A few surprising facts about one of my all-time favorite car brands.
Today, few people know much about Buick — yet there was a time when it was America’s most innovative automaker. Buick was the first manufacturer to produce cars with fully enclosed bodies. It was also Buick’s engineering team that pioneered an ultra-fast body-painting process, cutting production time from four weeks to just six hours.
Buick revolutionized its engines, introducing a straight-eight to replace the outdated six-cylinder, added brakes on all four wheels, and equipped its transmissions with synchronizers — a true leap forward in drivability and safety.
After the Great Depression, Buick amazed the automotive world again with automatic ignition systems, and later became the first to feature turn signals — something most other brands wouldn’t offer for years, even decades.
In the 1950s, Buick boldly redesigned its rear lighting, replacing small bulbs with full-size taillamps — a move that soon became an industry standard.
Company founder William C. Durant used Buick’s success as the foundation for his greater vision: to build a global automotive empire. He went on to acquire Cadillac, Oakland, a parts supplier, a paint manufacturer, and a wheel factory — laying the groundwork for what would become General Motors.
Durant’s idea was to create a range of vehicles to satisfy every kind of customer. But throughout GM’s history, Buick remained its flagship brand — a best-seller for years and a true cultural landmark in America’s automotive story.