Buick Century

The Buick Century is the model name used by Buick division of General Motors for a line of luxury performance cars 1936-1942 and 1954-1958, and from 1973 to 2005 for a mid-size car.  The model name Century came about when Buick was designing its first production automobile capable of reaching speeds of 100 mph. The division necessary to reach a name. One of the Buick executives had returned from a recent trip to the British isles and told the other executives that the British referred to going 100 mph as “doing the century”. The executives liked the Century name and it stuck.  The Buick Century was sold as the Buick Regal in Japan as Toyota has the right to name Century.

Buick Century (1936-1942)

Buick renamed its entire model range for the 1936 model year to celebrate the engineering improvements and design advancements over their 1935 models the Series 40 model range became the Buick Special, Series 80 became the Roadmaster and larger and more luxurious series 90-Buick vehicles became the Limited. The Century took the place of the Series 60.

The basic formula for the 1936 to 1942 century greatest straight eight-cylinder engine from Buick Roadmaster (engine compartment and therefore longer) was established by mating shorter behind the engine cover special bodies. (In contrast, the 1940 Series 50 Super would combine the largest with the special engine small body Buick Roadmaster.) While the Special was powered by 233 cubic feet of Buick online-8 was rated 93 hp (69 kW) at 3200 rpm, centuries produced between 1936-1942 were powered by the 320 in ³ produce 165 horsepower, which the fastest of the era and capable of sustained speeds of 95 mph plus, earning the century the nickname “hot Buicks rod of banking. ” The Century was discontinued at the end of the abbreviated 1942 model year, during which total model production only accounted for about ten percent of the total production of Buick.

Buick Century (1954-1958)

In 1954, Buick Century reintroduced the Century using the same formula of mating the lighter Buick Special body low to the great and powerful 322 cubic inch V8 engine with the intent of giving Buick vehicle performance. Included in the model lineup during this period was a station wagon model, body style that had been available during the first production period Century 1936-1942.  Introduced in middle of the 1955 model year, the 4-door Buick Riviera century along with the Special Riviera 4-door and 4-door Oldsmobile 98 4 door 88 holiday and vacation were the first 4-door hardtops ever produced.

In 1955, the California Highway Patrol made ​​a large fleet order for Century 2-door sedans, a body style available to the general public. It combined Special 2-door sedan body shell with Century powertrain and trim. Broderick Crawford driving a 2-door Century sedan was shown during the first season of his popular syndicated television series “Highway Patrol”. (In later seasons he’d drive a four-door Century, like their counterparts in real life, the California Highway Patrol.) Power brakes were optional. Tubeless tires were new.  The Buick Century line performance Buick remained with engine power from 200 (SAE gross) in 1954 to 236 in 1955 to 255 in 1956, topping out at 300 from a bored-out 364 cubic inches (6.0 L) engine in 1957 -58, the last model year of full-sized Century line.

Buick Century (1973-1977)

The Buick Century nameplate returned to the intermediate A-body platform RWD, shared with siblings like the Pontiac Grand Prix, Pontiac LeMans, Pontiac GTO, Pontiac Can Am, Pontiac Grand Am and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. When all GM intermediate models were redesigned in 1973, the Century name replaced Skylark on sedans and vans midsize Buick and some coupes. From this point, Century was a pillar of the smallest line of Buick, along with the new Regal luxury coupe. It was available in both two and four barrels of the Buick 350, drawing 150 and 175 horsepower (130 kW), respectively. The 250 hp 455 was also an option.

With the demise of the Buick Skylark Coupe after 1972, the Buick Century inherited the potent Gran performance option Sport. While Phase I 455 in ³ (7.5 L) V8 was somewhat diminished from its peak of performance due to emission controls, coupes century GS from 1973 to 1975 remained strong performers by the standards of the time. At the other end of the power spectrum, to meet fuel economy regulations, some later models of this generation were equipped with 231 in ³ (3.8 L) V6 engine.

In 1973 and 1974, the level of high-end equipment offered for Luxus century, but by 1975 this line was renamed the Century Custom. Also beginning in 1975, the new 110 hp (82 kW) 231 V6 was installed as standard equipment, and optional large block 455 was now exclusive to the truck. After the demise of the 455, the Oldsmobile 403 was available on 1977 Century wagons. Interim GM got a facelift for 1976, giving the quad rectangular headlights and a flatter century higher grill.

Buick Century (1978-1981)

In 1978, a Buick  Century reduced, redesigned it appeared in the form of a fastback coupe (“Aeroback”) and sedan (body was shared with the Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon), as well as a more traditional style truck. The car was a foot shorter, several inches narrower, and several hundred pounds lighter than its predecessor. V6 engines were still standard due to the regulations of fuel economy. The base engine was Buick’s new 196, introduced specifically for the Buick Century and Buick Regal. The 231 and Chevrolet 305 were options. The Pontiac 265 and 301 replaced the Chevrolet engine for 1979.  One of the rarest models of this era was the 1979-1980 Century Turbo Coupe, powered by a turbocharged 3.8 L V6 version, which offers V8-like performance with more reasonable fuel consumption. The Turbo Coupe was not as popular as the similar Regal Turbo Sport Coupe of the time, and total production is estimated at fewer than 2,500.

The fastback sedan also sold well (in common with the similar Cutlass Salon sedan) and was renowned as a more conventional sedan coupe in 1980 The “Limited” was also released this year. For 1981, the fastback coupe was dropped. With the introduction of the new century front wheel drive in 1982 (see below), the notchback sedan and wagon models were transferred existing line to Buick Regal.

Buick Century (1982-1996)

In 1981 Buick Century came another cut, this time in the front-wheel drive A platform, in coupe and sedan form. In 1984, the station wagon was added to the lineup to replace the departed Regal wagon. 1984 also saw an Olympic version of the Buick Century, commemorating 1984 games in Los Angeles, California. In 1986, all versions were “refreshed” with a new, more angular front fascia. Wheelbase was 104.9 in (2664 mm), with 189 in (4800 mm) in total length. Both gasoline four-cylinder and V6 diesel engines are offered in this generation, but none became popular. Performance versions of several Buick models, including Buick Century coupe, were offered in the mid-1980s under the name of T-Type. With 181 cubic feet of Buick in (3.0 L) V6 that produces 110 horsepower (82 kW), the performance of the Century T-Type was modest, but the 3.8 SFI engine, producing 140-150 hp (105-112 kW ), offered spirited performance in this relatively lightweight vehicle.

In 1985 and 1986 Buick, Hess and Eisenhardt / Car Craft in Lima, Ohio turns 124 Buick Century Coupes finished in coachbuilt convertibles. Although these convertibles were sold as new cars through Buick dealers, these convertible conversions were not factory authorized. In the Japanese market Buick could not use the name “Century” as it was already in use in the Toyota Century, which was marketed as the “Buick Luxus” instead. It was later sold in Japan as the Buick Regal in Yanase Co., Ltd. auto for a short time.

Buick Century (1997-2005)

Buick In 1997, the Buick Century was redesigned for the last time. The four-door sedan was the only body style offered (the truck was abandoned due to declining sales), and was still a V6 engine configuration FWD. Lighter and Smarter levels “Limited” “Custom” finish over from the previous generation took. The 1997 redesign centuries moved to the W-body platform, together with his former brother Regal. In this generation, the Century and Regal were almost the same car, distinguished only by differences seating configurations, trim, and engine. From the century had a lower price than the Regal, which was also the lowest rated and clearer of the two, offering only a V6 3.1 L.

In line with its traditional image, the 6th Buick  Century came equipped with a passenger seat and front derailleur column, while the more performance-oriented 5-passenger Regal came standard with front bucket seats and console shifter. After discontinuation of the Skylark 1998, for the first time century became the order of entry-level Buick. Buick tried to position the Century as a lower-priced alternative to Japanese family sedans like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. For 2003, the trim levels were eliminated, leaving a standard model. In addition, the nameplate “Century” in the front doors has been dropped, and only seen in the bright lights of the vehicle.

Buick Century 2005

The changes were relatively few over nine years of the century career. The new Buick LaCrosse replaced both the Century and Regal in 2005 A limited edition of centuries with special trim were produced for the year 2005 to commemorate the end of the name. GM last Buick Century rolled off the assembly line in Oshawa on October 25, 2004.