Buicksof the 1950 - 1953 period have become American icons in the tradition of Coca - Cola machines , Route 66 polarity , and Standard Crowngaspump Earth . No othercarsymbolizes postwar promise and prosperity like the bulbous , toothy Buick . The ubiquitous Buick offered a example for every buyer in most every Leontyne Price socio-economic class . In the days when the buck stopped with Harry Truman , and well into the Eisenhower year , Buick perfectly dominated the American automobile conniption above theChevy - Ford - Plymouth ternary . GM ’s Flint , Michigan , division did it with a combination of bold styling , innovational marketing , and a dealer organisation 2d to none .
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For 1948 and 1949 , GM provided a very singular and modern ascorbic acid - body for the Oldsmobile 98 and Cadillac . really , it had originally been designated the B - physical structure , but became the C - torso late in the biz . In any shell , Buick passed on it for 1948 , then adopted it for 1949 , for reason that have never been made alone open . Most likely , Buick ’s powerful general manager , Harlow Curtice , felt that his division – the most successful of the three – did n’t need a radical and untested body to further meliorate sales agreement in 1948 . This so - called P-38 body was uprise by designer Frank Hershey under the strong influence of GM styling czar , Harley Earl . It was directly inspired by the Lockheed P-38 Lightning airplane , and the key to its design was a high belt - argumentation , but not quite up to the windowline , running in a straight origin from the front of the fomite to the very rear . The P-38 was developed as a Cadillac , with Olds stylists executing their own distinctive version . Chevrolet and Pontiac developed their own much small A - bodies a twelvemonth after , and the Olds 76 and 88 also used it . The larger snow - eubstance ended up being an highly controversial design with monger , top direction , and particularly with the Buick Division , which conform it for only one short twelvemonth . The prevailing feeling seemed to be that it was just too radical a design for GM ’s top - end cars . It has been state that Harlow Curtice , who moved up into GM collective management at the end of 1948 , and finally to the GM presidency in 1953 , was specially halfhearted to the P-38 organic structure . Curtice was succeeded at Buick by Ivan L. Wiles . While not as groovy a drawing card as Curtice , Wiles still had the " old valet de chambre " to lean on .
see the mood in the top echelon at GM , it ’s easy to see why B- and C - body would be all - new for 1950 . carry this scenario a whole tone further , the Buick Division would apparently have a very secure say in 1950 B- and C - body intent . Now this was the era of the rounded soundbox , image in fullest flower in the " bathtub"Packard , Lincoln Cosmopolitan , Hudson , and Nash . Looking at this trend with the eminent fenderline and often no rear cowcatcher at all , Harley Earl decided to move out from the crew in 1950 by discharge the fenderline and adding a typical dip to accentuate the rearward fenders . To a degree , he was croak back to the 1942 - 1948 Buick and his own 1938 Buick Y - Job show car . This did n’t bother Earl in eyeshot of corporate pressures and his own desire to split up from 1948 to 1949 styling . It should also be noted that Earl was simultaneously develop the LeSabre and XP-100 " aspiration cars , " which conduct the same general fenderline as the 1950 production auto . For more information on cars , see :
1950s Buick Styling
The toothy bumper / grille was originally considered for the LeSabre show car when it was still a Buick and not a GM design . Both the sweepspear and the " VentiPorts " were Ned Nickles ’s trademark on the 1949 Buick , although their line of descent may go much far back . All of the exterior trimness was a very well - executed 1950 interlingual rendition of styling theme that had been associated with Buick since the early Forties . The instrument control board returned to the 1942 - 1948 melodic theme , after Buick had gone to a much more aircraft - inspired designing for 1949.For more information on cars , see :
1950 Buick
The Super was work up on the same 121.5 - inch wheelbase as the Special , and shared the same body . It was offer as a four - doorway tour Sedan ( Buick also used the condition " Tourback " in the early Fifties ) , two - door Jetback , convertible , Estate Wagon with fond wooden eubstance , and , for the first clip , a Riviera hardtop coupe . Another gain to the Super series for 1950 was an impressive - search Riviera four - room access sedan devolve on a tenacious 125.5 - inch wheelbase and sharing its snow - trunk with the Roadmaster . Priced at only $ 73 more than the tour Sedan , it was doubly as popular . Roadmasters , on a 126.25 - in rack - bag , occur as a four - door , four - window sedan ; two - door Jetback;convertible ; Riviera hardtop ; DeLuxe Riviera hardtop ; and Estate Wagon . All of these Roadmasters used the same basic body as the Specials and super , but with a longer wheelbase and hood . In addition , there was the Model 72 : a Riviera C - body four - threshold sedan chair boasting a 130.25 - in wheelbase . This year , all Roadmasters sported the sweepspear , but the Riviera saloon and Estate Wagon did n’t get it until midyear . Self - shift key Dynaflow , first introduce in 1948 , was standard on Roadmasters and optional elsewhere ; 85 per centum of all 1950 Buicks had it .
A second reason for Buick ’s sale winner in 1950 was the change of Riviera hardtops . Production of the pillarless coupe jumped from 4,314 Roadmasters in 1949 to 56,030 Super Rivieras , 2,300 Roadmasters , and 8,432 Roadmaster DeLuxes , for a totality of 66,762 hardtops for 1950 . This was second only to the newChevrolet Bel Air(by about 10,000 unit ) , and represent one - stern of the total hardtop securities industry that class . A few notes about the 1950 Buick are in order . Portholes , the VentiPorts , became flatten ellipse and moved from the front fenders onto sides of the strong-armer : four on each side for Roadmasters , three for superintendent and Specials . windscreen for the Super and Roadmaster were one - spell units , but back windows remained three - slice on all notchback simulation . Windshields for the Special continue with two - piece construction . Only Roadmasters deserve the sweepspears ; Special DeLuxes and Supers still sport the plainer unbent - line of products bodyside trim , while base Specials bust none at all . Among 1950 Buick improvements were ripe visibility , wider seats , and a considerably shorter turning r . Of finical interest to collectors should be the 1950 Super and Roadmaster Jetback coupe . With 10,697 and 2,968 built , severally , they ’re far rare than the Riviera hardtops today . While the 1950 Buick ’s styling curves were as modern as Jane Russell ’s former scrubs , the engineering was as tried - and - on-key as Clark Gable ’s smiling . Buick see no reason ( at this point ) to follow Oldsmobile and Cadillac into the short - separatrix V-8 epoch . Its long - stroke , valve - in - top dog " Fireball " straight - eighter still had plenty of entreaty to the Buick crowd . “Valve - in - head , in the lead in value , " was the advertising cry . The Roadmaster ’s 320.2 - cubic - inch eight could be traced back to 1936 , the Special ’s 248 - Criminal Investigation Command unit to 1937 . For 1950 , the Roadmaster got a two - horsepowerbump , to 152 . The Special developed 115/120 horse , up five withstick - shift , 10 with Dynaflow . The Super , which had formerly shared a slimly hotter Specialengine , receive a new variant , the F-263 ( in reality 263.3 cid ): a bored interpretation of the Special ’s straight - eight designed to operate on the new postwar high - octane fuels . It produced 124 horses with stickshift , 128 with Dynaflow . get down in 1951 , the 263 was divvy up with the Special ( 120/128 bhp ) , and was continue for the Special for 1953 – the year the Roadmaster and Super espouse an all - new 322 - Criminal Investigation Command ohv V-8.For more info on car , see :
1951 Buick
Fastbacks were dangle from the Special serial publication , but two notchback two - door sedan were sum : a $ 2,127 DeLuxe , and a sparsely trimmed $ 2,046 Sport Coupe . A $ 2,561convertiblewas added , too , but was outsold by both the Super and Roadmaster ragtops . special got a new and simple instrument panel with two heavy dials in front of the driver , and the fundament models were now the only Buicks with a two - man windscreen . On the sides , they bear bright unstained passementerie on the small rearward fenders , not the full sweepspear as on the DeLuxes . Horsepowerwas raised to 120 , or 128 with Dynaflow .
keep back the same lineup as in 1950 , the Super now stockpile the full sweepspear on all modelling . However , this was the last year for Buick Jetbacks ; only 1500 two - doors were develop , and only as a Super . Engineswere unaltered for both Super and Roadmaster . In the Roadmaster phone line , the Jetback coupe departed . The Riviera hardtop came in two models , with or without hydraulic window control condition , and there was now only one four - door sedan , the 72R recollective - wheelbase Riviera . Total Buick model - year production for 1951 tumbled to 404,657 unit , due in good part to Korean War cutbacks and a return to defending team production . Buick however retained its 4th - place position , chase after Plymouth in yield and sales . For more entropy on cars , see :
1952 Buick
Ads for the 1952 Buick extol that " … a million dollars ' worth of engine room , research and special components have gone into perfecting its … Million Dollar Ride , " while still providing " road - squeeze surety " in all condition . " There ’s a particular transverse r rod draw out from the frame on one side to the rearward axle on the other side – to control sidesway and ' side shift ' on curves . And Buick shock absorbers have two set of cylinders and pistons to control surge and down - poking . " Further , Buick made a dot that its " good heftiness " was countervail by the Roadmaster ’s increased horsepower and that the new " Airpower carburetor needs less fuel at 40 [ mph ] than was formerly used at 30.“Still , production faltered to 303,745 units for the modelling twelvemonth , again due primarily to Korean War production confinement mandate by the governance . But because other automakers were also forced to trim down back by about the same proportion , Buick hold a solid quaternary - place standing , a position it would keep for two more years , before lastly taking over third . Motor Trendevaluated a 1952 Buick Roadmaster saloon , now in its last year with the big 320.2 - Criminal Investigation Command straight - eight . Lavishing some enthusiastic praise for a elevator car fast go the elbow room of theWorld War IIArmytank , editor program Harry Cushing pushed the lumbering Buick all the elbow room from Flint , Michigan , to Ensenda , Baja , Mexico . His 0 - 60 time using Low and Drive came in at 17.1 seconds , top speed at 100 miles per hour , while fuel economic system at a unfluctuating 60 mph measured 12.6 mpg . He found the railway car so comfortable to repel at gamey speeds on mainly straight road that in one Clarence Shepard Day Jr. he drove the entire 756 miles between Eiko , Nevada , and Los Angeles . His only genuine complaint about the car were a leaning to heel and let on informal on curves when travel at 70 to 75 mph , and the slow , slow Dynaflow . He noted that the mediocre cornering was the result of the softly sprung four - coilsuspension . The Dynaflow , while quiet , take the use of both Drive and Low ranges in the mountains despite assurances from Buick functionary back in Flint that this would n’t be necessary . Even on straightaways , the editors were n’t impressed with quickening in Drive , specially when passing . And this was with the new four - barrel carburetor . Cushing asked , " Have you ever wonder why Buick is one of the most popular cars in America ? Take a cross - country trip in one . You will notice it almost incomparable for comfort and luxury to your destination . overzealous car partizan , lovers ofsports cars , and other self-propelling fans at first may find this statement difficult to live with ; but , to those who will take the metre to step into a 1952 Buick Roadmaster and embark upon a piece of serious , constructive drive , it is a fact which will arrive at them as a pleasant surprisal … Buick has a remarkable hold on the American and populace automobile market . Why ? Because Buick has incorporated many worthy features into an car package which the car buying public demands : a design that appeal to many , smooth acceleration … and a mattress type ride . “The reasonableness why Buick was such a strong fourth in the industriousness for many years was the outstanding management and sales agreement organization , which had the foresight to bestow Buicks within the financial reach of about every newfangled car buyer . In increase , Buick put almost as much emphasis on Robert William Service as sales , and never lose sight of the importance of its dealer electronic web . Another secret of Buick ’s success was the advertising : never ponderous , and sometimes as ignitor and lyric as the one-time Jordan Playboy advertising of the Twenties . It was created by the Kudner Advertising Agency , which had held the business relationship since Curtice had insert a new " brand " of Buick way back in 1936 .
1950-1952 Buick Models, Prices, and Production
