Lexington Buick Dealer

The History of Buick

While Buick has been around since 1899, the company is directly responsible for the creation of General Motors in 1908. However, before being a car manufacturer, Buick was originally called the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company, and the first vehicle ever produced by this brand was made in 1900. The company didn’t jump right into manufacturing cars, though.

At the time, the owner, David Dunbar Buick, was more focused on perfecting the stationary and marine engines that the company was making. In 1902, Buick’s new chief-engineer, Eugene Richard, made some waves in the industry for developing the Marr’s overhead-valve engine. The company then began to put a bit more focus on manufacturing a car. By 1904, the company uprooted and moved from Detroit to Flint, MI. This was when serious automobile production began. In 1905, the company had a lineup of 37 different vehicles. About 750 models were produced in 1905, and that number grew rapidly for the next four years.

The very first Buick automobile was called the Model B, and it resembled a carriage without a horse. Powered by Marr’s overhead-valve 2-cylinder engine, it came with a cone clutch, two forward speeds, and one reversing gear. The same engine was used in all of the Buick vehicles until 1911, when the same design was tweaked with four cylinders. A 6-cylinder version was introduced in 1914, and an 8-cylinder model came out in 1931.

World War II threw a wrench into the production lines of every automaker in the country, including Buick. The last vehicle to be produced by Buick during WWII was the 1941 Buick Super Series 40-B Model 41. In 1942, all automobile production lines were halted, and the United States didn’t get to see a new vehicle from Buick until 1947.

Two years after WWII ended, the Buick Super was back and making headlines again. This curvy ride features the iconic automobile stylings of a classic car from the 1940s and 50s. It was a full-size model with a signature grille, round headlights, and white sidewall wheels that still make an impression today. In 1948, the Roadmaster was created as a smaller version of the Super. Other models that came out during this time include the Super Riviera, the Roadmaster Skylark, the Roadmaster Estate, the Century Riviera, the Electra, and, of course, the Buick Special.

Throughout the 60s and 70s, the styling of all Buick models completely changed. The curvy exterior design elements were replaced by sharper components for a more streamlined look. Also, the Buick lineup was fully revamped during these two decades, starting with the 1962 Buick Special Deluxe. One of the icons from this era was the 1963 Buick Wildcat. Powered by a high-performance 325 hp V8 engine, this two-door model was classified as a sports coupe. It was also a full-size model, which is something you don’t normally see with coupes.

The Riviera, Skylark, Electra, Estate, and Century models all made a comeback during this time. However, the two biggest changes made to the lineup came in the form of the Buick LeSabre and the GSX. The LeSabre was a full-size sedan that had a steady run until 2005. Meanwhile, the GSX, or Gran Sport, was designed to rival Cadillac. The final addition to the lineup was the Buick Regal in 1979. It had a fantastic run until it was finally retired in 2018.

During the 80s and 90s, even more changes were made to the Buick family tree. Continuing into this generation, the Skylark, Riviera, Electra, Century, and Regal were still going strong. New models in this timeframe include the Somerset, Skyhawk, Reatta, and Park Avenue. Even more surprising is that in 1992, the iconic Roadmaster was brought out of retirement.

Over the last two decades, Buick has continued to evolve into what drivers know today. Only two classic models survived until the turn of the century. These were the LeSabre and the Regal, which have both since been retired. Other marquis nameplates to grace the Buick production lines during the last twenty years include new models like the Rendezvous, Rainier, Terraza, Lucerne, LaCrosse, Verano, and Cascada. As of now, the only models actively produced by Buick are the Enclave, Encore, Encore GX, and the Envision.