From the 1904 Model B to the 2009 Enclave
April 30, 2009(Thursday)
The previous two blogs mentioned the B.O.P. Arlington Automobile Assembly plant, where I worked in the mid-fifties, during my seminary days. BOP = Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac. I wrote about Pontiac and Oldsmobile, so today I need to round out the B.O.P by mentioning Buick.
Wanda and I bought a brand new Buick in 1990, and we really enjoyed that car. In 1994, while parked in the driveway of our daughter and son-in-law (Debbie and Rick) in Houston, the car was stolen. When found, it had been wrecked and was a total loss. We replaced it with the Mercury Grand Marquis that I still drive, as of today.
One of my friends at the automobile plant, a young man named Charlie, who was also a seminary student, bought a new Buick in 1956. It was stolen from the front curb at his house, and used in a robbery. The police awakened him at 3:00 a.m. and took him to jail. I never saw his car after that without thinking of his unfortunate experience. The 1956 Buick looked like a Buck Rogers rocket ship. It was sleek.
Buick has always made a fine car. One of its traditional marks was the teardrop. A line of the chromium tears adorned the hoods of Buicks for many years. The massive grill was another feature, always with glistening vertical lines. The Buick has always given a dependable, comfortable ride.
A man named Buick began development of the car in Detroit in 1899, but sold out in 1904 to a fellow by the name of Whiting, who moved the operation to Flint. The first model offered for sale was the Model B, and 37 of them were sold in 1904. In that year, Whiting brought in William C Durant as manager, and under his direction, Buick became the largest automobile manufacturer in the country. Durant’s acquisitions created General Motors. Buick has always been a significant leader among General Motors cars. GM is struggling these days; let us hope it regains its footing and keeps on giving us those beautiful Buicks.
Buick has had a number of slogans during its long history. One of my favorites: “Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?”