1954 was the penultimate year for the waterfall grille (1957 was last after skipping 55-56) until it made its return in the 80’s.Īs mentioned above, 1954 was the sophomore year for Buick’s V8. The 1954 also sprouted raised tail fins that emphasized its rocket ship status.Ī happier Fifties face it would be hard to find, even if it is slightly pouty. In proper Fifties fashion, the new models were longer, lower and wider and sported wraparound windshields. These years look very “heavy” to me, which has its charm, but I much prefer the rocket ship styling soon to come.ġ954 brought all-new B and C bodies for Buick, Olds and Cadillac. 1953 was Buick’s V8 year, when they finally jettisoned their old straight 8 in the Super and Roadmaster.
The brand-new 1949 model had body side styling similar to other GM divisions, while the 50-53 gained both distinctive fenders and sweapspears on all models. It was slated below the Limited, which rode on a longer wheelbase and was available in limousine configuration. The king could have had a Rolls-Royce, Bentley or any other car, but chose a Buick! I guess he had a thing for Americans…įrom 1936-42, the Roadmaster was not actually the most senior Buick. The Roadmaster reportedly went with them to France to be driven in their exile. The 1936 Buick Limited has some minor fame as the car bought by King Edward VIII of Great Britain, who at the same time also imported from Canada a 1936 Roadmaster for his paramour, American divorcee Wallis Simpson, shortly before abdicating the English throne in order to marry her. straight eight would be used in all Roadmasters through 1952. The cars were all-new that year, featuring many improvements including hydraulic brakes for the first time, revised suspensions, all-steel roofs, and most significantly, brand new engines.
The Roadmaster began as 1936 models, the first year Buick utilized model names in addition to series numbers. There is probably no model name more associated with traditional Buicks than Roadmaster, which also has to be one of the all-time coolest names given to any car. Well, this Roadmaster introduced in late ’53 is certainly of the rocket ship variety, but a distinguished and dignified one. The author makes a distinction between the “humpback” cars of the 30’s and 40’s which still dominated the roads and “rocket ships” which were just starting to come out.
Though not about cars, plenty are seen in the photos. It’s a film-noirish non-fiction look at the period by way of police crime scene photos. I’ve recently been reading a book called LAPD ’53 by James Ellroy. A hardtop sedan wouldn’t be a Roadmaster option for two more years.
The car is a Roadmaster sedan, the flagship sedan in the lineup, though not quite the absolute flagship, as it was slightly outpriced by the Roadmaster hardtop coupe and convertible and seriously outpriced by the flashy Skylark convertible then in its second and final year. It would be hard to imagine a better exemplar of the brand and its traditional qualities than this blue beauty I found resting curbside recently. One could argue that having a strong image (or maybe stereotype) has sustained the brand to this day, even as all the other middle rungs of the GM ladder have been removed. A Buick communicates that they have carefully thought through their choice of conveyance just like they have every other choice in their lives.Īt least that’s the traditional image. Mature, accomplished professionals want a mature, accomplished car that will propel them expeditiously and comfortably to their important destinations. The kind of car a doctor or a judge or the pastor of a large church might drive.
What should a Buick be? It should be serious but not severe, sober but not dour, undeniably upscale without drawing too much attention to itself.