Editing Buick (section)

===Early years===
[[File:David_Dunbar_Buick.jpg|thumb|left|150px|David Buick, founder of the Buick Motor Company]]
Buick is one of the oldest automobile brands in the world and is currently the oldest in the United States still active today. [[Autocar Company|Autocar]], founded in 1897, is the oldest motor vehicle manufacturer in the [[western hemisphere]]; while originally an automobile maker, Autocar now builds heavy trucks. [[Oldsmobile]], also an early automaker founded in 1897, is now defunct; [[Studebaker]] was founded in 1852, but did not begin producing automobiles until 1902; [[Henry Ford]] produced his first car in 1896 but did not start the [[Ford Motor Company]] until 1903, and during the period in between was involved with other automobile manufacturers such as [[Cadillac]], founded in 1902.

The first two Buick automobiles were made in 1899 and 1900 at the "Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company" by chief engineer [[Walter Lorenzo Marr|Walter Marr]],<ref name="The Buick 1987"/> but company owner [[David Dunbar Buick]] was reluctant to begin making automobiles, being satisfied with stationary and marine engine production, so Marr left Buick in 1901 to found [[Marr (automobile)|his own automobile company]] under his own name. His replacement was Eugene Richard, who applied for a patent in 1902 for Marr's valve-in-head ([[Overhead valve engine|overhead valve]]) engine, which patent, number 771,095, was awarded to Richard in the name of Buick in 1904.<ref name="The Buick 1987"/> In 1903, the third Buick automobile was made, this time by Richard, but in 1904 Buick, whose company was now called "Buick Motor Company", moved from Detroit to Flint, Michigan, and Richard stayed behind. Marr was rehired in Flint as chief engineer, to begin making automobiles in production. That year, 37 Buick automobiles were made, production increasing to 750 in 1905, 1,400 in 1906, 4,641 in 1907, and 8,820 in 1908, taking the number one spot away from close competitors [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]], [[Maxwell automobile|Maxwell]] and [[Oldsmobile|Olds Motor Works]].<ref name="The Buick 1987"/> Buick proclaimed themselves the largest car manufacturer in the world this year.<ref>{{cite magazine | ref = GJ91 | title = Buick - mannen och bilen | trans-title = Buick - the man and the car | language = sv | magazine = [[Teknikens Värld]] | publisher = Specialtidningsförlaget AB | location = Stockholm, Sweden | page = 40 | date = 1991-07-18 | issue = 14 | volume = 43 | first = George | last = Johansson }}</ref>

David Buick incorporated his company as the Buick Motor Company on May 19, 1903, in [[Detroit]], Michigan. Buick had been financed by a friend and fellow automobile enthusiast, [[Benjamin Briscoe]], who in September 1903 sold control of the business to [[James H. Whiting]], of [[Flint Wagon Works]], in [[Flint, Michigan]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.flint.lib.mi.us/timeline/autohistory_0798/whitingJ.html |title=James H. Whiting 1842-1919 |work=Flint Timeline Project |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090707034109/http://www.flint.lib.mi.us/timeline/autohistory_0798/whitingJ.html |archive-date=July 7, 2009 |access-date=April 18, 2022}}</ref> Whiting moved Buick to Flint, to a location across the street from his factory, with the idea of adding Buick's engines to his wagons.<ref name="The Buick 1987"/> David Buick stayed on as a manager and re-hired Walter Marr as chief engineer. The engine Buick and Marr developed for this automobile was a two-cylinder valve-in-head engine of 159 cubic inches, with each cylinder [[boxer engine|horizontal and opposed to the other by 180 degrees]].

Whiting built only a few automobiles in 1904, the [[Buick Model B|Model B]], before running out of operating capital, causing him to bring in [[William C. Durant]] that year as a controlling investor. Durant built a few more model B's in 1904, stepped up production for the model C in 1905, and spent the next four years turning Buick into the biggest-selling automobile brand in the US.

During the 19th century, Durant had made his fortune as co-owner, also in Flint, with [[Josiah Dallas Dort]], of the [[Durant-Dort Carriage Company]], which by 1904 was the largest carriage-making company in the country and one of the largest in the world.<ref name="The Buick 1987"/> Durant moved most Buick production to the former Durant-Dort Imperial Wheel plant in [[Jackson, Michigan]] in 1905. Buick continued car production in Jackson through 1907, when Factory #1 was completed in Flint. The Jackson plant continued production with Buick trucks through 1912.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://buickcity.blogspot.com |title=All Things Buick |website=buickcity.blogspot.com |access-date=2018-07-09}}</ref> David Buick sold his stock upon departure in 1906, making him a wealthy man, but he died in modest circumstances 25 years later. In 1907, Durant agreed to supply motors to [[Samuel McLaughlin|R. S. McLaughlin]] in Canada, an automaker, and in 1908 he founded [[General Motors]].

Between 1899 and 1902, two prototype vehicles were built<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.welovebuicks.com/history.html |title=Buick History |website=welovebuicks.com |access-date=2010-10-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090307002136/http://www.welovebuicks.com/history.html |archive-date=2009-03-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref> in Detroit, Michigan by [[Walter Lorenzo Marr]]. Some documentation exists of the 1901 or 1902 prototype with [[tiller]] steering<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prewarbuick.com/cars/19/1901-Buick-perhaps-1902 |title=1901 Buick perhaps 1902 |website=prewarbuick.com |date=2002-01-01 |access-date=2010-10-16 |archive-date=2020-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811002904/http://www.prewarbuick.com/cars/19/1901-Buick-perhaps-1902 |url-status=dead }}</ref> similar to the [[Oldsmobile Curved Dash]].

{{multiple image
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|image1 = Buick motor company logo 1904.png 
|image2 = Valve-In-Head 1904 patent.jpg
|footer = '''(Left)'''; the first logo of Buick (1904), with an image of the [[Uncle Sam]] and the legend "known all over the world"; '''(right)''': Valve-In-Head ([[Overhead valve engine|OHV]]) engine, illustration from 1904 patent, Buick Manufacturing Company
}}
In mid-1904, another prototype was constructed for an endurance run, which convinced Whiting to authorize the production of the first models offered to the public.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://thewhiting.com/aboutus/history.html |title=James H. Whiting |website=thewhiting.com |access-date=2010-10-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100522235557/http://thewhiting.com/aboutus/history.html |archive-date=2010-05-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The architecture of this prototype was the basis for the Model B.

The first Buick made for sale, the 1904 horizontally opposed 2-cylinder engine [[Buick Model B|Model B]], was built in Flint, Michigan at a re-purposed factory that was known as the [[Flint Wagon Works]]. There were 37 Buicks made that year, none of which survive. There are, however, two replicas in existence: the 1904 endurance car, at the Buick Gallery & Research Center in Flint, and a Model B assembled by an enthusiast in California for the division's 100th anniversary.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://1929buick.com/gallery/sloan |title=1904 Buick Prototype - Sloan Museum |website=1929buick.com |access-date=2010-10-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110707060319/http://1929buick.com/gallery/sloan |archive-date=2011-07-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://1929buick.com/gallery/1904buick |title=1904 Buick Model B - Restoration Project |website=1929buick.com |access-date=2010-10-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110707060327/http://1929buick.com/gallery/1904buick |archive-date=2011-07-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Both of these vehicles use various parts from Buicks of that early era, as well as fabricated parts. These vehicles were each constructed with the two known surviving 1904 engines.

[[File:Buick Automobile Company Building.jpg|thumb|The [[Buick Automobile Company Building]] (here pictured in 2015), built in 1907]]
The early success of Buick is attributed mainly to what it called the valve-in-head engine, now known as the [[Overhead valve engine|overhead valve]] (OHV), engine<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.buick.com/heritage/index.jsp |title=A Heritage of Precision |publisher=Buick |access-date=2010-10-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080923214212/http://www.buick.com/heritage/index.jsp |archive-date=2008-09-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref> patented by Eugene Richard and developed by Richard, Buick, and Marr. The Model F had a two-cylinder engine, an 87-inch wheelbase, and weighed 1,800&nbsp;lbs.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1906_Buick/1906_Buick_Brochure/1906%20Buick%20Automobiles-14.html |title=1906 Buick Brochure |website=oldcarbrochures.com |access-date=2011-11-20}}</ref> The creation of [[General Motors]] is attributed mainly to the success of Buick,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://info.detnews.com/redesign/history/story/historytemplate.cfm?id=100&CFID=11771161&CFTOKEN=80488863 |title=The free-wheeling gambler who created conservative General Motors |website=info.detnews.com |date=1996-07-30 |access-date=2010-10-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://archive.today/20120710003921/http://info.detnews.com/redesign/history/story/historytemplate.cfm?id=100&CFID=11771161&CFTOKEN=80488863 |archive-date=2012-07-10 }}</ref> so it can be said [[Walter Lorenzo Marr|Marr]] and Richard's designs directly led to GM.<ref>{{cite news|last=Stoll |first=John D. |url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121539865693931653?mod=hpp_us_whats_news |title=GM Weighs More Layoffs, Sale of Brands |website=online.wsj.com |date=2008-07-07 |access-date=2010-10-16}}</ref> The power train and chassis architecture introduced on the Model B was continued through the 1909 Model F.<ref>{{cite web |last=Katz |first=John F. |url= http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060703/FREE/60623009/1027/FREE |title=1909 Buick Model F |website=autoweek.com |date=1998-03-02 |access-date=2010-10-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110628183832/http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20060703%2FFREE%2F60623009%2F1027%2FFREE |archive-date=2011-06-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Model F was similar to the Model G, a lower-priced two-seat roadster, produced from 1906 until 1909. Both the F and G were powered by a {{convert|159|CID|L|1|abbr=on}} two-cylinder 159 engine producing {{convert|22|hp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}} along with a 2-speed transmission as well as mechanical brakes on the rear wheels.

The [[flat-twin]] engine is inherently balanced, with [[torque]] presented to the chassis in a longitudinal manner. The engine was mounted [[Mid-engine design|amidships]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://1929buick.com/gallery/history/aag |title=Buick History (1904-1929) |website=1929buick.com |access-date=2010-10-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110707060331/http://1929buick.com/gallery/history/aag |archive-date=2011-07-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[William C. Durant|Billy Durant]] was a promoter, and Buick soon became the largest carmaker in America. Durant embarked on a series of corporate acquisitions, calling the new firm [[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 buyers. Buick was positioned below the [[Cadillac (automobile)|Cadillac]] brand. To save on resources, Buick vehicles shared a common platform, called the [[GM A platform]], that was shared with [[Chevrolet]], [[Oakland Motor Car Company|Oakland]], [[Oldsmobile]], and Cadillac.

At first, Buick followed the likes of [[D. Napier & Son|Napier]] in [[automobile racing]], winning the first-ever race held at [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]].<ref>Wells, Dick. "SRMA Update" in ''Street Rodder'', 12/98, p.298. The accuracy of this source is in question, however.</ref>

The first full-size Buick to join the smaller Model B was in 1907, when the [[Buick Four|Buick Model D]] was introduced with a four-cylinder {{convert|4178|cc|cid|1|abbr=on|order=flip}} T-head engine, installed in the front with rear-wheel drive. This was one of the only cars with side valves that Buick ever made.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.carnut.com/specs/gen/buick20.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190226060957/http://www.carnut.com/specs/gen/buick20.html |url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-02-26|title=Buick Pre 1930 General Specs |website=carnut.com}}</ref>

====1910s–1920s====
[[File:Louis Chevrolet in Buick Bug 1910.jpg|thumb|[[Louis Chevrolet]] in his [[Buick 60 Special]] (aka "Buick Bug") in 1910]]

In 1910, Buick introduced the [[Buick Four|Model 10]] with an OHV four-cylinder engine<ref>{{cite web |title=1910 Buick Model 10 |url= https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20994/lot/129/?category=list |work=Bonhams |access-date=19 December 2020}}</ref> followed in 1911, with their first closed-body car, the [[Buick Six]],<ref>Clymer, Floyd. ''Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925'' (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950)</ref> that followed the same bodystyle that first appeared at Cadillac, and four years ahead of [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]. The car was built at the all-new factory in Flint which later became known as [[Buick City]].<ref>Clymer, p.120.</ref> Buick during the 1920s made various sized vehicles, with series designations for different years, sometimes using numbers, while later years using lettered designations. One of the larger vehicles, with a straight-six, was the [[Buick Master Six]]. The Model 10 was phased out during a restructuring initiated by GM's new leadership that assumed position on November 15, 1910.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gustin |first=Lawrence R. |title=Billy Durant: Creator of General Motors |publisher=University of Michigan Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-472-03302-7 |location=Ann Arbor, Michigan |pages=142 |language=en}}</ref>

In the 1910s and 1920s, Buick was a prestige brand in the Republic of China with the brand driven by or for high-level politicians and the [[Emperor of China|Emperor]]. The latter imported two Buick cars in 1924, making it the first automobile to enter China.<ref name=":0" /> By 1930, Buick claimed one-sixth of the total number of cars in the country.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Nordhielm |first1=Christie L. |title=Marketing Management: The Big Picture |last2=Baron |first2=Marta Dapena |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-118-01455-4 |location=Hoboken, NJ |pages=199 |language=en}}</ref> Buick now sells 80% of its production in the People's Republic of China and is a minor player in Taiwan.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://money.cnn.com/2017/02/22/news/companies/buick-china-history-brand/index.html |title=Buick is a lot more than a dad wagon in China |website=money.cnn.com |date=22 February 2017}}</ref>

In 1929, as part of [[General Motors Companion Make Program|General Motors' companion make program]], Buick Motor Division launched the [[Marquette automobile|Marquette]] sister brand, designed to bridge the price gap between Buick and [[Oldsmobile]]. Its styling featured a high peaked hood and radiator shell while its suspension used four, parallel, semi-elliptical springs with [[Remy International|Delco-Lovejoy]] shock absorbers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kollins |first=Michael J. |title=The Big Three |publisher=SAE International |year=2002 |isbn=0-7680-0900-6 |pages=136 |language=en}}</ref> Marquette was discontinued in 1930. All Buick, Marquette, [[Viking (automobile)|Viking]], and Oldsmobile products shared the newly introduced [[GM B platform]] starting in 1926.

====1930s====
Buick debuted two major achievements for the 1931 model year, the [[Overhead valve|OHV]] [[Buick Straight-8 engine]] and a [[synchromesh transmission]] in all models but the Series 50. The Eight was offered in three displacements, the 220 cubic inch (bore 2 7/8 in. stroke 4.25 in.), was available in the Series 50 with 77 brake HP. The Series 60 engine was a 272 cu. in. unit (bore 3 1/16 in., stroke 5 in.) giving 90 brake HP. Cadillac had previously introduced the [[Cadillac Type 51]] with a flathead V8 engine in 1915 which made usage of an eight-cylinder engine a luxury feature.

The Series 80 and Series 90 used a 344 cu. in. version (bore 3 5/16 in., stroke 5 in.) for 104 brake HP. Automatic vacuum-operated spark advance was another feature replacing the steering column-mounted spark lever although an emergency lever was now dash mounted. Buick scored another first in 1939 when it became the first company to introduce [[turn signal]]s, which did not appear on other car brands until almost a decade later.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/14/magazine/who-made-that-turn-signal.html?_r=0 |title=Who Made That Turn Signal? |date=July 12, 2013 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> All 1939 models also had a steering column-mounted shift lever.

In the mid-1930s McLaughlin-Buicks were purchased by British monarch [[Edward VIII]].<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1338217/Car-that-took-King-into-exile-goes-on-sale.html |location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |first=Caroline |last=Davies |title=Car that took King into exile goes on sale |date=2001-08-23}}</ref> He had a preference for the Canadian built McLaughlin-Buick.<ref name="vancetimescolonist">{{cite news |last1=Vance |first1=Bill |title=Ontario car company became GM Canada |url= https://www.timescolonist.com/driving/bill-vance-ontario-car-company-became-gm-canada-4672987 |newspaper=Victoria Times Colonist |date=May 24, 2019 |access-date=April 28, 2022}}</ref> Buicks were used for royal transport within Canada, including for King [[George VI]] and Queen [[Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon|Elizabeth]] during the [[1939 royal tour of Canada]].<ref name="vancetimescolonist"/>

In the 1920s and 1930s Cadillac and Buick vehicles were popular with long-distance passenger service operators e.g. the [[Nairn Transport Company#Vehicles|Nairn Transport Company]] in the Middle East (Baghdad-Damascus).

<gallery caption="Buick in the early years">
File:1904Buick.jpg|1904 [[Buick Model B]]
File:1905 Buick Model C.jpg|alt=Buick Model C, Jackson, Michigan|1905 [[Buick Model B|Buick Model C]]
File:Woman on Buick.jpg|1910 [[Buick Model 10]] Runabout
File:1914 BUICK B-35 PHAETEN, AM-91-91 pic1.JPG|1914 [[Buick Six|Buick Six Model B-35 phaeton]]
File:Buick Roadster 1917.jpg|1917 [[Buick Four|Buick D-35]] roadster
File:Buick E-Six 45 (1918) 1Y7A6067.jpg|1918 [[Buick Six|Buick E-45]]
File:Buick Roadster 1922.jpg|1922 [[Buick Six|Buick Model 22-54]] Sport roadster
File:Buick Standard Model 25 Touring 1925 2.jpg|1925 [[Buick Master Six|Buick Master Six Series 25]] touring
File:16 21 2362 museum.jpg|1925 [[Buick Master Six]]
File:SLNSW 22578 192930 Buick coupe.jpg|1929 [[Buick Series 40|Buick Series 46]] Business Coupe
File:Buick Coupe Series 26 (1930) (20634081715).jpg|1930 [[Buick Series 40|Buick Series 46]] Business Coupe
File:Buick 4-Dorrars Sedan 1932.jpg|1932 [[Buick Series 60|Buick Series 60 Model 67]] sedan
File:Buick 46C Convertible Coupe 1935.jpg|1935 [[Buick Special#Series 40 (1930–1935)|Buick Series 40]] Model 46C convertible coupe
File:1938 Buick Roadmaster 4d sdn - fvr.jpg|1938 [[Buick Series 80]] touring sedan
File:1939 Buick 4d sdn - brown - 13.jpg|1939 [[Buick Special#Series 40 (1930–1935)|Buick Series 40 Model 41]] touring sedan
File:1941 Buick Limited (34646246692).jpg|1941 [[Buick Limited|Buick Series 90 Touring Sedan Model 90]]
</gallery>