"Some Buick History"
1950 - 2000
"Written by and special thanks to "MARK POTTER"
and those Buick owners whose cars on on this site"
"Brought to you from sunny central California, USA"
"Follow the wind!"
There was a time not so many years ago when fall introductions of Buicks and other new cars were really exciting times.
Dealer showrooms were bustling of the new models, potential customers wanting to see the latest and those "be first on their
block to drive home in the new cars." Magazines and newspapers were loaded with dealer and corporate advertisements
introducing the new models.
"Enjoy as you look back over the years of new Buick introductions. I'd like to thank the Buick owners whose images I have used. These images are period approximate to show the design changes over the last 50 years. For additional Buick history go to the Buick Club of America web site"
Some long running and short lived Buick nameplates
Over the years, the Buick Motor Division has had a lot of long-lasting
nameplates for its automobiles such as Roadmaster (1936-58 and 1991-96),
Super (1936-58), Electra (1959-90), Regal (1973-present), Park Avenue
(1975-90 as a trim line in the Electra series and 1991-present as a series),
Special (1936-58 and 1961-69), Skylark (1953-54, 1961-72 and 1975-97)
among others.
The longest running nameplates in Buick history (ta-da) include
Riviera (1949-62 on hardtop coupes and sedans and 1963-99 on Buick's
personal-luxury car), LeSabre (1959-present) and Century (1936-42, 1954-58
and 1973-present). That's 51 years for Riviera, 47 for Century and 44 for
LeSabre.
On the other end, some of the shortest running nameplates slapped
on cars coming out of Flint include Invicta (1959-63), Limited (1936-42
and 1958 as a series; the Limited name was used to denote trim lines of
various Buick lines in later years ), Centurion (1971-73), Apollo (1973-75),
Somerset (1985-87) and Reatta (1988-91).
50 YEARS AGO, 1950
When Better Automobiles Are Built, Buick Will Build Them: The new 1950 Special
finally caught up with other Buicks stylewise, each of which were all new in 1949, receiving three portholes in the process. All
1950 Buicks featured a chrome grille with many separate horizontal teeth serving as bumper guards, but turned out to be
costly for dealers to stock as there was a great demand for replacements. The portholes moved from the front fenders to the
sides of the hood. Supers and Roadmasters got new one-piece windshields to replace 1949's split windshields (retained on
1950 Specials) and the Riviera hardtop coupe returned for its second year.
Under the hood, the Special got a 248 cid 8, the Super got 263 cubes and the Roadmaster carried Buick's biggest straight
eight of 322 cid. Dynaflow transmissions were standard on Roadmasters and optional on Supers and Specials. Dynaflow
engines on Specials and Supers had higher horsepower ratings than their stick shift counterparts.
The Special (which had been low-keyed in the early postwar years) displaced the Super as Buick's best selling car thanks
to its new styling and pricetag only a few dollars above cars in the low-priced bracket, along with the straight eight and
Dynaflow. Buick was in fourth place overall in industry sales, only topped by the low-priced three, Chevrolet, Ford and
Plymouth.
45 YEARS AGO, 1955:
Buicks new models this year are heavily facelifted renditions of the new body design introduced in 1954 with wraparound windshields. Buick also got fins this year with taillights wrapped in chromy flanks. The B-Body Special and Century rode on a 122-inch wheelbase while the C-Body Super and Roadmaster rode a longer 127-inch wheelbase. Models in each series were carried over from 1954, except for the limited-production Skylark, which was discontinued during 1954. Initially, the only new model offered this year was the Century 2-door sedan. At mid-year, Buick was one of the first nameplates to introduce the
four-door hardtop sedan, marketed as the Riviera sedan in the B-Body Special and Century lines. The Century joined the bigger C-Bodies by receiving four portholes, leaving only the Special as a three-holed.
Engines got more power this year. The Special's small 264 cid V8 was uprated from 143 to 188 horses, while the bigger Fireball 322 cid V8 used in Century, Super and Roadmaster was uprated from 195/200 to 236 horses. Variable Pitch Dynaflow was standard on Roadmaster and Super and optional on Special and Century.
Buick would remain in third place in overall industry standings with production of 781,296 for the calendar year and 738,814 for the model year. The one millionth Buick V8 was built on March 16 and the eighth millionth Buick came off the line on April 5.
40 YEARS AGO, 1960
The Turbine Drive Buick '60: The 1960 Buick line, overall, received cleaner styling on the
basic 1959 body with conventional horizontal headlights, smaller bat-wing fins and a new Buick symbol - the Tri-Shield which
remains in use as Buick's key identity today. The Ford-like round taillights were carried over with mild revisions. Inside a new
adjustable mirror-image speedometer was introduced and the horn ring was removed from the steering wheel. Bucket seats
and a consolette with storage compartment was a new option available for Invicta two-door hardtops and convertibles.
Under the hood, the same 401 cid V8 continued as standard power for Invicta, Electra and Electra 225, while the LeSabre
continued with the smaller 364 cid V8 rated at 250 horsepower with a two-barrel carburetor. A four-barrel 300 horsepower
version was optional and a new no-cost option was a two-barrel regular fuel 364 rated at 235 horsepower. Also unchanged
was Buick's excellent aluminum finned brake drums to bring the car to a halt.
After a two-year absence, one of Buick's best known calling cards - portholes, returned to grace the front fenders with
LeSabres getting three holes and other models got four holes. The Turbine Drive automatic transmission was standard on
Electra and Electra 225 models and optional on Invicta and LeSabre.
The year 1960 was the last for Buick to offer only full-sized cars as 1961 brought the compact Special powered by an
aluminum V8 engine.
35 YEARS AGO, 1965:
The full-sized B-and-C body cars were all-new with flowing lines, bulging sides and sweeping rooflines, sort of an evolution of the styling pioneered on the 1963 Riviera. The chassis was also new, featuring a full perimeter frame instead of the X frame of past years. Wheelbases of the B-Body LeSabre
and C-Body Electra 225 remained the same as before at 123 and 126 inches, respectively, while the high-performance Wildcat remained on the LeSabre's B-Body but went to a longer 126 inch wheelbase similar to Electra's. Full-sized station wagons were out as Buick shifted the cargo-trade emphasis to the smaller A-Body Special/Skylark and stretched A-Body Skylark Sportwagon with the raised rear roof and glass panels over the rear seat.
The LeSabre was available in base or custom trim and powered by a 300 cid V8 with either 210 or 250 horsepower. The Wildcat came in base, Deluxe or Custom trim while the Electra 225 could be had in base or custom models. Wildcat, Electra and the personal-luxury Riviera came standard with a 401 cid V8 rated at
325 horsepower, while the 425 cid V8 was available with 340 horsepower as a four-barrel or 360 with dual quads. The Super Turbine 400 three-speed automatic was standard on Electra and Riviera and optional on Wildcat, as well as LeSabres equipped with the "400" option package that included the four-barrel 250
horsepower 300 cid V8. LeSabres with the standard two-barrel 210 horsepower engine were available with the Super Turbine 300 two-speed automatic that was also offered on the A-Body Special/Skylark intermediates.
The Riviera entered its third and final year of the original design introduced in 1963. Headlights were hidden and moved into the clamshells where the parking lights were located on previous models. The pitchfork chrome mouldings were removed from the bodysides in front of the rear wheelwells and the taillights were moved into the bumper. Inside, the instrument panel, console and door panels featured walnut trim. The tilt steering wheel became standard equipment this year, as did a black vinyl top and chrome
wheels (standard with the GS).
Under the hood, the 401 cid V8 was reinstated as standard after a one-year absence. The 425 cid V8 rated at 340 horses that was standard in 1964 became optional this year and the dual-quad 425 remained on the option list on the base model. The newly-introduced Riviera Gran Sport featured the dual-quad engine along with firmer suspension, Gran Sport i.d., positrac rear and other performance hardware.
The A-Body Special/Skylark entered its second year with the same basic styling with the exception of the usual yearly facelift which included new grille, taillights and trim. On Skylark models, the tailight trim was stretched the full width of the rear of the car. Engines initially remained as before with the 225 cid V6 rated at 155 horspower and two 300 cid V8s rated at 210 (two-barrel) and 250 (four-barrel) optional. At mid-year, the Skylark Gran Sport was introduced in two-door sedan, hardtop coupe and convertible models featuring the 401 cid V8/325 horsepower from the bigger Buicks, along with a heavy duty suspension, Gran Sport i.d., bucket seats and three-speed manual transmission with floor shift (four-speed manual and Super Turbine 300 were optional).
Buick would enjoy the prosperity of most of the entire industry with sales this year only second to
record-setting 1955.
30 YEARS AGO, 1970
Click for additional Buick history of the 70's
- Introducing Automobiles To Light Your Fire: The Special nameplate was retired this year and all A-body cars were marketed Skylarks or GSs. All A-bodies got new sheetmetal which eliminated the sweepspears of
1968-69 and revised rooflines. The glass-roofed Sportwagon was dropped this year and Buick's first true full-sized wagon
since 1964 was back as the Estate Wagon.
Stylewise, the full-sized cars were only midly facelifted while the Riviera received a new horizontal grille and exposed
headlights replacing the hidden lights of previous years. The Riviera's rear window was widened and rear wheels featured
fender skirts.
Engines were big news this year. Both the 400 and 430 cid V8s were replaced by the new 455 cid V8, which was created
by boring and stroking the basic 430 block. Now that GM lifted the 400 cid limit for its smaller than full-sized cars, the
A-body GS 400 was tossed out in favor of the GS 455, which came standard with a 350 horsepower 455. For those wanting more power, the Stage 1 option increased the advertised power to 360. The 455 was also standard on the Electra 225, Wildcat, Estate Wagon and Riviera, where it was rated at 370 horsepower, and optional on the LeSabre 455 and (non-glass roofed) Skylark Sportwagon.
The smaller 350 cid V8, in standard two-barrel form got a horsepower increase from 230 to 260, while a new regular-fuel
four-barrel option with 285 horsepower was made available for Skylarks and LeSabres. The premium-fuel 350 four-barrel
was increased from 280 to 315 horsepower, this engine was standard on the GS 350 and optional on other A-bodies as well
as LeSabres.
A new Buick development this year was the sealed cooling system which included an auxiliary coolant tank which
permitted checking the radiator level and adding coolant without opening the radiator cap.
25 YEARS AGO, 1975:
The 1975 Buicks featured a new emission control device that would replace many previous and crude devices, but also jacked up new car prices and mandated more expensive unleaded gasoline. The catalytic converter, which was designed specifically for no-lead fuel was introduced on all 1975 Buicks and other General Motors cars. One of the side benefits of the converter was that it permitted finer tuning of engines for improved fuel economy (especially in light of the recent energy crisis), performance and drivability.
Fuel economy was the watchword this year as Buick reintroduced the division's V6 that had been offered on 1962-67 Specials and Skylarks, but who's tooling was sold to American Motors for use in Jeeps. In the height of the Arab Oil Embargo in late 1973 and early 1974, GM bought back the V6 tooling from AMC when the need for more economical engines became apparant. The 231 cid V6, rated at 110 horsepower was standard on all Century/Regal intermediates except station wagons and Buick's new sporty subcompact derived from the Chevy Vega, the Skyhawk, which was billed as "The smallest Buick in 60 years." Also getting the V6 was the redesigned Apollo Skylark coupe, while four-door Apollo buyers got the Chevy in-line six standard.
Buick's 350 cid V8 was optional on Century/Regal sedans and coupes (standard on wagons) and Apollo/Skylark models. The big 455 cid V8 and Stage 1 engines was discontinued on the Century GS, which made do with a 350 four-barrel in this, the last year for the GS. A special edition "Free Spirit" edition of the Century coupe was offered for this one year only, as a replica of the white Century that paced this year's Indianapolis 500, but only a wimpy 350 was under the hood (The actual pace car had a 455).
Moving on to full-sized cars, the LeSabre received a new grille and taillights in base and custom models, with the convertible offered for the last time this year. The LeSabre missed out on GM's new rectangular headlights introduced for the first time this year on Electra 225, Riviera and the new Skyhawk. The Electra 225 came in base, custom and Limited versions with a new Park Avenue option featuring rich velour seating on the Limited. All full-sized Buicks and Rivieras also got a new flatter instrument panel to replace the wrap-around cockpit of previous years. Most Electras and all Rivieras got power windows and other formerly-optional items as standard equipment this year. Under the hood, LeSabres got the 350 four-barrel
standard with the 455 optional. The 455 was standard on Estate Wagon, Electra and Riviera and horsepower was down to 205. The Riviera GS would vanish after this year.
20 YEARS AGO, 1980
After All Life Is To Enjoy: The new Skylark was one of four GM X-cars introduced this year as front-drive compacts featuring front-wheel-drive and transverse mounted engines. It was available in two and four-door notchback sedans in base and Limited trim, the latter very plush for an economy compact. The standard engine was Pontiac's 2.5 liter (151 cid) four-cylinder, while the Chevy 2.8 liter (173 cid) V6 was optional.
Also new this year was a Century four-door notchback sedan featuring lines similar to the popular Regal coupe and replacing the unpopular aeroback design of the past two years (The aeroback design continued on Century two-doors for one last time in 1980). The Regal itself was basically unchanged stylewise except for a revised grille and new quad headlights,along with a new Somerset trim option.
Buick's full-sized cars, LeSabre and Electra, were mildly facelifted with slightly rounder lines for improved aerodynamics and some weight loss. The Electra got the new 4.1 liter V6 standard this year with the 350 cid V8 now optional.
A new option for various Buicks including the Electra, LeSabre, Estate Wagon, Riviera, Regal and Century was Oldsmobile's 305 cid Diesel V8, but few oil burners were called for on Buicks thanks to the high cost and well publicized reports of abysmal reliability and drivability.
The Chevy Monza-clone Skyhawk carried over to the new decade with few changes in its final year. 1980 was also the
final year for Buick-built V8 engines. After that time, V8-powered Buicks were equipped with either Oldsmobile or
Chevrolet engines.
15 YEARS AGO, 1985:
T-Types were the rage
were the rage at Buick as the division was pushing a performance image throughout its lineup. The T-Types, which featured Euro-style blackout trim, suspension tune-ups,
upgraded interiors and wheel/tire upgrades, etc. They were offered in the Electra, Regal, Century, Riviera Century and Skyhawk models. The Riviera T-Type also featured the turbocharged 231 cid V6 rated at 200 horsepower that came with the Regal Grand National.
New to the Buick line this year was the compact Regal Somerset coupe, which shared the same GM N-Body
with the Pontiac Grand Am and Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais. Under the hood were a choice of either the
standard Pontiac-built 151 cid four-cylinder engine or an optional Buick-3.3 liter (181 cid) V6. The
four-banger came with either a five-speed manual or optional automatic transmission, while the V6 was
mated only to the automatic.
Carried over for the last time this year was the rear-drive B-Body LeSabre, which was available in custom
or Limited trim and a few Collector's Editions were built to commemorate the last of the full-sized, rear-drive
V8 powered Buicks (at least until the 1992 Roadmaster). Engines included the standard 3.8 liter V6 or
optional Olds 307 Rocket V8 and 350 Diesel V8. Also in its last year was the X-body front-drive Skylark,
which came only as a four-door sedan with either four-cylinder or V6 power. For 1986, the Skylark
nameplate would switch to a four-door version of the Somerset.
The Riviera closed out its 1979 design this year in Luxury Coupe or T-Type hardtops or as a convertible.
Riviera sales also reached an all-time high this year before sinking with the downsized 1986 model. The
C-Body Electra, which was downsized and switched to front-wheel-drive in 1984, entered its second year
without change but was criticized like its other GM siblings (Olds 98 and Cadillac DeVille) for lackluster
styling (GM's look-alike, drive alike mentality), performance and questionably quality and reliability.
10 YEARS AGO, 1990
The Great American Road Belongs to Buick: New offerings included the Regal 4-door sedan and the Reatta convertible. The Riviera, which underwent a major facelift the year before, got a new instrument panel with analog gauges and dispensed of the computerized gagetry in use since 1986, along with a new console. The Reatta, which was really a shortened Riviera with two seats, got the new dash and console as well.
Buick's full-sized LeSabre got new grille and taillights in hopes for increased sales following last year's honors as one of J.D. Power and Associates top American-made automobiles and the top-line Electra entered its final year as a Buick nameplate and the basic bodyshell that had been around since 1984. It would be replaced by the new Park Avenue for 1991. The mid-sized Century got air conditioning and power windows among other former options as standard equipment, but few other changes while the
compact Skylark was basically unchanged and now Buick's smallest car, following the demise of the subcompact Skyhawk
after 1989.
Year 2000 LeSabre
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