Buick Century 2nd Generation Origin
This is the second generation of the Buick Century, produced in 1954. It featured the biggest Buick V8 compressed into the lightest Buick body. The Buick advertisement called the Buick Century “a brand-new thriller, built to deliver more horsepower per pound of weight and more horsepower per dollar than any other American automobile in its price class”.
Buick has a brand of style that cannot be compared with the Cadillacs and Chevrolet products which are quite flashy. The Century was Buick’s best performer. Thanks to its nearly horizontal valve covers, this hardtop carries a big 322 cubic inch V8 called the Nailhead.
Stay with me; let’s go on a ride down Buick memory lane. There’s a lot to blow your mind.
Buick Century 2nd Generation Overview
Unlike the Buick Master Six, its predecessor, which used the overhead valve six-cylinder 255 cu in (4.2 L), this Buick Century used the same method of joining the smaller lighter Buick Special body to its largest and most powerful 322 cu in (5.3 L). It featured four vertiports on the front fender, and also introduced the panoramic one-piece wrap around the windshield on all GM cars at the time. Its height was 60.5 in 1,537 mm in 1954 and 59.8 in 1,519 mm in 1956, its width was 76 in 1,930 mm. its wheelbase 122 in 3,099 mm. It was manufactured in a B body platform.
Buick Century 2nd Generation Production
Production of the Buick Century began in 1954 and ended in 1958. As we said earlier, its predecessor was the Buick Master Six, while its successor is the Buick Invicta. In this second generation of the Buick century, its lineup model included a station wagon, a body style that was nonexistent in the first generation. Other body styles included the four-door Buick Century Riviera, the four-door special Riviera, the four-door Oldsmobile 98 Holiday, and the four-door 88 Holiday.
They were the first four-door that had the automobile roof produced. It functioned as Buicks performance line, its engine power rising from 200 hp in 1954 to 236 hp in 1955, to 255 hp in 1956, climaxing at 300 hp from a bored-out 364 cu in (6.0 L) in 1957 and 1958. In 1955, the Buick century two-door sedan was ordered in the large fleet by the California Highway Patrol, a body style not released to the general public. This two-door sedan body shell was combined with the Century power train and trim.
Buick Century 2nd Generation Price
The Century’s base price in 1956 was $2,963, which is equivalent to present-day $28,205. It is currently sold for $33,550 on auction. It won’t be a bad idea to add it to your collection as a classic car lover.
This is where our ride ends today guys, I’m sure you loved this article, so hit that share button, and stay tuned for more classic car articles.
