During World War II most American car companies stopped releasing new models. The basic raw materials were scarce and much of the country’s manufacturing resources were being used toward the war effort. But at Buick, they decided to release a full size, long wheelbase model called the Super. The experiment lasted from only 1940 through 1942 but was revived after the war with new models being turned out from 1946 until 1958.
The car on display at the museum is the 1950 Buick Super which, in many ways, could be seen as a forerunner of the American muscle movement. The big, bulky car had a power plant of a 263 cubic inch inline eight that pushed all of that metal up to 90 miles per hour using 112 horse power. It featured the innovative Dynaflow automatic transmission which coupled the torque converter to the motor with a single gear ratio.
This combination of power and luxury seemed to enchant the nation and by 1954 Buick was one of the top three selling automobile manufacturers in the country.
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ReplyDeleteDurant was a natural promoter, and Buick soon became the largest car maker in America. Using the profits from this, Durant embarked on a series of corporate acquisitions, calling the new megacorporation General Motors. At first, the manufacturers comprising General Motors competed against each other, but Durant ended that. He wanted each General Motors division to target one class of buyer, and in his new scheme, Buick was near the top — only the Cadillac brand had more prestige. Buick occupies this position to this day in the General Motors lineup. The ideal Buick customer is comfortably well off, possibly not quite rich enough to afford a Cadillac, nor desiring the ostentation of one, but definitely in the market for a car above the norm.
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Jackie, thanks for the compliment and for the fine follow up about Durant and Buick. It's always great to have input from knowledgeable car fans.
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