1.02 1953 Through 1958

General Information on Makes & Models 1.02 1953 Through 1958 The "Nailhead" V8 is Introduced In 1953, Buick joined the V8 army with the introduction of their new V8. The engine was rather unique in that it used a radical combustion chamber borrowed from four-valve overhead cam (OHC) racing engines, but with only one side of the pent roof chamber containing valves – and those were activated by pushrods rather than overhead cams. (See discussion in the Engine Section) The chamber did allow higher combustion ratios than were feasible with other engines, and as a result the Buick mill made good horsepower when introduced, with the 322 cubic inch motor making 180 HP in the 1953 Roadmaster. With the new V8, whatever excitement had been missing was back in 1953. For the first time ever, all Buicks shared a common 1953 Buick Nailhead intro brochure wheelbase. Also to celebrate Buick's 50th anniversary, the Division released an "Anniversary Convertible", known as the "Skylark", available for a cool $5,000, which would be about $150,000 in today's money. As such, only 1,690 were sold. But because of their cost and cache, today many still survive and are in great demand by collectors. Refinement and Power Drive Huge Sales Increases Buick chassis engineering, which could have only been described as "ponderous", began to catch up with the new V-8 in 1954. The new cars were lower and wider, with greatly improved handling. And for the first time, even the Special had V-8 power. The Anniversary Convertible returned as just the Skylark, though it sold in even lesser numbers Regardless, '54 was a smashing sales success. In 1955, sales were even better, to almost double what were sold in 1952 and over 250 thousand units over 1953! In mid-year 1955, a new four-door Riviera pillarless hardtop coupe debuted. The 1955 The 1955 Buick was and still is a handsome car. Buick was considered one of the best-looking American cars. During the period, Buick's V8 kept pace with the horsepower race, becoming one of the most powerful offered by the manufacturers. In just two short years, the 322 had climbed in power from 180 to 236 – a 30% increase. In 1956, the horsepower jumped again to 255. The Bottom Drops Out Buick ran strong in 1956, but though the 1957 model was one of the most refined and good looking for Buick, a recession began and sales slipped. In 1957, sales returned to the 400 thousand range – good, but not great. The 57 did introduce a new engine, however, the 364 Nailhead. The engine reached these new specs via both increased bore and stroke. Horsepower again jumped – this time by 45. But perhaps the biggest change for '57 was in styling where the very clean '56 was modified to an even slicker look. Included in that new styling was a hardtop station wagon called the "Caballero". Even so, sales dropped over 160 thousand from 1956. An over-chromed, over-weight 1958 edition arrived at the worst time, and with tastes in styling changing and with money tight, Buick sales plummeted. GM and Buick realized it was a time for a drastic change. They had new body styles in the pipeline – but what they really needed was a lower priced car. 1958 convinced them to go forward with a new "small" car. They needed something, because sales dropped to below 1952 levels at just under 242 thousand units. The 1958 Buick looked a lot more lithe in this artist's conception. In real life, it was over- chromed and oversized. -4- General Information on Makes & Models 1.03 1959 Through 1966 Winged Wonders of 1959 – 1960 In 1959 new Buicks arrived. More significant was the new series designations replacing those used since 1936. The Special was gone (in anticipation of the new "small car" coming in 1961). The LeSabre replaced the Super, the Invicta replaced the Century, and the Electra replaced the Roadmaster. Also new was a new Nailhead with its size increased to 401 cubic inches and horsepower to 325. The new cars were wildly finned, and lacked no recognition or styling continuity with Buicks of the past. And Buick was not alone, with all GM cars using similar themes. All of GM's '59s received a cool reception in the showrooms – with Ford outselling Chevrolet for the first time since 1949. Sales did rise by about 23 thousand, but not enough - and way less than half of 1955 sales. The 1959 Buick "Winged Wonder" from the Buick was committed to the same basic body for 1960, but brochure. It was a radical styling change and not designers completely changed the look by blunting the winged much appreciated by the buying public. edges everywhere. But people were thinking "small" and the smallest winged wonder sat on a 123 inch wheelbase and weighed over two tons. Something needed to be done, and radical styling was not the answer. A New "Small Car" and Clean Lines Help Sales For 1961, Buick styling made them look lighter, cleaner, and even smaller. But the big news was GM's new "small cars, which became the new mid-sized "A" body. Buick's offering named the "Special", was introduced. In mid-year the Special was joined by an up market Skylark Sport Coupe. Powering the new car was an all new aluminum V8. The block was shared with Oldsmobile, but Buick used heads of its own design. The valve covers were upright, like the Nailheads (perhaps a styling twist) but the heads were an all new design. At a paltry 215 cubic inches, the engine made good power at 185 HP in 4-barrel configuration. The new A Body added almost 90 thousand to Buick's sales. In 1962, there was little big news, but the cars were attractive and well-executed. A mid year offering in the sport luxury class was the "Wildcat", a sports sedan on the Invicta chassis. All 2000 offered were quickly sold, telling Buick they were on to something. Sales rebounded to 1957 levels. 1962 also was the debut of the Buick V-6 engine. Essentially a 215 V-8 with two cylinders chopped off, the engine was a wonder when introduced. Cast in iron, using the new "thin-wall" casting process, 1962 Buick LeSabre Ad. Starting in 1961, the engine weighed less than conventional small V-8s and produced Buick's big cars received styling that made them good power. Since it used a larger bore and longer stroke than the look smaller and cleaner. The public liked them. Aluminum V-8, it produced only 15 less HP and ft. lbs of torque than the 2-barrel V-8, making that engine redundant (but still offered for those wanting V-8 bragging rights). Steadily Rising Sales Fueled by Solid Designs and Good Looks During 1963 and 1964, Buick sales rose steadily, recapturing the volume of the hey day years of the mid-50s. The new Special and Skylark sales helped by adding over 100 thousand units, but even so the big cars were selling well. In 1963 Buick's new Wildcat was now an accepted series, replacing the Invicta, and which then Buick's new "small" car was a medium sized unit added a convertible and 4-door version. In it's mid-line performance on a 112" wheelbase. Compared to the big cars though, it was small - over 2 feet shorter! guise, it sold over 80 thousand units. In the same year, 1963, the -5- General Information on Makes & Models lower-priced LeSabre sales were going great guns, with over 170 thousand units sold. However, the most significant car of the early sixties came with the introduction of the 1963 Riviera. It was a four-passenger sport luxury car that immediately was - and still is - considered a classic. An even 40 thousand Rivieras were sold in '63, a total that was not equaled until 1966. While Buick did not invent this segment, the prize for that goes to Thunderbird in 1958, but by the time Rivera entered the scene, Thunderbird had become somewhat stale. The time was right for a new car in this segment. Also, the Ford brand was considered low- price and Buick was considered a luxury car, so the Riviera moved the segment "upstream". Surprisingly, this helped Ford do the same with the Thunderbird, and its 1964 version was a more able competitor to the Riviera. In 1963, the Nailhead had received a further displacement increase, this time to 425 cubic inches, and a two four-barrel carb version was released that made 360 HP, effectively doubling the horsepower of the original 322 introduced in 1953. Meanwhile, the little aluminum V8 had matured into a cast iron 300 cubic inch engine (sporting aluminum heads in 1964, and finally filling out to 340 cubic inches in 1966. Its horsepower grew from 188 to 260, making it a great smaller powerplant for not only the A Body but the LeSabre as well. 1963 Buick Riviera intro Ad. The car was The V-6 also grew in 1964 from 198 cubic inches to 225. considered a styling breakthrough and is still a Horsepower and torque followed suite, with a rise to 155 and 225 handsome car. With 340 HP, it could also scoot. respectively. This growth in size was deemed necessary to tote around the new "A" body cars that weighed about 300 lbs more than the previous small car. For 1964, '65 and '66 Buick refined and enhanced its line, moving the car upstream as well when a larger A Body car debuted in 1964.

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