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Wikipedia: Buick
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Buick page on 1 May 2016, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Buick, formally the Buick Motor Division, is an upscale automobile brand of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). For much of its existence in the North American market, Buick has been marketed as a premium automobile brand, selling luxury vehicles positioned above GM's mainstream brands, e.g. Chevrolet, while below the flagship luxury Cadillac division.
Buick retains the distinction of being the oldest active American marque of automobile, and the original Buick Motor Company was a cornerstone of the establishment of General Motors in 1908. Before the establishment of General Motors, GM founder William C. Durant served as Buick's general manager, while his friend Louis Chevrolet worked as a racing driver for Buick and later learned automotive design working there.
Buick-branded vehicles are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China and Taiwan. In 2015, Buick sold 1,231,941 vehicles, a record for the brand. Since restructuring in 2009, GM has also started to share technology, vehicles and development between Buick and GM's European Opel division.
Early years
Buick, founded in 1899 in Detroit, is one of the oldest automobile brands in the world and the oldest in America, (Autocar, originally an automobile maker but currently strictly a heavy truck maker, and Oldsmobile, a now defunct early auto maker owned by GM, were both founded in 1897. Ford produced his first car in 1896 but did not start the Ford Motor Co. until 1903, and during the period in between was involved with other automobile manufacturers such as Cadillac). It was founded by David Buick as the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company, an internal combustion engine manufacturer. The first two Buick automobiles were made in 1899 and 1900 by Buick chief-engineer Walter Marr, but David Buick was reluctant to begin making automobiles, being satisfied with stationary and marine engine production, so Marr left Buick in 1901 to found his own automobile company under his own name. His replacement was Eugene Richard, who applied for a patent in 1902 for the valve-in-head engine, which patent, number 771,095, was awarded to David Buick in 1904. This was the world's first overhead valve internal combustion engine, although it was called "valve-in-head" because the cylinders were horizontal so the valves were not actually "overhead." In 1903, the third Buick automobile was made by Richard, but that same year Buick moved to Flint, Michigan, and Richard stayed behind. Marr was rehired in 1904 in Flint as chief engineer, to begin making automobiles in production. That year, 37 Buick automobiles were made, production increasing to 750 in 1905, 1,400 in 1906, 4,641 in 1907, and 8,800 in 1908, taking the number one spot away from close competitors Oldsmobile, Ford, and Maxwell.
David Dunbar Buick incorporated his company as the Buick Motor Company on May 19, 1903, in Detroit, Michigan. In 1904, the company was purchased by James H. Whiting (1842–1919), owner of Flint Wagon Works, in Flint, Michigan, who moved Buick to a location across the street from his factory, with the idea of adding Buick's engines to his wagons. David Buick stayed on as secretary, and re-hired Walter Marr as chief engineer. The engine Buick and Marr developed for this automobile was a 2-cyinder valve-in-head engine of 159 cubic inches, with each cylinder horizontal and opposed to each other by 180 degrees. Whiting built only a few automobiles in 1904, by bringing Buick engines across the street where his workers shoehorned them into his wagons and drove them back across the street as Buicks, before running out of capital, causing him to bring in William C. Durant that year as controlling investor. Durant was co-owner, also in Flint, of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company, which was the largest carriage-making company in the country. Durant spent the next 4 years turning Buick into the biggest-selling automobile brand in the US. In 1907 Buick agreed to supply motors to R. S. McLaughlin in Canada, who made automobiles there, and in 1908 Durant founded General Motors. David Buick was kept for several years as an employee. He sold his stock for a small sum upon departure, and died in modest circumstances 25 years later.
| Title & Subtitle | Details |
|---|---|
1957 Buick Chassis Service Manual | Year & Type: 1957 Service Manual Publisher: General Motors Corporation Dimensions: 8.5" x 11" softcover Content: 800+ pages w/black & white illustrations Topic: Buick Availability: Reference Desk |
Standard Catalog of Buick 1903-1990, First Edition | Year & Type: 1991 Nonfiction Editors: Mary Sieber & Ken Buttolph Publisher: Krause Publications Dimensions: 8.5" x 11" softcover Content: 304 pages w/black & white photos ISBN: 0-87341-173-0 Topic: Buick Availability: Reference Desk |
Buick, Oldsmobile & Pontiac Full-size models Automotive Repair Manual 1970 thru 1990 | Year & Type: 1999 Service Manual Authors: Ken Freund & John H. Haynes Publisher: Haynes Publishing Group Dimensions: 8.5" x 10.5" softcover Content: 200+ pages w/black & white photos ISBN: 1-56392-247-9 Topics: Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac Availability: Reference Desk |
Buick Oldsmobile Pontiac 1975-83 Bonneville · Catalina · Custom Cruiser · Delta 88 · Electra · Estate Wagons · Grand Ville · LeSabre · Ninety-Eight · Safari Wagons | Year & Type: 1983 Service Manual Publisher: Chilton Book Company Dimensions: 6.5" x 10" softcover Content: 303 pages w/black & white illustrations ISBN: 0-8019-7308-2 Topics: Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac Availability: Reference Desk |
| Date | Media or Collection Name & Details | Files |
|---|---|---|
| 1930's | Sell the Difference! The Jam Handy Organization for Buick |  Topic Page - 278MB - 12:21 |
Buick Regals were used in NASCAR's Winston Cup through the end of the 1991 season.
Championships Won in Buicks
| Year | Series | Driver | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | NASCAR Winston Cup | Darrell Waltrip | Regal |
| 1982 | NASCAR Winston Cup | Darrell Waltrip | Regal |
| 1983 | NASCAR Winston Cup | Bobby Allison | Regal |
| 1988 | NASCAR Busch Grand National Series | Tommy Ellis |
| Date | Document Name & Details | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 1967 | NHTSA Recall 67V034000 1967 Buick, 1967 Oldsmobile, 1967 Pontiac | Recall Page - 1 page |
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
|---|---|---|
| 22 February 1909 | BUICK CAR MAKES 100-MILE RECORD | The New York Times |
| 20 February 1910 | THREE BUICK MACHINES SOLD BEFORE EXHIBIT | Los Angeles Herald |
| 2 July 1922 | NEW MOTOR BUILDING. | The New York Times |
| 2 August 1922 | AUTOMOBILE PRICE WAR IS PREDICTED | The New York Times |
| 31 December 1922 | GIVES REASONS FOR NEW MARK SET BY BUICK | The Bisbee Daily Review |
| 27 August 1925 | TO USE SEDANS FOR TAXICABS The new taxicabs are the standard 1926 Buick six-cylinder chassis, with a 128-inch wheel base, fitted with a special Fisher sedan body for seven passengers. | News Article (text) Publication: Automotive Daily News Dateline: Detroit, Michigan  Topic: Detroit Cab Company • Buick |
| 4 March 1954 | Buick Borrows Features from 'Dream' Cars  | The Spartanburg Herald |
| 17 October 2002 | GM Dealer, Eric Dickerson, to Join National Buick Dealer Advisory Council | General Motors Minority Dealers Association |
| 29 November 2003 | Buick Works Hard to Perk Up Its Image | John Birchard, VOA News |
| 21 January 2006 | Advice for Buick | Bill Crittenden |
| 21 April 2007 | 'Super' Buicks: The Return | Jerick Brooks |
| 8 March 2009 | Buick: More than a Century of Excellence | Ronnie Tanner |
| 24 January 2011 | The Formidable Buick GS | William Jason |
| 5 September 2011 | Americans Owe A Debt Of Gratitude To One Of America's Auto Pioneers | Kenneth Cobbler |
| 2 August 2012 | Used Buick Cars | Clint Dixon |
| 18 October 2012 | A New Vision for General Motors | Bill Crittenden |
| 13 November 2012 | Buick's Verano a Miscommunication | Bill Crittenden |
| 24 June 2015 | Why Won't Anyone Make a "Jitterbug Car?" | Bill Crittenden |
| 14 April 2016 | SoCal Buick GMC Breaks Digital Agency Ranks, Becomes Fastest Growing Region in the U.S. | Flash Point Communications |
| 13 November 2020 | OKCarz Helps Customers Shop by Detailing Used Buick Models | OKCarz |
| 21 January 2006 | Advice for Buick The recent image of Buick has been that it's an "old people's" brand. That image is entirely accurate. The average age of Buick's "customer base" (according to USA Today) is 63. | Commentary (text) Publisher: Byline: Bill Crittenden Topic: Buick |
| 22 June 2023 | Proposed Prospective Purchaser Agreement for the Buick City Site in Flint, Michigan The settlement requires the Settling Party to, if necessary, execute and record a Declaration of Restrictive Covenant; provide access to the Site and exercise due care with respect to existing contamination. | Federal Register Notice (text) Agency: Environmental Protection Agency Byline: Douglas Ballotti Topic: Buick |
| 28 August 2023 | Proposed Prospective Purchaser Agreement for the Buick City Site in Flint, Michigan; Reopening of the Comment Period Additionally, a public meeting will be held in Flint, Michigan prior to the closing of the reopened comment period. | Federal Register Notice (text) Agency: Environmental Protection Agency Byline: Thomas Short Topic: Buick |
| Type & Item # | Name | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Die Cast - Motor Max 73116 | 1949 Buick | 1:18 scale convertible |
