CC Facebook-master StromBlogger has informed me that CC now has topped the century mark in those expressing their unabashed “like” for CC. To mark the occasion, we need a Century CC. Well, it may not be the exact Century a certain someone had in mind, but this one is somehow more fitting. Plus I just haven’t shot the other one yet.
Four door hardtops make no sense, but what’s that ever had to do with cars? They were a status symbol: “No, I don’t drive no stinking sedan, even if I do have a family to schlepp around”. And in an era when air conditioning was as common as color tvs, and computers were the size of a barn, riding around in one of these with all the windows down on a hot summer evening was the mobile equivalent of sitting on the front porch of the nicest house on the block. It was done to see and be seen; the Facebook of its time. And this Buick would would certainly up your friend count better than most.
One of the pillars of American automotive design is the pillarless hardtop. The two door version first arrived on the 1949 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (the origin of that storied name), Buick Roadmaster and Olds 98. But GM was not content to rest on its retracted windows. In 1955 Buick and Old unveiled the first four-door pillarless hardtops, a very radical concept indeed, that is, until the pillarless hardtop wagons came along the next year.
What’s next? Wagons without even a C-pillar? I’m truly disappointed GM never took that obvious next step.
The four-door hardtops foreshadowed a trend that has recently engulfed the market since Mercedes unleashed its CLS: four door coupes. Well, here’s the granddaddy of them all. Crossing the prestige and flair of the two door hardtop with a utilitarian sedan was quite the stroke. And just like everyone else in the industry had to scramble after the ’49 two door hardtops, so this latest salvo from GM once again brought out the cutting torches.
Not that anyone who was smitten by the charms of hardtops cared, but they never were quite as quiet, dry and draft free as the dumb old sedans. And don’t ever be caught closing the door by pushing on the glass, although Stephanie has been doing that on her frameless Subaru without harm (so far) for eleven years. Why didn’t Subaru ever make a hardtop Forester? I need to get out my SawzAll and start a new trend.
By 1956, the four door hardtop was even available on lowly Chevys. Ford and Chrysler quickly joined the party, not wanting to be un-friended. Their popularity probably peaked in the mid sixties. By the mid seventies, they were mostly gone, the result of the arrival of the first personal computers. The last four door hardtop was the 1978 Chrysler New Yorker. That was the same year the Apple II appeared and Al Gore invented the internet. No mere coincidence.
The mid fifties were a great time to be a Buick dealer; no shortage of friends there. It was the number three seller in the land, behind Chevy and Ford, thanks in part to its very reasonably priced Special. The inter-divisional wars at GM were just heating up, and the Special was a major weapon. Buick prestige and style for a just a few bucks a month more than a dumb old Ford. Now that was a brilliant way to win new friends, even if it was at the expense of your premium brand reputation. Who cares; we all know that the race is to have the most friends, not necessarily the highest quality friends.
Buicks came in two sizes back then: big and bigger. The Special and Century were the former, and rode on a 122″ wheelbase. The “senior” Buicks had 127″ between the wheels. The Century was where it was at: the best of both. The big Buick’s 255 hp 322 cubic inch “nailhead” V8 in the lighter body, but with the upscale trimmings. It was the formula that made the original 1936 Century a winner and gave it its name: one hundred miles per hour; not one hundred friends. But that was the the thirties; by the gregarious fifties, the focus was on social amenities, not raw speed.
The V8′s ample output always sounded like it was pushing a Chris Craft motorboat, thanks to Buick’s Dynaflow automatic, the true source of the name “slushbox”. Essentially a one-speed, its torque converter had a wide enough range to convert enough torque into very seamless forward thrust, gear reduction be damned. Perfect for absolutely smooth take-offs with a carload of friends spilling out the opened windows on the way to the Dairy Queen.
Didn’t do much for fuel efficiency either. If you really had to have one, a three-speed column-shifted manual was still available. But not cool, on a Buick. Unless you your circle of friends was very one-pointed. Although by 1956, there were cheaper ways to go really fast, like a 225 hp small-block Chevy.
Buick style in 1956 meant plenty of ornamentation, including a badge on the trunk that spelled out its model year to all prospective friends. Only works well for one year, though. Nevertheless, that’s an idea that needs to come back. It would sure make my life a lot easier, instead of having to perpetually rely on the help of my friends.
All the chrome and detailing still do their designated jobs, although within a couple of years that would blow up in outrageous excess. The portholes were of course the Buick trademark, and this Century sports four per side, unlike the three of the lowly Special. Less portholes = fewer friends.
I would love to see someone add another one, or two. And these are as close to the real thing as possible, not a piece of plastic slapped on the assembly line or the Pep Boys parking lot.
And that steering wheel! Old wheels like that alone slay me, with their little slogans and crests: POWER STEERING. Believe me, you didn’t need to be reminded one way or the other as to whether this big boat had power steering or not. Perhaps it was there to warn off the week-chested before they even tried to drive a non-PS ’56 Buick.
Not true; when a prospective friend leaned in your open driver’s window, that wheel nub was about the first thing their eyes would fall on. Well, maybe the second thing; possibly the third. Regardless of the order, it was instant status. More Friends. Preferably the kind that would sidle up real close, and you so now you didn’t have to worry about needing two hands to turn the wheel. Power steering was the friendliest of all of Detroit’s great inventions of the times; bucket seats and floor shifters the least so.
Ultimately, faces are what cars and facebook is all about. Who doesn’t put their best face forward in the quest for more friends? The Buick certainly put its big smile out there for all to see; three blocks away even. Plenty of time time for prospective friends to sashay innocently down to the curb before it arrived, all four of its windows down, ready to make more friends.
That automobile is immaculate, but the uncovered red wheels kind of detract and cheapen the look. Does it have the bouncing shocks to go with those wheels?
Congrats on the 100 “likes”. I may be one of the last people on Earth not on Facebook…I’ve steadfastly refused, but may succumb as I seem to be asked daily.
I think that Buick had the best style of all GM cars in the fin era, in general. This 56 appears to be in very nice condition. I agree completely with caljin that it needs some hubcaps. The red steelies don’t look right on this car.
Old wheels like that alone slay me, with their little slogans and crests: POWER STEERING. Believe me, you didn’t need to be reminded one way or the other as to whether this big boat had power steering or not.
The manufacturers used to be big on labelling those kind of creature-comfort features. I remember seeing some brake pedals with “POWER BRAKES” stamped into chrome trim on the pedal. If you ordered the disc brakes on a mid-60′s Mopar, you got special hubcaps that advertised “DISC BRAKES” on them. More recently, Ford pickups used to have “EFI” badges on them. That also seems quaint today, since every new car has fuel injection. Maybe in the future, my kids will think the same thing when they see a car that has “Hybrid” badges on it.
BTW Paul, it’s nice to see your CC articles getting wordy again. The last few I’ve checked out were mostly pics without much of of your trivia, humor and anecdotes included. (I had no idea that the original Buick Century was named because it could hit 100MPH.)
If it’s labeled “Curbside Classic”, it’s going to be wordy, 800 or so at a minimum. The CC Outtakes and CC Capsules are a different ball game, as well as the other “blog” posts. We have a whole range on the menu here at Cafe CC. Look for the high-cal selections.
There will be one full CC daily; sometimes two. That’s about the limits of my pathetic fingers trying to keep up with my head. Time for speech recognition software!
I’m glad for your comment, though, because sometimes I wonder if folks really read them, or just skim the pictures. That’s ok too, but it’s nice to know some don’t
The reading and inherent nostalgia and history are the best part…of course you’re read!
One full CC per day sounds like a good deal of work, but I am more than happy to partake.
Btw, is it possible your posting clock is off by an hour?
I think the site clock didn’t get the memo on daylight savings time.
I’m still trying to find the right work load balance; it’s a work in progress.
I read everything, including the comments. Since I didn’t grow up in the US, I’m learning about cars I’ve never seen, or in some cases , heard of. Reading CC is like going to school every day where every lesson is enjoyable.
I’ve always loved the ’56 Century – I think my Revel one is still in the attic somewhere.
The 4-door hardtop was impossibly glamourous – the perfect embodiment of what American cars were all about.
I have long thought that the 1956 models of the Buick, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac represented high points in terms of elegance, class, and good taste, at least until the early 1960s. The next few model years brought too much chrome, excessive length, and huge fins, but I have to admit a fondness for the wraparound windshields of the ’59 and ’60 GM cars!
That 2 tone wagon has to be one of the best car profiles ever.
Anyone remember P.J. O’Rourke’s story for Car and Driver, “Sgt. Dynaflo”? That was a ’56, if I remember – in 1977, someone hired him to drive one from Florida to California. His tales of ignition failure, chronic overheating, dead dashboard lamps and blowing reverse gear, were the dark side of travel in an aging American dreamboat.
And that car was a lot younger when P.J. did it.
Nice capture. American cars of that era just couldn’t hold up for the long haul, but they sure did have the look.
I read every word you write and every comment. I just can’t get enough. Thank you so much. I love your writing style. I was thinking today as I drove on route 5 how much I savor each word, and pondered on why I found these comments and our reminiscing about our memories of each car so fascinating. I sure as hell do. It’s always so rewarding when I open CC up and see a fresh one.
I remember seeing a 57 I think it was in my neighborhood around 1967 and would linger looking at it fascinated by how old it looked, the rust was eating away at it’s blue grey painted metal. I loved the Taillights, and can clearly remember the wart-like turn signals in the front as if it was yesterday. Funny how outdated a 10 year old car looked back then. I wish today’s cars would get annual updates or at least modifications to the Taillights. I miss being able to identify each individual model year. Was The fact that it was a “Hardtop” what made or Designated it a “Riviera” ?
Paul and I exchange notes on the “back channel” Admin for the FB page (yes, pay no mind to the man behind the curtain, but there is one)
I suggested the idea of a CC full article on a Buick Century for the FB page to celebrate 100 “Likes” about a week or so back when the FB “Like” count was at 90 – 92. Paul asked me what model year Century should be profiled… my response was, any one would be fine… even one from the badge-engineered Y2K era whan a Century was a de-contented Regal.
Needless to say, I was quite impressed with Paul’s pick and the accompanying article.
What a great example of Buick in its prime as a cultural icon. The social comparison of the ’56 Buick back then to Facebook today is valid.
Reading LAx’s comments about regular model changes in the 60′s and 70′s and how cars looked distinctive struck a chord with me. I recall most of the cars owned by neighbours around my block growing up in my hometown in SW Ontario. It was an industrial town with lots of supply contracts to Detroit, so other than the odd VW product, the tally was skewed in the “Big 3″ column. Looking back, I find it interesting that most of my neighbours never drove new cars — I would guess the average age of vehicles in the neighbourhood was 6 – 10 years old. A plethora of mid-60′s Buicks, Chevys, Galaxies… and of course, that big New Yorker just around the corner with the distinctive start-up heard most days at the crack of dawn…
Link: Highland Park Hummingbird
Slaves to fashion – we were then and we still are. In 1956 we accepted extra weight, lots of wind noise, squeaks arising from more flexible body, rattles, leaks, poor side impact protection (not that it was anything great on the sedans either), and mechanical troubles from the window regulators all to look good. And we sure did look good! Style sells.
Black bodypaint + red wheels = developing trend here in CC.
When I was a kid in St. Louis, maybe 5-6 years old, the neighbors across the street had a Buick of this vintage, only was a two-tone, green and white, convertible. I loved watching them raise and lower the top on it. I’ve been in love with convertibles ever since.
I came home from the hospital in one of these. My dad traded his year old 57 Chevy wagon for a 56 Century 4 door hardtop – two tone green. To this day he still talks about that Buick – he had to pony up $1000 plus the new Chevy for the used Buick! It had a Wonderbar radio that would search out the strongest signal. I don’t remember it all that well, other than my mother slamming the door on my hand when I was about 2 years old, not long after my dad got a 60 Valiant as a company car and the Buick was gone – traded for a Riley 1.5 saloon. I found a photo that looks exactly the same.
CAme home from the hospital in one of these? I can one-up you, maybe…I was BORN in a ’56 Buick on the way to the hospital. As it was a company car, it probably was a mundane sedan though, not a glamorous hardtop.
Paul, kudos to you for your site, and great writing and photos. As one might expect, I’ve always been a car guy, and your encyclopedic knowledge of the vast array of classsics you come across amazes me.
I think the car looks great with no hubcaps and red wheels. My dad drag raced a ’55 Century in the late fifties and early sixties, and it always looked the coolest on race day, with the hubcaps off.
I like the red wheels too. Gives it a Sunday racer look to it. But it needs wide white walls not the thin ones.
They don’t make Cars LIke