Text by Patrick Bell.
Today we have another gallery featuring Buicks, GM’s medium priced nameplate that has a long history and is still with us. There is a wide variety of cars and locations for you to peruse.
Our first image was at the Desert Inn, which is all I can read on the sign. It had an arch that makes me think of McDonald’s Golden Arches, only this was a single one and it wasn’t gold. There were three cars parked out front and all of them were ’56 models. Two of them were Buicks, the one in the center a Special 4 door Riviera, and on the left edge, the left front corner of a red one. In the lower left corner was the left headlight area of a Pontiac.
It was a spring day when this ’50 Roadmaster 130 4 door Tourback Sedan took a pose in the driveway of a good sized home. This was the most popular by far of the seven Roadmaster body styles offered, comprising nearly 70% of production. Standard equipment was a 320 cubic inch straight eight and the Dynaflow Drive automatic transmission.
Here is the most popular Buick of ’53, a Special 4 door Tourback Sedan, with just over 100,000 units produced. The senior series had the new V8 engine this year, but the Special soldiered on another year with a 263 cubic inch version of the old straight eight. The scene is a small waterfall with institutional looking buildings in the background, and behind the Special was a ’57 Plymouth.
And another ’53 model, a Super 2 door Riviera. This one had the new 322 cubic inch V8, and carried a base list price of $2139. The snow was melting but the skis are mounted in the rack, so they may have been on the way to the mountain for a day of skiing.
A clean ’54 Century 4 door sedan parked along the road on a warm day. The Century had the most powerful version of the 322 V8 with the shorter wheelbase Special body, so it was the hot one of the bunch. It had a base list of $2520 and also came as a 2 door hardtop, convertible, and wagon body styles. In front of it may be the bumper guard and partial tail lamp of a ’54 Plymouth.
This looks like a park in a big city where another ’53 Special 4 door Tourback Sedan was parked. The sun is low, so it was either early morning or late evening.
We are now at the end of the road in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where you boarded the ferry to take a trip across Lake Michigan to Muskegon, Michigan. The photo was dated 1956. There were two ’55 Buicks showing; the white over light green Roadmaster 4 door sedan from Wisconsin, and a red over white Special or Century 2 door Riviera with possibly a Michigan license plate in the background. The four door was the most popular Roadmaster of the year with over 31,000 units out the door and a base list of $3349. Also appearing was a white over black ’55 Ford Fairlane Victoria also from Michigan, and a maroon or black over ivory ’54 Lincoln Capri Special Custom Coupe.
Another ’55 model, this one a Super 2 door Riviera in a shot taken in Los Angeles, California. This was the most popular body style in the Super line by nearly a two to one margin over the second place 4 door sedan. On the street were two black Fords; a ’50 model facing away, and a ’47 or ’48 model facing this way.
Continuing with the ’55 from California theme, we have a Century 2 door Riviera with a San Jose license frame. Beginning in ’55 Buick cut their engine choices down to two with a smaller one for the Special and the three senior series shared the larger motor. The Century shared the shorter wheelbase with the Special, so this model weighed 270 pounds less than the Super, giving the Century the best power to weight ratio. Behind it was a ’50 Hudson Pacemaker or Super 4 door sedan.
It was a busy day at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, California, where one more ’55 model was visiting all the way from Virginia. The black over white Special 2 door Riviera was the most popular single body style of the year, with over 155,000 units produced. Number two Super 2 door Riviera numbers came to just 55% of the Special. Other ’55s present were two Chevrolets; an ivory over red Bel Air Sport Coupe on the left, and an ivory over gold Two-Ten 4 door sedan on the right. Plus a gold Studebaker President Speedster in the lower right.
Now we are in Provincetown, Massachusetts on a nice sunny day, with a ’58 Special or Century 2 door Riviera parked in front of Wong’s Restaurant. The V8 had grown to 364 cubic inches by then, with a 250 horsepower version for the Special, and a 300 horses for the senior series. In the background was a ’60 Rambler.
Model year 1959 introduced a restyle, a larger 401 cubic inch engine, as well as new trim level names. The short wheelbase (123 inch) Special and Century were replaced by the LeSabre and Invicta, and the long wheelbase (126.3 inch) Super and Roadmaster by Electra and Electra 225. There was a mild style refresh the next year which is represented by this ’60 Invicta 4 door hardtop from Illinois. It came standard with the 401 engine and Turbine Drive automatic transmission, and was advertised as the high performance Buick. The location appears to be a motel parking lot, and a ’60 Dodge Dart Phoenix 4 door hardtop was to the left.
Buick’s entry into the crowded compact field came in ’61 and this Special Deluxe 4 door sedan was the most popular model of the series. The only engine available was a new 215 cubic inch aluminum V8. The well known V6 came out the next year. It was parked in a well established neighborhood with mature trees and shrubs.
It was restyle time again for the ’61 full size line and a bit of downsizing as well. This Electra 225 Riviera Sedan no longer had its 225 inch overall length as it shrank 6 inches, was 2 inches narrower, and was 236 pounds lighter than the ’60 model. It was the most expensive Buick that year with a base list of $4350. To the left was a ’62 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe. Both were California cars and likely were at a California beach.
There may have been a party going on in the neighborhood where this ’65 Wildcat convertible was parked. Full size trim offerings were pared down to three in model year ’62, and in ’63 the Wildcat replaced the Invicta as the mid level series (except for the wagon which went away after ’63). It shared the Electra 225’s wheelbase from ’65-’68, after which it went back to the LeSabre size again. It had a standard 401 engine, and the new 425 that was introduced in the ’63 Riviera was optional. Ahead of it was a ’64 Chevrolet Impala, and behind a ’58-’63 Volkswagen Type 1 Sunroof model. Across the street from the left a Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge.
Perhaps a party going on in this older neighborhood as well. The trees and shrubbery are well seasoned and the houses were close together. There are two Buicks in this image; the brown ’68 LeSabre in the right foreground, and the lady looks like she was about to enter a ’69 Skylark Sport Coupe with a vinyl roof. The LeSabre line was the least expensive full size and the most popular, while this Skylark model was the most popular mid size and had a base list of $2736. In the lower left corner was a ’69 Chevrolet Caprice with heavy duty bumper guards and possibly an Illinois license plate, and the upper left was a ’66 Pontiac Catalina or Ventura.
Thanks for joining us, and wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?
Oh! Like that “Wildcat”!
My father owned several Buicks in the late 60s and early 70s. His first Buick was a 1968 four door Wildcat that was light green (I think the official was Tarpon Green Mist but I am guessing) with a black vinyl top. He then brought a four door 1972 225 in a similar color combination. The last car he purchased before his death was a 1981 LeSabre that I inherited.
Fisherman’s Wharf at Jefferson and Taylor.
I think I found the house in the last photo – 9934 S. Union Ave. in Chicago.
Looks like the house has added a driveway since the 1970s (the other houses have garage access from the rear alley), but the houses next to it look like the same places, so it appears to me this is the place.
Google StreetView link:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/NrcDDzCHo94suZ8Y6