Legend of Buick - Part 2 (1998)

Here's a great video produced in 1998 by General Motors Communications Support Group for Buick Communications. Written and directed by author/biographer Lawrence R. Gustin (one of the very few writers active today who extensively interviewed people close to the founder of General Motors, William Durant, and who also has a very rich background in researching and presenting Buick history), this video presents a detailed walk through the history of Buick from its early roots with David Dunbar Buick, all the way through to the late 90s. Narrated by Bill Harris, you'll enjoy a wide collection of Buick memorabilia including photos, newspaper articles, and film clips. (Video is presented in two parts.)

[@kl0wnkiller912]

Great Grandpa was chief chassis engineer for Buick on 1903 and helped design the first Buick ("Flint Buick"). My grandfather also worked at Buick his entire life and I am told he was the one that came up with the idea for using dual headlights with a foot switch to change between them... the first "high beam" headlights. I have several pictures of them sitting in Buicks that were dated 1 and even 2 years before that model of car came out. My grandfather told me that his father was always bringing home some sort of prototype or another and they used to drive them all over Flint and the surrounding countryside. When my grandfather passed away in the late 70s I was given several manuals and books from the WW2 years from Buick for the Buick "Valve in head" cylinder heads that they built for the Liberator Bomber engines. I even have some pistons from the aircraft engines that my grandfather cut in half to make bookends out of.

[@oliverrojas7117]

Thanks for sharing your family heritage and adding to Buick's rich history by explaining the accomplishments of its engineers helping to design Buick vehicles.

[@raymondhaley6185]

Buick luxury has been a part of my life since I was 9 years old in 1969, today my favorite classic Buick is the V6 fuel injection V6 engine❤, they made history in 1984 with the first fuel injection200hp V6, 3800Buick engines, and they're V 6 racing engines, unfortunately GM didn't have the vision to see it through, but that's what history is all about remembering the past be it good or bad ideas.

[@Muttleytech]

I loved my Buick WILDCAT. What a car for a high school kid to learn to drive in! The torque curve that engine delivered was just jaw dropping.

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

The early to mid 50's Buick is a thing of beauty. I'm not sure how much stock I put in JD Powers rankings later.

[@traceydeanrainey]

I have a Buick and it’s awesome !

[@sheltonsingletary2488]

I wish I still had my 1966 Electra convertible. Awesome car and it held a lot of people

[@thegodhoward8037]

It also got a wopping WHOLE 6 MPG on average

[@MrCtsSteve]

Ha .. I knew I recognized that voice about halfway through it hit me . That's Bill Harris . WJRT TV channel 12 Flint .

[@hanschenk2708]

SUCH INTERESTING REALLY ENJOED THE VIDEO,ANY MORE VIDEOS FOR THE FUTURE LOOKING FORWARD

[@matthewronson5218]

It's nice to be able to see that at one time, Flint was certainly as nice as most any town or city, when it was still growing and prospering with the ingenuity of these men of industry, instead of the armpit it's been known as being for so many decades now.

[@bluesharp59]

Cool video and a Thumbs Up for you.

[@CarswithNash]

I really enjoyed this, thanks.

[@SirChad771]

I love my 88 Century. Straight tank. Nothing but good honest words in this GM vid!

[@soscar4880]

I like my 2005 Buick.

[@keithparker117]

I like the Buick Roadmaster a lot.

[@thegodhoward8037]

You just like the 5.7L LT corvette engine in it

[@DrewSohl]

The Regal, a large seller for Buick, was barely mentioned.

[@jimburig7064]

I love my Buick. She's a good old girl. They last.

[@vickiladu6755]

My first car was a Buick Skylark 1968...turquoise blue with white vinyl bucket seats!

[@nikolya6074]

Смотреть до самого конца!!!!

[@spicymike7696]

Buick did make some really nice cars in the 60’s and 70’s

[@maryrafuse2297]

Canadian Buick's were considered to be especially beautiful. Buick in Canada made some distinctive cars to the highest standards of design, luxury and reliability. No wonder they were used in the 1939 Royal tour of Canada.

[@blairwilliamson5554]

I'm a little disappointed that they skipped over the Buick Skylark Gran Sport of 1970 being the fastest production car of the muscle car era.

[@MrLuvOldies]

Chevy had an Overhead Valve V8 Engine in 1917.

[@darrellpozzi5081]

Wish I had my 1973 RIVIERA back! Triple Black GS With floor shift consol

[@bry4950]

Regrettably the true American automobile is gone today. I certainly liked the 1966 Wildcat and 1972 Centurion convertible as well as some other Buicks that I owned..

[@raymondhaley6185]

❤in the Grand tradition😅😊😂

[@jeffreypierce1440]

very few ordered the v-6 in the big cars designed for a v-8...thankfully.

[@oliverrojas7117]

Notable observation, I am shocked Buick sold its V-6 design to American Motors.

[@tedjohnson9329]

I bought a 978 Le Sabre. It was pure junk. The paint wore off in less that two years, the rear window and windshield leaked, the tail lights filled with water and I had to drill holes under the lights to drain water from them. The engine was shot after just 20,000 miles. Valves broke, it burned oil and wouldn't start at crucial times. However, the ride was Buick, quiet and comfortable. We also had a 1977 Regal, which was one of the best cars we ever had.

[@oliverrojas7117]

Sorry the 78' Le Sabre was such a bad experience. Obviously there were some quality control issues at hand plaguing your Buick and yet it was let out of the factory and parked in a lot for delivery to a dealer.

[@granskare]

We had a 1953 Chevrolet with Powerglide. JD Power would put in 1 $ and had a lot of questions.

[@ThomasDeLello]

Golf pro Tiger Woods had a lucrative contract with Buick advertising PR in the 1990's when he got into an ugly fight with his wife in a GM Cadillac that went all over the place in the media. That was the end of Tiger Woods' deal with Buick. It would have been ten times worse for him had the incident been in a Buick instead of the Cadillac, but that was bad enough for Tiger Woods.

[@juanasanelli6831]

Un gran auto con personalidad propia hasta los años 70 de ahi para aca se nota la influencia de Chevrolet

[@toddburgess6792]

I didn't realize they were pushing for driverless cars back in '97. As such an innovator, Buick let us all down by not developing the FLYING CAR!! We don't want to ride in a car as much as we'd like to drive the car, or better yet, fly the car. It is supposed to be an enjoyable experience, not one to be endured while you occupy yourself with other mundane tasks. No More Driverless Cars! I didn't ask for it, nobody I know of did either! It is not cool. "Wouldn't You Really Rather Drive A Buick?" ...than ride in one, like a b%$*h

[@spacetrucker2952]

I wish I still had my 79 lesabre.

[@ApartmentKing66]

In the late 70s, my sister and her husband had a '62 Buick LeSabre.

[@danielbennion80]

The '79 LeSabre was a very nice car. I remember them well.

[@oliverrojas7117]

@@danielbennion80 Among the best.

[@Quacks0]

22:33 He looks like Lee Iaccoca :)

[@Glendetta]

Wonderful video thanks!!!! Early Buick through 1948 was really a worthless high society socio-political public fancy fan club commercial trend sham baloney fraud of a fat clunky stagnant tanky "car make" with really no outstanding contributions to automotive evolution and development like the really outstanding Oldsmobile and Cadillac Hydra-Matics and Ford flathead V8. However 1949 Buick styling was one of the utmost gorgeous (video 14.44, 29.21) along with floating smooth Dynaflow on most of its gorgeous models. Putting my very handsome 2 tone 1955 Buick Special 4 door hardtop Dynaflow into reverse gear was like a horrible thunder hell crash slam banging nightmare hearing and feeling the horrible torque-tube-integrated rear end bang slam crash into reverse each time due to very poor excessive rear end axle gear play or back lash which Buick mechanics said was unadjustable without rebuilding it.

[@customkey]

Buick invented the overhead valve engine. I would rate that as an outstanding contribution. Unlike the hydra matic trans and the flathead engine, Buick's innovation is still in wide use today.

[@bobmarker6812]

11:17 - What's the name of that song?!!!

[@johannesvanhoek9080]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@user-yu2pi2se7c]

بشر صنعوا زمن جميل

[@ftjax]

Since 1998 Buick is gone

[@oliverrojas7117]

Agree, 1997 marks the last year of the newly designed Buick for the domestic market.

[@josephagnello9335]

1969 WILDCAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!$!!!!!!!!

[@zxtenn]

My Aunt had a mid 60's Wildcat then a late 60's Electra 225 4 door those V-6 engines were TRASH, i worked in a garage then and swapped out my share of them, i think they had oil problems, should have been recalled

[@basilsperow2265]

Buick 53 convertible Buick 52 yak 48 yeah it's a great car was a great car could be a great car I don't know love those 48 Buicks at 53 convertibles that's it well Cadillac Chevys Pontiac all in the fifties all great cars amen

[@hankrogers8431]

Of course the old secretary would praise Billy Durant. Duh.

[@michaelcuff5780]

What the hell do cars have to do with golf? I could never understand that!

[@MrCtsSteve]

Buick sponsored the Buick Open. In Grand Blanc . Buick was an upper class car for an upper class sort that enjoyed golf is my best guess .

[@hyzercreek]

you drive both

[@allencrider]

You drive your Buick to the golf course.

[@JamesVaughan]

@@MrCtsSteve Buick made many lower-priced models that could compete with Chevrolet, Ford or Plymouth, such as the Special and the LeSabre. The only Buicks for the upper classes were the Roadmaster, the Electra, the '53-54 Skylark, the Riviera, and the Park Avenue. Those models could compete with the top-of-the-line Oldsmobiles such as the Ninety-Eight and the Toronado. Most years Buick and Oldsmobile were practically the same car except for styling and were comparable model-for-model in price. Buick always did have a bit more prestige than Oldsmobile, however, even though it was priced about the same. Where Buick stood out most years, I believe, was with their styling, and I always did think that Buick, if compared to Oldsmobile, was usually the better-looking car.. Oldsmobile did produce some gorgeous cars, though, and was often more innovative than Buick. For example, Oldsmobile introduced automatic transmissions in their cars as far back as 1940, and brought out the Toronado in 1966 which not only had groundbreaking styling but also had front=wheel drive, long before Buick or the other GM divisions had it.

[@ApartmentKing66]

@@JamesVaughan Front-wheel drive before the Cadillac Fleetwood? That's what my dad didn't like about Fleetwoods. He believed that front-wheel drive led to premature tire wear because of engine weight. All my parents' Cadillacs (Coupe and Sedan deVille) were rear-wheel until front-wheel became standard.

[@davidtosh7200]

Buick did built horseless carriages in 1903.

[@peterhogan9537]

these day;s Buick is known as an old mans car.

[@OldsVistaCruiser]

Ever since Oldsmobile was murdered in 2004.

[@danielbennion80]

's okay. I've owned at least one Buick or another since I was 23. Now I'm almost 60. I've had my frustrations with a few, but overall I love the design and performance of them.

[@bertg74]

Take it you all got your educated ears on, don't want you thinking to much about the logistics behind the car industry not to mention the oil industry, and still today the internal combustion engine is 80 percent inefficient, they still educated the belief in fossil fuels not man made hydrocarbons, when do you think oil will run out should be soon

[@oliverrojas7117]

Agree, we need to stop manufacturing combustion engines and begin mandating electric only.

[@bertg74]

@@oliverrojas7117 that's not the way, making your own fuel to burn, helps free the people

[@minbannister3625]

I lost interest at front wheel drive. That one "feature" did more to damage the American motor industry than any government.

[@oliverrojas7117]

Agree, no one mentions the image damage GM sustained by what at that time appeared to be disproportionately sized full size 86' GM vehicles heavily reliant on subtle styling distinctions rather than sheet metal designs unique to each of its brands.

[@orange70383]

I drive a Buick, decent car but they like most cars have their weak spots, their cheap way out manufacturing flaws.

[@russellkitchner4908]

Lose the stupid Nickelodeon background music! It is very distracting and adds nothing.

[@tonylang7526]

1940's ended the great cars; then, they became garish pigs!,

[@6h471]

I agree. Any US built car that could be considered a classic was built before WW2.

[@jamesd.lethgo6988]

HEY BUICK WAS A GOOD CAR UNTIL 1964 OLDSMOBILE AN PONTIAC WERE MUCH BETTER CARS

[@allencrider]

Boring cookie-cutter GM sedans.

[@sd31263]

Boring cookie-cutter Mopar sedans. Boring cookie-cutter Ford-Mercury sedans.

[@oliverrojas7117]

Yes, the 1986 full size bodies became cookie cutter cars due in part to design limitations in the robotics to make sheet metal look distinctive among each GM brand while still ensuring manufacturing the cars was cost effective.