Buick

Between the year 1899 and 1900, David Dunbar Buick, a Detroit plumbing executive and inventor who began building and selling gasoline engines late in the 19th century, and his engineer Walter L. Marr, produced the first experimental Buick automobile. That very year, Buiick created Buick Auto-Vim and Power Co. in the Boydell Building, which still proudly stands at Beaubien and Lafayette, six blocks from Renaissance Center. He created Buick Manufacturing Co. in 1901 or 1902. However his first corporation was Buick Motor Co., a Detroit firm he incorporated on May 19, 1903.

Within the short four years, in 1908, Billy Durrant organized Buick into such a success to become the No. 1 producer of automobiles in 1908, surpassing the combined production of Ford and

Cadillac, its closest competitors. Several names were also contributed to the success of the company like Charles W. Nash, a founder of what later became American Motors; Walter P. Chrysler, founder of Chrysler Corp. and Harlow H. Curtice, a GM president and chief executive after the war. Louis Chevrolet, co-founder with Durant of the Chevrolet automobile, had earlier achieved fame as a Buick race team driver.

Buick sold thousands of units over the next few years, especially after the war when first torque converter automatic transmission, Dynaflow, was introduced on the 1948 Roadmaster; a high-compression V-8 was introduced in 1953. The sales grew from 550,000 in 1950, to 745,000 in 1955. Other famous name models define the road during the 60's like Lesabre, Invicta, Wildcat, Electra 225, Centurion, and Apollo. Buick sales continued to rise through the 1960s and hit a record 821,165 in the 1973 model year. But the bottom fell out again with the oil embargo late that year, and sales totaled fewer than 500,000 in both 1974 and '75. Over the next few years, Buick rebounded and marked rapid sales increase up to the present.

The success of Buick is truly remarkable. That is why many car enthusiasts still appreciate the beauty of antique Buick cars. And to support the demand of antique collectors and restorers, antique Buick parts such as clutch, engine, cooling, grills, oiling, electrical, lamps, carburetion, exhaust, fuel, brakes, transmission, propeller shaft, rear axle, wheels, front suspension, steering, bumpers, frame, shocks, springs, front fenders, hood, running boards, air conditioner, firewall, heater, radio, antenna, cowl, dash, doors, glass, weatherstrip, wiper, dome lenses, door sills, rear 1/4 glass, seats, deck lid, rear sheet metal, rocker panels, convertible tops & parts, door panels, headlining, misc. interior, carpet, floor mats, hardware section (moulding clips,etc.), buick stuff license plates, key chains, etc are still much available. In this way, the legacy and heritage of the antique Buick car remains alive.