Lorenz Bros. Buick Opel, Lansing, MI.
Morris Buick, Detroit, MI.
Butlin Buick, Reseda, CA.
McGuire Buick, Detroit, MI.
Earl J. Lance Buick, Elyria, OH. (We saw this location recently, as a Packard/Kaiser dealer.)
Kennedy Motors, Buick/Pontiac/Studebaker, Buchanan, MI.
Mid-County Buick, Brooklin, NY.
Singelwald Buick, East Norwalk, CT.
Jacobs Buick, Chicago, IL.
Balch Buick/GMC, San Angelo, TX.
John Chezik Buick, Kansas City, MO.
Bill Stillwell, Buick/Opel/GM, Downers Grove, IL.
Earl J. Lance, Elyria, OH.
For years Lochmandy Buick was the only Buick Dealer in Porter County, Indiana, moving from one vintage location across town to a spacious new building. There was also a Lochmandy Motors in South Bend. In the early 80s Lochmandy sold to Kennedy Buick (not sure of any connection to this Kennedy Buick). Buick sold well and the dealer was known for quality service. When Pontiac was axed, GM pulled Buick from Kennedy giving the Franchise to the former Pontiac dealership which had GMC and a larger sales volume. Now that dealership is owned by a conglomerate having multiple dealerships for various brands, not all GM. So much for LOYALTY! Another reason the industry is in disarray. Meanwhile, Kennedy has soldiered on with Mazda!
Another outstanding variety of dealer postcards. Thanks!
Again such a wide spectrum, in how dealers present themselves. A few lend a used car dealer vibe. Others appear very corporate. Another reason why the carmakers later presented a more consistent look and feel. So important to conveying trust, and reliability, to customers. Marketing more driven by the automaker, not the individual dealer ownership.
Why word-of-mouth, and dealer reputations, were so valuable to car buyers back then.
Several Opels on the front line of Butlin Buick but no Opel sign?
Interestingly, a few years later, Butlin Buick acquired a Toyopet franchise as well. I’d love to see a picture of the showroom with Buicks, Opels and Toyopets!
Who would have thought then that someday a single Toyota model (RAV4) would someday sell more than triple the entire Buick lineup?
Since multiple brands were apparently permitted, Morris should have carried a BMC franchise. He wouldn’t need to buy any extra signage.
Balch Buick/GMC looks like they sell more trucks than cars, green truck in the middle looks like a new for ’66 9000 tractor. Locally, Curtis Kite Buick operated on a corner lot in downtown Harrisonburg Va till the mid ’90s.
From what I can tell, Balch Buick built this facility in 1965 – and in doing so they consolidated their Buick dealership (which had been located at a smaller facility downtown) and their GMC franchise (called Western Equipment, which was located in south San Angelo).
Seems like an unusual move to consolidate the two into a single facility, but I guess in West Texas that mix could be successful.
Yes, that truck is one of the new heavy duty short conventionals. 1966 was a unique year where the heavy trucks were all new but the light and medium duty trucks still carried the basic ’60 styling as you can see in that dealer’s inventory.
My hat is off to Earl J Lance of Elyria, OH.
He had two Kaiser/Studebaker/Packard postcards in the prior posting.
Now, he has two Buick postcards above.
A true salesman!!
The big Buick Dealer in Rochester New York was Lou Holtzon north Union Street
Nice to see the Opels in many dealer lots .
-Nate
Were the showrooms actually lit up at night, or was that just for the postcard?
Win Stephens Buick, 25 S 10th Street, Minneapolis (site of former LaSalle dealership).
From a series of four in the Hennepin County Libary’s Digital collection:
https://tinyurl.com/murpjxup
Just quickly reviewing the lead photo of Lorenz Bros., and the autos for sale on the front lawn, and in the showroom. I see approximately the same number of Opels (five), as Buicks (five). Not including the vintage Buick.
Must be in the vicinity of the ’73 gas crisis.
I told my wife there was a picture of Bill Stillwell Buick on Downers Grove, IL in this post. Her response? “Oh Jeez, THAT crook!” As I recall when my late mother got it in her head to buy a new car in late 1983, sans any of her sons to advise her, they convinced her to buy that absolute lemon 🍋 of an A Body Buick Century with the horrid Iron Puke 🤮 straight four.
Thankfully they are closed.
I have seen dozens of Buick dealers with the mid-1960’s building design used here by Sillwell.
I remember Lorenz Brothers in Lansing. 3625 S Pennsylvania.
It was Buege Buick by the late ’80s when I remember being there with my Grandfather who was buying a LeSabre.
5 or 6 years ago it became Lafontaine, and it looks like they have closed that location and consolidated Buick & GMC at what used to be Capitol Cadillac a few miles farther South.
I worked at Mitchell Buick Open Honda from the 70’s to the 90’s. It was in Mt. Clemens Michigan. Originally it started out as M And M motors. Selling Hudson’s and Studabakers. Some of the old guys I worked with started in the 50’s .They were great mentors.
I’d like to contribute to this with a pic I found online some time ago of a former Buick dealership I used to drive past quite frequently. Up until the early-mid 2010s, the exterior had remained relatively unchanged, even if the dealership itself had changed hands long before. During the early-mid 2010s, it changed hands, and got repainted in black with some yellow accents.
If I had to guess when this photo was taken, I’d guess sometime in the mid-60s.
This was one of a couple factory/corporate stores for Buick that existed in Flint, and got closed sometime in the 70s (the other one being in downtown Flint). I can’t recall if the reason it was shuttered was due to other (independent) dealers complaining about unfair competition (due to the factory stores being able to sell at lower prices), or Michigan outlawing direct sales from manufacturers.
East Side Buick-205 S Dort Hwy, Flint, MI
The maroon car was a ’62 Special Deluxe, and the red one a ’62 Wildcat, so the photo was most likely shot in ’62 also.
That was one good looking dealership.
Jacobs Twin Buick was at 6750 W. Grand Ave., Elmwood and still exists as a Hyundai dealership. The knockout building has been cladded over but you can see one key part of the original structure on the roof, which looks like a diving board.