Buick Century is the model name that was used by Buick for a line of upscale full-size cars from 1936 to 1942 and 1954 to 1958, as well as from 1973 to 2005 for mid-size cars.
The first Buick Century debuted in 1936 as a shorter and lighter model featuring the same engine as the bigger Roadmaster and Limited series giving it more performance. The Century name was then used on six generations of cars of varying sizes as well as performance and trim levels.
In 1969, Buick developed a concept car known as the Century Cruiser.
Second generation (1954-1958)
In 1954, Buick reintroduced the Century using the same formula of mating the smaller, lighter Buick Special body to its largest and most powerful 322 cubic inch "Nailhead" V8 engine, with the intent of giving Buick a performance vehicle. Included in the model lineup during this period was a station wagon model, a body style that had been unavailable during the Century's first production period of 1936 to 1942.
Introduced in the middle of the 1955 model year, the four-door Buick Century Riviera along with the four-door Special Riviera, the four-door Oldsmobile 98 Holiday, and four-door 88 Holiday, were the first four-door hardtops ever produced. For the first time the Century wore four "VentiPorts" on the front fenders, just like the larger Buick Roadmaster and Super; making more apparent its status above that of the Special.
In 1955, the California Highway Patrol placed a large fleet order for Century two-door sedans, a body style unavailable to the general public. It combined the Special two-door sedan body shell with Century powertrain and trim. Broderick Crawford was shown driving a two-door Century sedan during the first season of his popular syndicated TV series Highway Patrol. (In later seasons, he drove a four-door Century, like his real-life counterparts in the California Highway Patrol.) Power brakes were optional. Tubeless tires were new.
The Century remained Buick's performance line, with engine power rising from 200 (SAE gross) in 1954, to 236 in 1955, to 255 in 1956, and topping out at 300 from a bored-out 364 cu in (6.0 L) engine in 1957–58, the last model years for the full-sized Century line.
In 1956, the Century's base price was $2,963. Power windows were standard in the convertible. A padded safety dash became optional.
Because the Century was considered the senior "small Buick", the model received GM's only hardtop station wagon, the Century Caballero, from 1957 through 1958. The Caballero proved expensive to manufacture and unpopular with customers (only 14,642 produced for both model years), so GM did not bring it back for 1959.
For 1959, Buick renamed the Century the Invicta.
Source: Wikipedia
Last edited by Man of Steel; 03-01-2020 at 11:35 PM.
Reply With Quote
