110 Years, 11 Special Cars, 11 Special Highlights

In honor of its 110th anniversary, Buick is celebrating as much as it possibly can.  In light of this momentous anniversary, Buick recently released 11 photos of 11 influential cars that helped transform Buick, or gave a lasting a impact on the brand.  Along with the photos, Buick selected 11 highlights from its 110 years of making cars.  I will share the highlights and the cars for you.

Highlights

• Through the end of 2012, Buick has sold 43 million cars.  That’s the equivalent of every vehicle sold in the U.S. in the past three years alone!
• The 1938 Buick Y-Job is regarded as the world’s first concept car.  It’s waterfall grille can still be found on modern Buicks, and its futuristic technologies were not seen until the 1970s.  These technologies were power windows, high-performance cylinder heads, and an aluminum engine block.  The car was built in honor of Harley Earl, the legendary GM designer.  Harley Earl drove the car himself for more than 15 years.
• The 1963 Buick Riviera is regarded as one of history’s most beautiful cars.  It will be turning 50 this year.  The powerful sports coupe is said to have been inspired by a Rolls-Royce that GM head of design, Bill Mitchell, saw through a fog in London.  It was powerful, fast, and astonishingly pretty.
• Buick is also steeped in motorsports history.  Buick has proved its mettle on racetracks since times as early as 1908.  Buicks have served as pace cars for the Indianapolis 500 six times.  They also have won two NASCAR Manufacturer Championships – in 1981 and 1982.
• After almost 30 years of engineering, a Buick hit 100 miles per hour!  They appropriately named it the Buick Century.
• The fastest stock Buick is the 2012 Buick Regal GS compact luxury midsize sedan.  It hit 162 mph at the 2012 Nevada Open Road Challenge.  This achievement was set by Road & Track
• The quickest Buick to 60 mph was also one of the rarest.  Car & Driver recorded a speedy 4.6 seconds for the 1987 Buick GNX.  547 of these dark sleepers were built.
• Powertrain innovation is part of Buick.  Today, their 2.0 liter, direct-injected, 4-cylinder engine produces a ridiculous 259 horsepower (estimated).  Displacement, however, was king in the 1970s.  The largest Buick engine that ever went into a Buick was a 455 cubic inch (7.5 liter) V8.  It was introduced in 1970.
• The Buick Electra 225 nameplate was introduced in 1959.  The “225” stood for the length of the car – it was 225 inches long!  But, the 1975 Buick Electra was the longest Buick ever built.  It was 233.7 inches from bumper to bumper.
• The first Buick, the 1904 Model B, was also the shortest.  It rode on an 83-inch wheelbase.  The 2013 Buick Encore isn’t that small.  It is the shortest Buick since the 1912 Buick Model 34 (90.7 inches).  It rides on a 100.6-inch wheelbase.
• Throughout its history, Buick has made many cars with seats for two, four, and six.  However, only two vehicles have been made that can seat eight:  The 1991-1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate and the 2008-present Buick Enclave.

That’s a history lesson in itself.  Some of these cars are truly beautiful.  Go onto Google Images, and look for the 1938 Buick Y-Job.  It is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful cars ever built.  It also happens to be technologically advanced.

Buick has offered some amazing cars over the years.  Happy anniversary Buick!