NEWSLETTER OF THE BUICK CLUB OF SOUTH AFRICA & ITS CADILLAC, OLDSMOBILE AND PONTIAC CHAPTERS APRIL - JUNE 2019 1 2 Official Newsletter of the Buick Club of South Africa VOL. 15 No. 2 APRIL - JUNE 2019 Chairperson Donald Bennett Voorsitter 011 5732504/ 084 800 2510 [email protected] Vice-Chair Rudolph Nicholson Ondervoorsitter Cadillac co-ordinator 083 3070035 Cadillac Koordineerder [email protected] Secretary Donald Bennett Sekretaris 011-5732504/ 084 800 2510 [email protected] Treasurer Chris Palk Tesourier 082 808 3360 [email protected] Dating Jan Burger Datering 012-9961018 [email protected] Oldsmobile co-ordinator Vacant Oldsmobile Koördineerder Pontiac co-ordinator Tyrone Tozer Pontiac Koördineerder 083 279 6253 [email protected] Newsletter Alex Duffey Nuusbrief 012-3337891/076 183 01207 [email protected] Opinies in hierdie NUUSBRIEF is nienoodwendig die siening van die komitee of die redakteurnie. Opinions in this NEWSLETTER are not necessarily those of the committee or the editor. 3 EDITORIAL/REDAKSIONEEL We have reached mid-year and produced by and for the different can look back on a very successful divisions of General Motors, starting Annual Buick Club of South Africa with with Buick. I am sure that many of our its Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Pontiac members own some of these Chapters Concours at the porcelain signs and will enjoy this Johannesburg Country Club. The article. It could also inspire other beauty, quality and number of exhibits members to start such a collection. on 5 May this year will be hard to Elsewhere in this Newsletter beat. Sixty-five superb vehicles of there is a special request by Chris Palk great variety were exhibited and to Oldsmobile owners to submit flabbergasted the visitors and special articles on their cars and to inform us guests. Chris Palk and his team must of Oldsmobile owners we are not be heartily congratulated on their aware of. Please do respond! wonderful achievement and our most In conclusion I want to ask all sincere appreciation must be our members kindly to diarize Sunday expressed to the generosity of our 4 August for the annual “Cars in the anonymous donor for covering the Park” at the well-known Swartkops cost of the event. This spectacular Racetrack. Please tell all owners of event is fully covered in this Buicks, Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles and Newsletter including a collection of Pontiacs to bring their cars for the beautiful photographs of all the cars event. As usual the Buick Club of present, which Chris kindly supplied to South Africa with its Cadillac, me before he left for the Cape Oldsmobile and Pontiac Chapters will recently. There were so many have a stand at the show. Contact photographs of the people and their Donald Bennett, our Chairman and cars that it was very difficult to select Secretary if you intend to bring a car. the appropriate ones for the limited space we have available in our Newsletter. Since many of our members are not only collectors of the cars of General Motors and specifically the Buick division, but also the vast Best overall on show at the Concours: Mike amount of memorabilia produced by Stephanou 1959 Cadillac Series 62 convertible and for the different makes, I have thought it necessary to do a number HAPPY BUICK, CADILLAC, OLDSMOBILE & of articles on the vast amount of very PONTIAC MOTORING, ALEX interesting porcelain advertising signs 4 BUICK PORCELAIN SIGNS From the 1880s until the 1950s, one of the most the iron. The first Buick porcelain signs arrived in dominant forms of outdoor advertising signage South Africa soon after General Motors had was durable, weather-resistant porcelain. opened its factory in Port Elizabeth in 1926, Originating in Germany and imported to South where Buick cars were assembled. The ubiquity of Africa in the 1890s, porcelain signs, also known as porcelain signs did not last long — for collectors, enamel signs or porcelain enamel signs, featured that scarcity is part of the appeal. Porcelain signs layers of powdered glass that were painstakingly eventually became targets for trigger-happy fused, colour by colour, onto a base of heavy marksmen, which depleted some of the inventory. rolled iron, which itself would be die cut into any Other signs had to be discarded due to crazing number of shapes. Some signs were affixed to and or acid etching caused by a variety of walls and other vertical surfaces, others were environment factors. Untold numbers of porcelain two-sided so they could be hung from a bracket signs were recycled for their base metal during or “flanged” to be read by passers-by. Either way, the Second World War—after the war, porcelain- porcelain signs usually featured bold colours and sign production seriously declined. For our Buick graphics, producing eye-catching and attention- members I have included here some of the most getting advertisements. Before television, car common and iconic Buick porcelain signs that companies relied on signs to do their promotional were seen in the cities and towns in South Africa work. The earliest Buick automobile signs date to where there were dealerships and garages. Enjoy! the 1920s, with bold slogans like “Buick – Valve- in-Head Motor Cars”. Buick signs came in many shapes. Some were rectangular while others were round; some had graphics on only one side, while others had graphics on both. In the 1930s, neon signs became fashionable, so many porcelain signs were adorned with the bright lights to make them stand out at night. In the following decade, with the coming of the war, many sign manufacturing companies switched from 1920 -1930 porcelain to painted metal and tin. These signs were cheaper to manufacture and ship. Buick utilized signs in a variety of places where they would be seen by customers, but the prime locations were repair shops and dealerships. In the early part of the 20th century, the technique was so new to South Africa and signs were either imported or firms had to import craftsmen from Europe. But it wasn’t long before porcelain signs developed their own unique characteristics. 1925- 1930 Silkscreens replaced the stencils, steel replaced 5 1920 – 1930 1930-40 1930-1940 1920-1930 1930s Post World War 2 1920-1930 1930-1940 1930-1940 Post World War 2 Post World War 2 Post World War 2 6 NEON SIGNS 1950s Post World War 2 1960s Post World War 2 Post Word War 2 1960s Post World war 2 1950s 1960s Post World War 2 1950s 7 PAST EVENTS BUICK CLUB OF SOUTH AFRICA – and its Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Pontiac Chapters Affiliated to the South African Veteran and Vintage Association www.savva.org.za BUICK CLUB OF SA - 8TH ANNUAL CONCOURS ON SUNDAY 5 MAY 2019 AT THE COUNTRY CLUB, NAPIER STREET 1 AUCKLANDPARK, JOHANNESBURG – from 09h00 to 12h30 Chris Palk The 8th annual Concours at the CCJ on event. It was a wonderful gesture of true giving Sunday 5th May was our biggest event to date and “paying it forward”. Thank you! with 65 vehicles on show. Thank you to each one Fellowship and being with like-minded who attended and the special effort you made to enthusiasts is always more important than the display your rare and exceptionally well-restored, cars. But rare Buick’s, Cadillac’s, Oldsmobile’s, preserved and in some case modified cars and Pontiac’s and this year specially invited owners of Light Delivery Vehicles – Ldv’s. Our most sincere other rare GM Brand vehicles, certainly did bring appreciation is expressed to the generosity of our us together to share the pleasure. Participating anonymous donor for covering the cost of the takes commitment, planning, effort and always “an element of courage”. But that’s what we do 8 and should do - get out, drive, enjoy and share the modern classic left-hand drive cars to and from pleasure of the rare vehicles we are privileged to the venue in Johannesburg. It meant setting off at own. Besides, it’s good for them to be driven. sunrise, braving the busy rural roads, highways, Our specially invited guests, owners of city and suburban streets and traffic. No doubt other GM brand vehicles and several Buicks, they received many waves, whistles, “nice car”, Cadillac’s and Oldsmobile’s either not seen at our “mooi kar oom” remarks and “thumbs up” along events for a long time or ever before, added an the way. So – Thank you Vittorio Franscioso -1902 interesting, colourful dimension. The spectacle of Curved Dash Oldsmobile; Ali van Jaarsveld 1912 these rare cars and Ldv’s driving onto our show Buick; Cecil White 1919 Cadillac; Peet and Elise field, the oval and participating in the drive-by Wessels and Johan Pretorius from Randfontein; was a wonderful sight. There was such variety - Vic Hattingh from Tarlton; Eric McQuillian; Roley some in original unrestored condition, some Noffke; Ray and Allan Du Preez and family; Paul preserved, some expertly restored and some Wannenberg; Graham Blackbeard, Pierre Koch stylishly and creatively customised and modified - and all the other attendees. Your collective effort all in pristine condition. To name a few of those to drive or trailer your cars to be displayed was not often seen - Johan and Elsa Griesel in their much appreciated. customised 1956 Buick Special and 1959 Buick Le Rudolph our vice chairman always Sabre; Peet and Elise Wessels and Johan in their arranges for several of his cars to be driven to and pre- war Chev Ldv’s; Massimo Lupini in his 1959 displayed at our annual Concours. This 8th year Chev Apache Ldv; Mick van Rensburg and sons in was no exception and a record number of 5 of his Mick’s 1974 Cadillac Eldorado, restored and sleek, always immaculate Cadillac’s glided onto modified 1972 Corvette and 1968 Camaro; Allen the show field.