Remaining in business for 11 decades requires constant innovation, so
choosing one model to represent a decade of significance can be a
catalyst for debate. Among the hundreds of models designed and
engineered for Buick, the 11 below stand out as the most significant for
their respective decades since May 17, 1903. Let the debate begin.
1903-1912
The first Buick ever is quite significant, so Buick's first decade honor
goes to the 1904 Model B. The first one of the line was sold to doctor
Herbert H. Hills of Flint, Mich., decades before the brand developed its
reputation as a "doctor's car."
1913-1922
The 1916 D-45 Touring was the top-selling model in 1916, a year when
Buick switched its lineup from four- to six-cylinder engines. Sales
tripled that year and reached six digits for the first time. Buick
became the top-selling brand in the industry a few years later, with
five-passenger touring models remaining most popular.
1923-1932
The 1931 Series 50 was the best-selling model in the year of another
upsizing of powertrains – from six- to eight-cylinder engines. The more
powerful engines, paired with a major design overhaul the year before,
helped boost Buick's image during the Great Depression.
1933-1942
Harlow Curtice became Buick's president in 1933, and three years later, a
model range including the 1936 Century showed his revolutionary vision
for the brand. Its streamlined designs were a dramatic change and
Buick's engines grew more powerful, making the Century the first Buick
to reach 100 mph. Sales grew from 53,249 in 1935 to 168,596 in 1936 and
continued to rise in the years to come.
1943-1952
Buick's most iconic design features, including signature waterfall
grilles and portholes, date to the 1949 Roadmaster. One of the most
collectible Buicks of all time, the Roadmaster even became a Hollywood
star in the 1988 film Rain Man.
1953-1962
Buick celebrated its 50th birthday with the 1953 Skylark, an opulent,
limited-production convertible with advanced design and technology. Each
had Italian wire wheels and the owner's name engraved on the steering
wheel. The same year also marked the first year of Buick V-8 engines and
a new twin-turbine Dynaflow automatic transmission.
1963-1972
Buick's most famous production design is the 1963 Riviera, a powerful
sport coupe said to be inspired by a Rolls-Royce that Buick design boss
Bill Mitchell saw through a fog in London. It energized a brand emerging
from a period of design criticism.
1973-1982
Amid an oil crisis, the 1975 Regal offered a standard V-6 engine at a
time when other mid-size sedans offered only gas-thirstier V-8s. Buick
still leads the way in the downsizing trend, offering four-cylinder
engines on four of its five 2013 models.
1983-1992
Buick's lightweight, high-tech V-6 engines, mixed with the brand's
success in NASCAR, resulted in the brand's most iconic performance car,
the 1987 GNX. Its 276-hp turbocharged and intercooled V-6 delivered 0-60
mph acceleration in just 4.6 seconds, according to Car and Driver
magazine.
1993-2002
A 1999 Century was Buick's first model built in China for the local
market. Although Buick has a long reputation as a prestigious brand in
China (one in six cars on Shanghai roads in 1930 were Buicks, according
to the city's government,) production there has driven the brand's
success over the past decade. China is now Buick's largest market, with
700,007 vehicles sold in 2012.
2003-2012
The 2008 Enclave luxury crossover ushered in Buick's current design
language and brand focus. Along with the LaCrosse luxury sedan, which
went on sale as a 2010 model, the Enclave introduced buyers to a new era
of Buicks with leading design, quietness, quality and safety.
Courtesy of autoblog.com
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