1938 Buick Y Job, penned by famed designer Harley Earl, is known today as the first concept car ever created.
And although the once Flint-based company has changed a bit since David Dunbar Buick founded it as an automotive company, it has managed to survive and be recognized as one of the oldest brands in the world.
Buick's current lineup includes the full-size LaCrosse, midsize Regal/Regal GS, Verano compact and Encore and Enclave crossovers.
GM sold about 180,400 Buick models in 2012, a 1.6 percent increase from the previous year. Through March 2013, sales are up 27.5 percent compared to the first quarter of 2012.
In recognition of the Scottish-born inventor founding Buick in 1903, GM on Wednesday released 11 highlights of the brand during its 110-year history.
*Through the end of 2012, Buick has sold more than 43 million vehicles. That’s the equivalent of every vehicle sold in the United States over the past three years.
*The 1938 Buick Y-Job, credited to famed designer Harley Earl, is regarded as the first concept car ever built. Its waterfall grille is still used on Buicks today, and it featured futuristic technologies like power windows. Earl drove the car himself for more than a decade.
*The 1963 Riviera, often regarded as one of history’s most beautiful cars, celebrates its 50thanniversary this year. The powerful sport coupe was said to be inspired by a Rolls-Royce that Buick design boss Bill Mitchell saw through a fog in London.
*Buick has a deep motorsports history, proving its performance on race tracks as early as 1908. A Buick has served as Official Pace Car of the Indianapolis 500 six times, and the brand also won two NASCAR Manufacturer Championships, in 1981 and 1982.
*After just over three decades of engineering progress, the first production Buick topped 100 mph. It was the appropriately named 1936 Buick Century.
*The fastest production Buick in history is today’s Buick Regal GS luxury sport sedan. At the 2012 Nevada Open Road Challenge, it recorded a top speed of 162 mph.
*Buick’s quickest car was also one of the brands rarest. Car and Driver magazine recorded 0-60 mph acceleration for the 1987 Buick GNX at just 4.6 seconds. Just 547 were built.
*Powertrain innovation is a Buick hallmark. Today, the company’s turbocharged, direct-injected 2.0L delivers 259 hp, but displacement was king in the 1960s and ‘70s. Buick’s largest engine, a 455-cubic-inch (7.5L) V-8, was introduced in 1970.
*The Buick Electra 225 nameplate was introduced in 1959, with the “225” referencing the model’s overall length in inches. By 1975, the Electra grew to become the longest vehicle ever produced by Buick. It measured 233.7 inches from bumper to bumper.
*Buick’s first vehicle, the 1904 Model B, was also the shortest, riding on an 83-inch wheelbase. The2013 Encore luxury small crossover isn’t quite as small, but it does have the shortest wheelbase (100.6 inches) since the 1912 Model 34 (90.7 inches.)
*Buick has made many models with seating for two, four, five or six passengers. But only twice in 110 years has the brand produced vehicles with seating for up to eight: the 2008-2013 Enclave and the 1991-1996 Roadmaster Estate.
Today's powerful Buick engines use technology like turbocharging to
combine power and efficiency, but displacement was once king. The
brand's largest engine, a 455 cubic inch V-8, was produced from
1970-75.
The first production Buick was also the shortest. The 1904 Model B rode
on a wheelbase of 83 inches, more than 17 inches less than a 2013 Buick
Encore.
Buick has produced two vehicles able to hold up to 8 passengers. The
1991-1996 Roadmaster Estate and the 2013 Enclave shown here.
In 2013, two Buick engineers set a new top speed record for the brand
when they took a 2013 Regal GS to 162 mph in a closed-course road rally.
The legendary 1987 Buick GNX was the quickest car the brand has produced, with 0-60 mph acceleration in just 4.6 seconds.
Buick’s longest car, the 1975 Buick Electra sedan, measured 233.7 inches from bumper to bumper.
Buick’s 110th anniversary coincides with the 1963 Riviera’s 50th. It’s
considered by many as one of the most beautiful car designs ever.
Buick’s motorsports history includes two NASCAR titles and six Indy 500 pace cars, including the 1939 Roadmaster shown here.
The first Buick to reach 100 mph was the appropriately named Century, in 1936.
To date, Buick has produced more than 43 million vehicles. The first
million took two decades, with the milestone touring sedan shown here
rolling off the line in 1923
Courtesy of M Live
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