61 Buick LeSabre “Bubble Top” 2 door hardtop silently drive by, “Telstar” would be playing in my head.
The “Space Age” and this car seemed like a perfect match to me.
Thanks for the super info! I completely forgot about that LaCrosse. I kind of stopped paying much attention to new Buicks in recent years. I also corrected the #3 info and the Chinese history. Thanks!
Don’t forget the Lucerne Super, with its 292-hp “High Performance” tune of the Northstar, shared with the Cadillac DTS Performance. It cost more than the LaCrosse Super and was less powerful, but then the Super line’s resurrection seemed to be a parts-bin affair.
When I was in high school and cooking hamburgers for $1.00 an hour, the boss had a new 1962 Electra 225 six window sedan. Black, with gray cloth interior. (His two oldest sons had Bonnevilles, one of which which made an appearance in an early COAL of mine).
When working behind the grill on nice days I offered to take the big Buick to my parent’s home and wash it. This was too good a deal for the boss to pass up. I washed, vacuumed, and detailed the whole car, inside and out, and cleaned all the windows (again inside and out) with a chamois cloth. As a final touch (and something I do to this day) I cleaned the steering wheel with the damp towel used to dry the car.
The boss liked my work when he saw the car, but the next day he said: “Plaut, the steering wheel – it feels great – better than new – no car wash people ever cleaned the steering wheel for me.”
The sight of a 1962 225 6 window Buick always reminds me of how much nicer it was to wash that car on a sunny day than to be working the grill cooking dozens of 15 cent burgers at a time.
Driving that 225 was surreal; it was big (actually huge), smooth, quiet, and powerful. I cannot recall ever driving such a luxurious vehicle since. Even the mid 80s Town Car Avis gave me as an upgrade was not quite as nice. Rose colored glasses maybe?
I think you are correct in your assessment, and rose-colored glasses aren’t involved. People today don’t realize that back in the early 1960s, very few people either had the means, or the desire to make an automotive statement, that would cause them to buy a car as distinctive as a Buick Electra 225. With the internet showcasing million-dollar autos from around the world today, any car-loving kid (even if he never gets to see one in person) can become an expert on hyper exotic and expensive automobiles. In short, people have become jaded by displays of great wealth all around them, and are therefore not easily impressed, even by objects that they themselves could never afford to buy. I think that a teen-ager today is probably less awed by the sight of a Lamborghini Aventador than I was fifty years ago by a Cadillac Sixty-Special.
Not rose colored glasses at all. My 1963 Cadillac Fleetwood was 15 years old when I had it and it was still the most luxurious car I have ever driven. This includes the 64 Imperial Crown Coupe I owned in the 90s and the 78 Lincoln Town Coupe my father got new. The combination of the solid powertrain and the high quality materials that surrounded you when seated inside made that car special. I cannot imagine that an Electra 225 of the same vintage was much different.
I don’t think you’re wearing rose-colored glasses. The material quality of 1960’s luxury cars was superior to many of today’s best cars. Based on my 1967 Imperial (and I’m sure the Buick was similar), the leather is literally glove-soft, the chrome controls are heavy and smooth, and the open-pore wood is a natural beauty. And while the 3-speed automatic may be short a few gears, it combines with an ultra-torquey engine for smooth wafting.
Of course, there’s a far longer list of ways that such cars are inferior to even the most basic 2018 model. But depending on how you define “luxury,” there are good reasons to consider those 1960s yachts to be the peak.
I’m with you, I’d wash that car anytime over working in a restaurant! And having to drive it to wash it is just a nice bonus that justifies the choice even just on its own.
I do the damp towel to clean the steering wheel trick, too. Works great, and I use it to wipe down and dust off all the other hard interior surfaces as well.
The 62 Buick is one of my all time favorites – more refined than the 61 and a complete break from the excesses of the 50’s. I remember Motor Trend testing a 62 Wildcat coupe with the vinyl-covered faux convertible roof, bucket seats and floor automatic that, at age 12, I thought was sensational.
I worked at a restaurant during high school and did the same thing as you, washing and detailing cars for the owner and several of the staff just for the chance to drive some really fun new cars. This was 65-68 and car sales were through the roof – everyone, even the waitresses and cooks, were buying new cars (anyone remember those 24-36 payment books?).
As J P noted, Buicks were highly prized in China before the 1949 revolution, and an article in “Automobile Quarterly” many years ago chronicled the curious fact of Buick’s status as the Chinese Packard as far back as the early 1930s. Some former neighbors of mine, who emigrated from mainland China and Taiwan to the U.S. in the early 1960s, drove nothing but Buicks for many years. They now all drive Lexus or Mercedes-Benz models, but I suspect they still yearn for a proper Buick range-topper. It is also true that Buick played Bentley to Cadillac’s Rolls-Royce (post-1931 R-R acquisition of Bentley) for many years in the U.S. For me, the epitome of Buick as a top-tier luxury brand is either the 1941 Roadmaster convertible or the 1941 Limited Limousine or Town Car. While it is true that, after 1941, Buick continued to share the Cadillac C-Body, it never again touched the heavens in quite the same manner.
I grew up with Buicks as a relative of my family owned a dealership here in Buffalo. My Dad’s first car was 1957 Buick Special, two tone white and red. When he married my Mom, they traded his 57 Buick and her 55 BelAir for a 1960 Opel station wagon….I was too young to remember but my Dad said it was the worst car he ever owned. He traded it for a 63 two door special and then the parade of station wagons began…65 Special, 67 Special, 69 Special Deluxe….his first car with power steering and brakes and a V-8. Then in 1972 he purchased an Estate Wagon with a third seat to accommodate all 5 of the kids. His first car with A/C and the behemoth 455 4bbl. In 1978 he purchased a 78 Estate Wagon with the Olds 403. Proof of how great the B body downsizing was. A great car with power, smooth ride and great styling. After he passed away my mother purchased our last Buick, an 89 LeSabre…another great car with its clamshell hood, smooth and reliable 3800 V6….All great uniquely American cars.
My mother also had an 89 LeSabre. That car really was one of the last great ones from old GM.
A 91 LeSabre was my Great Uncle’s last car. I didn’t think it had a fraction of the style of the 83 Electra he traded for it, but it was probably a better car functionally. That Electra had the 4.1L V6 and was seriously underpowered.
Love that Roadmaster wagon. The 1954 Century wagon (there was no longer a Roadmaster version) might have been easier on upkeep but it just wasn’t the same.
It was still exclusive to Buick, though, as the B-body wagon had been through the whole postwar era – Olds had offered wagons until 1950 but they shared the Chevy/Pontiac A body (or at least the intitially-part, later all-steel ’49/50s did) and then got out of the wagon business until 1957
Remember that the proper B body kind of disappeared after 1948 and didn’t really come back until 1954. There was a slightly smaller C (that I have never seen a letter designation for but that has occasionally been called a B) in 50-51 (think 1950 Buick Special) and a slightly larger A (which GM called “OB”) in 51-53 (think Olds Super 88). The A and C bodies were built with no drama, but cars that had used the B were a confusing mess from 49-53.
I think this Buick was the only Division that offered a wagon on this “C minus” body. The Cadillac 61 and the Olds 98 of 1950-51 did not offer wagons. Everything else (like the Chevy, Pontiac and Olds 88 of 49-50) was on the A body. The OB cars (51-53 Buick Special, Olds Super 88 and a stretched version for the 98 in 52-53) never offered a wagon either.
Although my parents (or their eldest son) would never, ever be seen driving a vulgar, tacky, flashy, gaudy, “Neveau Riche” Cadillac, a “conservatively classy”, elegant and “Old Money” Buick was never an issue.
(5…6…7…8….)
“Wouldn’t you Really Rather have a Buick, a brand new Buick…..”
🙂
You lost me at “…brand new”.
HaHaHa!
I was referring to Buick’s memorable commercial song jingle from the 1960’s.
A semi-local Buick dealership had this song line painted on the side of their building, on a background of music score lines.
They must have had it “refreshed” several times; as it lasted for over 20 years.
Gorgeous cars, all of them. No matter what marque you are a fan of, you have to appreciate the sheer presence a classic Buick has.
“Though the structure is steel, all the wood is real. ”
Most, but not all, of the structure is steel. The ’53 still used wood for the body structure (by Ionia Body) in the “C” and “D” pillars (maybe “B” too) and the tailgate. This is unlike the fake woodies started on Chevrolet, Pontiac and Oldsmobile wagons earlier for the 1950 models – those were all steel with no wood. And this is unlike the Ford & Mercury two door wagons from ’49 through ’51 – the bodies were all steel with real wood trim. This ’53 Buick did still use wood in the structure.
As noted, the ’54 Buick wagon had an all steel structure. It was still made by Ionia Body; Ionia continued making Buick steel wagon bodies through 1964.
Which was the first “muscle car” is a debate that will never end. But in my worthless opinion, I lean towards the supercharged Duesenberg’s…
Yeah, I can see why you’d say that, but remember the Duesenbergs were hyper-prestige best-of-everything cost-no-object jobs. Think Bentley or Rolls-Royce and then maybe go upscale some. One size only, and no you can’t afford one, but of course they were blindingly fast for the time. Legends. The Buick Century qualifies as maybe the first muscle car not because it was affordable (though it was) but because it was their most powerful engine in their smaller body. That seemed to be the new and defining concept here.
Buick was a brand with international prestige from early on. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor owned several Buicks.
The Coen brothers’ movie Inside Llewyn Davis, from 5 years ago, has a long section wherein the title character catches a ride to Chicago in a 1961 or ’62 four-door Electra 225, has an unsuccessful audition there, and catches another ride back to New York in a 1958 Special sedan. I think those cars were carefully chosen; the Special is undeniably sad-looking.
(I remember my parents’ 1961 LeSabre sedan; my maternal grandparents bought a ’62 the next year.)
Other than the Jesus fish on the trunklid I’m really digging on the 83 Riviera, too many of those cars were marred by the inclusion of vinyl tops but it looks so good without it. That and the Grand National are the last truly great designs and products GM ever had in my opinion.
Buick for me is kind of hard to cope with, the history is amazing and there isn’t a decade during the 20th century where they didn’t have at least one truly special model that outshined everything from every other GM division, notably when compared to the more flash in the pan nature of Oldsmobile or Pontiac. However, I grew up when Park Avenues and Lesabres and W body Centurys were solidly rides of the blue haired, and when I look back at eras with T-Types and Gran Sports before those, I’m frustrated by the wasted potential and lack of commitment to a particular identity, which were in extreme opposition to each other(compare the Grand National to a Regal Brougham, same sheetmetal yet look entirely different), and given GM’s strategy of entrenchment with diehard American car buyers during the Roger Smith era and beyond, the rolling casket packaging was inevitably going to push out the youthful packaging, and with those buyers aged out Buick has never recovered and I can’t say I’d mourn the brand disappearing. The last several years of the bulk of product being Opel surrogates was/is far more painful to witness.
There is no way to look at the Buick brand today as anything but a corpse being puppeted around Weekend at Bernie’s style so the Chinese market thinks they aren’t being hoodwinked into buying cars no longer made in the US.
Gore Vidal told the story of Jackie Kennedy in the mid-1950s telling old Joe she’d like to have a Thunderbird. Swiftly she was told, “The Kennedys drive Buicks!”
Jon, this entire piece made me swoon, for lack of a better word. Great pictures and writing on uniformly beautiful Buicks. I almost shared a link to this article on social media yesterday. Very nicely done. I have nothing factual to say – just expressing my appreciation.
I just read this, rather belatedly. Thanks!