Did you get the download [FONT="]http://boattail-riviera-by-buick.com/BoattailRegistryDOWNLOADS/BUICK_History.zip[/FONT] Its got the 55 Buick brochure and Buick history video. Its stuff I think you'll like. as far as this list goes its pretty much done and it's about time I formatted/spell checked and added its pictures.
Here are some more logos for you And here's some info on the progression up to the trishield http://www.cartype.com/pages/2614/buick
Dont forget the '61-'63 215 all aluminum V8, it was also used in Brittish cars for 40+ years. And the '64 300 V8 with aluminum heads and intake. It would be decades before these inovations became comon place.
America. And yes I know the flathead Ford V8s had them as far back as '33. I was talking about OHV heads. One can never have enough nitts.
Another milestone in my mind. By 1959 with the coming of the 401 rumor was the quality wasn't as good as previous engines. So Buick pulled, I believe, a 1960 Invicta off the assembly line & after adding better tires & a MUCH larger fuel tank set out to run that car for 10,000 miles in 5,000 minutes. They even bettered the 5,000 minutes.
http://www.fireballroberts.com/buick_test.htm [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow] [/FONT]
With all the listing of Buick innovations, I forgot your main question.ou: The LS engine was a clean slate design that borrowed little from any existing engines. That said, if any brand engines influenced the LS design, its Buick.... Aluminum block/heads- '61 215 Buick. chevy ZL1s came later after Buick worked the bugs out of the casting process Iron block/aluminum heads- '64 300 Buick. chevy only did this later and sporadically Oil pump in the timing cover- Buick. never chevy Cathedal intake ports- Buick 350. never chevy Under-square bore/stroke- Buick 350. chevy 350s are over-square Deep-skirted block- every SBB. no sbc Thats just a few. I feel that GM made a HUGE mistake in calling the LS V8 ''Gen III Chevy'' If a company is going to go ''corporate'' with its engine line up, its beyond stupid to brand their best V8 :spank: But ''stupid'' seems to be the motto at GM marketing:blast:
You act like there was no other company producing cars other than GM. What's next? That Olds deserves credit for the Turbo Buick? If you're going to compile a list of Buick innovations then it has to be honest. Taking liberties with the definition will only be at the detriment of Buick.
Do you have a mental disorder or something? I was talking about inhouse GM engine designs, not every friggin car ever built. And Im not the one ''compiling a list'', I was answering a previous question that was mostly ignored in favor of the ''list'' that has you so torn up. Jeeez... If theres something on robs71redriv's list that you disagree with, whine to him about it.
Yes, Please If there is something wrong in the list let me know, (my latest is below, will probably add pictures and finish it off this weekend, still have to go thru some of the GM Media Archive, add the 10,000 mile run ) - Some things were GM corporate and did come out more than 1 line at time, i have only included lthe ones that specifically mention Buick. The list was only one part of the original questions The "in house engine design" is not part of the "list" just part of the discussion as was asked. <!--[if !mso]> <style> v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <woNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> Buick innovations and highlights Buick is currently the oldest American still-active automotive make, and among the oldest automobile brands in the world. It originated as the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company in 1899, Buick was the foundation on which General Motors was built. From its first four-cylinder Model D to the industrys first concept car and other automotive firsts, the Buick brand and its products have stood for quality and reliability as well as comfort and style, garnering a loyal following of enthusiasts wherever Buick cars are sold. The Buick, first automobile manufactured by the General Motors Corporation built by David Dunbar Buick. Over 17,000,000 cars bearing his name and crest have rolled off production lines, yet he was involved in making only 120 of them. Buick, a plumber and machinist by trade, some of his earliest inventions included a lawn sprinkler and the process for enameling cast iron baths. In the late 1890s he had begun tinkering with motors for boats and tractors, but he quickly redirected his focus toward designing a powerful engine for the American automobile industry. Walter Marr and his wife were photographed in what is believed to be the first Buick. The original print was found in Walter Marr's personal papers, written on the back of the picture was "1st Buick" and "1898". 1899, Buick sold the plumbing business to organized Buick Auto-Vim and Power Co., for production of gas & gasoline engines and automobiles. By 1901 Buick, Walter L. Marr and Eugene C. Richard had developed a motor that they called the L-head engine. Shaped somewhat like a V, this asymmetrical engine places all of the intake and exhaust valves in the extended half of the cylinder block, or the long part of the L, while all of the spark plugs are placed in the shortened half. In 1902 Buick began building an entire car that featured another new motor design, the valve-in-head engine. This symmetrical design places the intake and exhaust valves directly above the cylinders, rather than to one side as in the L-head configuration, and mounts them entirely within the cylinder head, the result being a more powerful and efficient operation. The valve-in-head engine, later referred to as Overhead Value (OHV) engine, produces more horsepower per cubic inch of displacement than other engine designs. Decades later, all engines would adopt the OHV configurations. By 1903 Buick successfully road tested his first car, and the following year he built an improved version, the Model B, which featured a two-cylinder, valve-in-head engine. Between 1904 and 1908, the Model Bs annual sales rose from 37 to more than 8,800, more than the total number of Fords and Cadillacs combined. 1904, July 27<sup>th</sup> Dr. Herbert Hills of Flint, Michigan, purchased the first Buick to be sold. The sale came only weeks after the first Buick made its initial test run. During that test, the Buick averaged 30mph on a trip around Flint, going so fast at one point that the driver couldnt see the village six-mile-an-hour sign. Sixteen Buicks were sold in the next few months. 1904 Buick was optimally engineered even by today's standards. The flat-twin engine is inherently balanced, with torque presented to the chassis in a longitudinal manner, actually cancelling front end lift, rather than producing undesirable lateral motion. The engine was mounted amidships, now considered the optimal location 1905 Billy Durant goes to the New York Auto Show and takes orders for 1,000 Buicks before the company had built 40. 1906 Buick introduces a storage battery as standard equipment. 1906 Buick builds its first production four-cylinder car, the Model D 1906 Buick was the only car to complete a 1,000-mile Chicago-to-New York relay race. 1906 Buick set a record (24 days!) from New York to San Francisco. 1907 Buick began building light commercial vehicles, using passenger car chassis. That would be called and SUV/crossover vehicle today. 1907 The first ton chassis for commercial use was the Model 2, powered by the "valve-in-head" design (Chevrolet Model T light truck came out in 1918) 1908 in conjunction with Buick, what was to GM Canada started with the McLaughlin-Buicks. 1908 McLaughlin-Buick. sports the convertible soft top September 16, 1908, GM came into being in Flint Michigan. It was originally a holding company for Buick which was under the control of William C. Durant, but it acquired Oldsmobile later that year. 1908 The industrys first example of using common components and engineering to create distinctive vehicle models. Durants answer to Oldsmobiles woes was to incorporate Buick engine technology and stretch the Buick body to make it a completely different car in the customers eye, The Model 20 went into production in a matter of months and Oldsmobile was again profitable within a year. 1908, Buick claimed the lead in automobile production, with 8,820 produced - and with the hot new Model 10 as the biggest seller (4,002). [FONT="] [/FONT] 1908 The official Buick Racing Team was set up with such star drivers as Bob Burman and the Chevrolet brothers.. The next year a Buick advertisement stated, 1909 Buick cars won 166 firsts - 90 per cent of the events entered. America's most important events won by Buicks'. 1909 The Bug was the first race car to locate the driver in the center of the body both laterally and longitudinallyThe Buick Bug of 1909. Still runs today!! - Notice it has the four exhaust ports that are credited to Ned Nickels in 1948. 1909 Buick wins the first-ever race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2 years before the first 500. 1909 London, assembly of Bedford-Buicks was under way 1910 Buick speed record he Buick race teams famous "Bug" racer set a new speed record of 115 miles per hour. 1910, the year following Mr. Buicks removal from Flint, he took charge of the affairs of the Buick Oil Company, of which he is President. The company has been one of the successful operating companies in the California fields, and had one well, known as Buick No. 1, which produced 900,000 barrels of oil in ten months of operation. Another well, Buick No. 3, came in as a gusher and produced 550,000 barrels in a period of four months. This was one of the most sensational gushers in the history of California oil, being ranked second in size of flow. 1911 The NY Times reported that Burman and the Bug won the '20-mile Open Free-For-All' event at the 'Atlantic-Pablo Beach Automobile Race Meeting' at an average speed of 91.06 mph. 1911 GM became the first car company listed on the stock exchange. 1911, Buick introduced its first closed-body car, four years ahead of Ford. 1912 GM's Bill Kettering introduces the electric self-starter 1914 a 1912 Buick Model 28 was the first car to travel across South America, driven from Buenos Aires, Argentina, over the Andes to Santiago, 1915 the new head of Buick, Walter P. Chrysler. 1917 the Model 16AA ambulance was based on the Buick D-4 and E-4 In 1918, the Ontario-based McLaughlin Motor Car Company, manufacturer of the McLaughlin-Buick car, was acquired, and renamed General Motors Canada, Ltd., though R. S. "Colonel Sam" McLaughlin was retained as its first president. Chevrolet (started in Canada in 1915) was tied in with McLauglin when it became part of GM. 1920s, Buick was becoming the car of choice for kings, sultans and political leaders and winning competitions from South America to Australia to the Soviet Union. 1920 Buick gained fame for setting a record of 103 mph at Muroc Lake. 1920 Walter P. Chrysler left Buick 1921 GM in order to reduce the knocking sound produced by gasoline engines of the day and improve the engines efficiency and power discovered the answer in tetraethyl lead additive. Working with chemical suppliers, GM developed the process for manufacturing this new gasoline. 1923 Adventurer Lowell Thomas used a Buick in the first motor expedition into Afghanistan in 1923. 1923. British royalty favored Buicks - they could claim they were buying "Empire" cars as Buicks were built in Canada. 1923 Buick debuts four-wheel brakes on 1924 Model Buicks, it was the first volume brand to offer four-wheel brakes, another milestone safety innovation that was soon adopted by the rest of the industry. 1923 The one-millionth Buick was built , the first year in which production also exceeded 200,000 cars. From 1919 to 1925 Buicks won the trophies in Leningrad-to-Moscow endurance and reliability runs - beating more than 40 cars from throughout the world. 1925 GM Spain was established with initial operation limited to assembly of completely knocked down (CKD) Buicks shipped from North America in kits. 1926, Buick's sales were the highest in the auto industry. 1925, Buick and GM Export sent a Buick around the world passing the vehicle from one sales/service operation to another to demonstrate the worldwide reach of GM's operations. The car was driven by dealer representatives in England, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Egypt. It traveled by trans-desert convoy to Damascus, Baghdad and Basra. Then it was on through India and Ceylon, across Australia and New Zealand, and finally and triumphantly, from San Francisco to New York. 1925 Flxible chose a Buick chassis for its motorbuses, of which 31 were built that year. Between 1925 and 1928 Flxible built a few buses on Cadillac, Reo and Studebaker chassis, but most were built on Buick chassis. 1925 Flxible began building ambulances and funeral cars. Buick's longest chassis in 1925 was 128 inches, so the first professional car and bus chassis were stretched by forty inches. Buick's engines used in professional cars was the 255 cid six-cylinder that produced 70 bhp. 1925 Buick abandoned hand operated windshield wipers introducing vacuum operated wipers. 1925 Buick adopted balloon tires. 1926 The combination starter/generator was superseded by separate units which were more efficient and reliable. 1926 Harley Earl was hired as a consultant to the Fisher Cadillac Division 1927 The first In-House design department The Art and Colour Section" created and led by Harley Earl 1928 an experimental van was built by Buick, which was used by the Flxible Company as a long-distance bus. 1929 the Opel company was acquired by General Motors. 1929 Buick introduces a smaller 6-cylinder sedan which is named the Marquette. It is discontinued by 1931. 1930 Buick increased the size of their six-cylinder engine to 331 cid and 99 bhp 1931 A new straight eight engine, the 344cid produced 104 bhp. It featured an oil temperature regulator that either cooled or heated the engine oil depending on conditions. 1931 The Shafer Buick 8 qualified for the Indy 500 at 105 mph. 1933 GM Engineering developed the first independent wheel suspension system, lessening the impact when any of a cars four wheels hit a bump or hole and making the car safer as well as more comfortable. Popularly known as "knee-action" suspension because of the way each wheel was connected to the axle, it was introduced in all 1934 model year GM cars in the North American market. 1933 Buick adopted hydraulic brakes as standard equipment. 1936 Dual-brake system introduced 1936 The Buick Roadmaster designed by Harley Earl is introduced it became a milestone in styling, 1937 The division adopted the shield on its radiator grilles, The Buick shield is rooted in the ancestral coat of arms of the automakers founder, David Dunbar Buick. That crest was a red shield with a checkered silver and azure diagonal line from the upper left to lower right, a stag above and a punctured cross below 1937 Cowl mounted wipers were introduced. 1936/7 the 1st. production car to be able to maintain 100MPH, Century in '37 lives up to its name. In the relitively light Century, this . ///// engine could hold the car at a steady 100 MPH, a feat that few cars of this price class could equal. 1938 GM Design Department builds the first concept car the Buick Y-job. Designed in 1938 by the famous General Motors designer Harley Earl, the Buick Y-Job is considered by most to be the first concept car. The car had power-operated hidden headlamps, "gunsight" hood ornament, wraparound bumpers, flush door handles, and prefigured styling cues used by Buick until the 1950s. 1938 Buick introduced the industrys first standard-equipment turn signals, with tail light signals activated by the driver to warn other vehicles and pedestrians that the vehicle was about to turn. 1939 Buick was the first production car to be fitted with an electrical turn indicator. 1939 Buick Roadmaster was the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car. 141hp 320c.i. straight 8 Actual pace car was white Charles Chayne - Buick Chief Engineer 1939 General Motors made "sealed beam" headlamps became standard for the 1940 model year. The sealed unit extended the headlamps life and ensured consistency in the beam throughout the bulbs life. 1940 Buick Fire ball 320 straight-eights, now produced 141 bhp. 1940. the 1st. production car to offer multiple carburation, the compound 4bbl. 1940s through the 1970s the "sweepspear", a curved line running the length of the car. In the earlier cars, this was a chrome-plated or stainless steel rub strip which, after it passed the front wheel, gently curved down nearly to the rocker panel just before the rear wheel, and then curved around the rear wheel in a quarter of a circle to go straight back to the tail-light. During the two-tone color craze of the 1950s, the sweepspear separated two different color areas. After that, the curved line was usually indicated either by a vinyl rub strip or simply a character line molded into the sheetmetal as hinted in the 2008 Invicta concept car and 2010 LaCrosse/Allure production car. 1941 introduced the two-way hood, which could be opened from either side or removed completely. The design was clever if at least one side remained latched. 1942 the ever-famous "carnivorous" vertical bar grille had made its debut.. [FONT="] [/FONT] Buick built aircraft engines and Hellcat gun-carriers during World War 2,. During the war its engineers worked with torque converter transmissions By 1948, The first to use the converter was Buick. 1948 Buick offered the Dynaflow fully automatic transmission as a $244 option on the 1949 Model year Roadmaster. Within three years, 85 percent of Buicks had the Dynaflow. The Dynaflow was the model for present-day automatic transmissions. 1948 Buick introduces the Hardtop Convertible Pillar less roof to be known as the Riviera . Buick built 4,000 hardtop convertibles in 1949, The 1949 model year Buick Roadmaster series offered the industrys first hardtop, with the sleek look of a convertible. That same year, Cadillac and Oldsmobile brought out their own "hardtops." [FONT="] [/FONT] [FONT="] [/FONT] [FONT="] [/FONT] 1949 Venti-ports a series of three or four portholes or vents on the front fender behind the front wheels. The source for this traditional Buick styling cue was Buick stylist Ned Nickles, who in 1948 built a custom car which in addition to the ports had a flashing light within each hole each synchronized with a specific spark plug simulating the flames from the exhaust stack of a fighter airplane 1951 Power Steering GM introduced its first power steering system on the 1952 model year Cadillac, Oldsmobile, and Buick lineups 1951 Buick's LeSabre and XP-300, two custom-built super-streamlined concept cars, are introduced to test GM's new advances in styling and mechanical features. 1952, Buick introduced the first American four-barrel carburetor,in the 320 in RoadMasters was rated at 150HP. Invented by one of its own engineers, Adolph Braun. 1953 A high-compression V-8 debuted.. 1953 General Motors' first power brakes were offered on the 1954 model year Cadillac, Oldsmobile, and Buick product lines. 1954 All Buicks came with V8 engines 1955 The Century was the fastest production car 0-60 & 1/4 mile. Was #3 in sales 1955 The Buick line was well received in a boom year; 781,296 were built in 1955 - Not all those 1955 models were very well made, and in the last half of the decade of the 1950s Buicks lost their reputation for high quality and long life. Sales fell to fewer than 250,000 units in 1959. due to a combination of unpopular styling, product problems, and an economic recession that helped make small cars popular. [FONT="] [/FONT] 1958 Tommy Ivo runs 159.01 mph in a Buick powered gas dragster.[FONT="][/FONT] 1959 11/12 Tommy Ivo debuts his twin-engine Buick dragster 1959 Buick Electra 225 was the Indianapolis 500 Pace car. 325hp 401c.i. V-8 Sam Hanks 1960 02/05/ First 8-second run (8.95) on gas by Tommy Ivo in twin Buick 1962/64 Buick experimented with a 401/425 Turbocharged V8 engine that was designed to be used in the G.M. B Wildcat. The car never saw production because it was too powerful! It turned out that this engine produced 708ft. lbs. of torque at 2600rpm! 1961 The Special was revived in the form of a compact car of quality, powered by an aluminium 3.5-litre V8 that has since become world-famous. Revised by Buick's Joseph Turlay from a GM Engineering Staff design, the little V8 powered Mickey Thompson's 1962 Indianapolis entry, won races in Bruce McLaren's first sports cars, formed the basis of the engine with which Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme won Grand Prix Championships in 1966 and 1967, and it became one of the better engines in the British Leyland range of cars. That little 215 Aluminum V-8 is still being used today. Imagine having a big $$$$ Range Rover with an engine that was in the Buick design process by Dennis Manner in 1959! 1961 The first V6 engine goes into production, the sleekly styled "Special," introduced in 1962, was named Motor Trend Magazine's "Car of the Year" 1961 06/15 Tommy Ivo's four-engine Buick dragster debuts 1963 Buick introduces the prestige, E-body Riviera. Overall Buick's sales climbed to more than 450,000. [FONT="] [/FONT] [FONT="] [/FONT] 1963 03/10/ First side-by-side 7-second run, Don Prudhomme vs. Tommy Ivo at San Gabriel[FONT="][/FONT] 1963 Buick Motor Division took over the GM Hydromatic division. Their first project was to be the Turbo Hydromatic 400 three-speed transmission. It came out in the upper series Buicks in 1964. They also developed the Turbo Hyrdomatic 300 two speed for the lower series. Engines were developing more horsepower and the days of the fluid drive Dynaflow were gone. 1965 and 66 models had a switch pitch torque converter and an anti creep feature. The last switch pitch was in 67. 1966 GM introduces the industry's first energy absorbing steering column. 1967 would be the last year for the THM 300 to be replaced by the THM 350 again designed by Buick. Both the THM 400 and 350 would be the most common transmissions used in GM cars and trucks for years to come. 1967 GM introduces front seat shoulder belts on 1967 models. (Rear seat shoulder belts are available as a dealer installed option.) 1971 the Rivera was the first GM car to use the integrated voltage regulator. Internal inside the alternator was this little circuit board taking the place of the box mounted on the firewall. It was later used on all GM cars and trucks. 1971 Experimental airbags tested in Riviera, 1971, GM pioneered the use of engines that could run on low-lead or unleaded gasoline. 1972 A new combined lap and shoulder belt system with both a light and a buzzer to remind the front occupants that they should "buckle-up" becomes standard on all GM cars. 1974 the high-energy ignition system known as HEI was an option on both the 455 and 350 engines. It became standard on all 1975 and later GM cars and trucks. 1973 Buick sales hit a record 821,165, But the bottom fell out again with the oil embargo late that year. [FONT="] [/FONT] 1975 Buick Century was the Indianapolis 500 Pace car it had a 7.5 litre (455cid) V-8 and 325hp. V-8 40 replicas produced James Garner 1976 The first turbo 3.8 Century Coupe was the Indianapolis 500 Pace car. 306hp turbo 261c.i. V-6 The 1st V-6 pace car 1290 replicas produced Marty Robbins - Country singer who also raced NASCAR 1977 In response to the fuel crisis, Buick downsizes it full-size and luxury vehicles. 1977 brought rear disc brakes to the Rivera. This was a Delco Moraine system with a single piston. The disc system was also the parking brake. 1978. The Regal and LeSabre came available with a turbo charged 231 v6 in 1978. Century and Riviera followed in 1979 with the first FWD Buick the V6 Riviera, S Type being named MT car of the year. 1978 Skyhawk late production had what was called at the time a C-4 system. An on board computer controlled the fuel mixture and ignition timing. 1979 C-4 system option on V-6 Regal 1980 1978 a turbocharger was available on the V-6 Regal. It increased horsepower from 105 to 165. 1979 the Riviera went to front wheel drive. This wasnt a first because it was basically a copy of the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. This was not a transverse engine. The engine was like a rear wheel drive car with a transmission that made a U turn to a front differential. 1979 Introduction of the newly designed front-wheel-drive compact car, the Buick Skylark. 1980 C-4 system and option on all GM cars. In 1981 it was standard equipment on all GM cars and renamed the CCC system. CCC stands for Computer Controlled Combustion. 1981, a Regal with a V-6 engine was the Indianapolis 500 Pace car. 252c.i. V-6 modded to 281hp Chopped roof Duke Nalon 1981 Buick returns to stock car racing GM had decreed that all of its models running in Winston Cup would use the same basic 358 cubic-inch, small-block Chevrolet engine. That applied to Chevy, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick. The super-slick Regal body style was hands-down superior to its GM brethren and the other brands 1981 82 Buick Regal dominates NASCAR Car racing. 1981 Buick takes the checker flag at Daytona 500 with Richard Petty behind the wheel. Petty had gave up on returning to Dodge knowing that for the superspeedways the Mirada would not be competitive, and he bought a Buick Regal for the Daytona race. Petty used a "fuel only" for his last pit stop, with 25 laps to go, to outfox Bobby Allison and grab his seventh and final Daytona 500 win. For 1982 he made the move to the Pontiac Grand Prix 1982 Buick 2<sup>nd i </sup> in a row win at Daytona 500 this with Bobby Alison behind the wheel Petty wasnt in the top 10 1982 Buick takes the checkered flag at 25 of the 30 Winston cup races. 8 of the front 10 at Daytona 500 are Buicks 1983 NASCAR driver Bobby Allison won the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. He won six races that year, five of them while driving a Buick. The short lived Buick return to racing was an era that will never be forgotten, a period when all the big guys were driving Buicks, and running up front. That will never happen again, since the Buick model was dropped from NASCAR competition. 1983 Buick Riviera was the Indianapolis 500 Pace car. 450hp 252c.i. twin-turbo V-6 which led to the turbocharged Buick V-6 Indy car engines the following year. Duke Nalon - 1984 broke record again with more than one million Buicks sold worldwide. [FONT="] [/FONT] 1984 The Buick Grand National was first introduced, to honor the Nascar series. Most of the 215 GN's were equipped with the NA 4.1 motor, while less than 50 actually got both the GN package and the turbo 3.8 option. 1983 The $200 million project "Buick City" is announced to consolidate assembly operations in Flint with Fisher Body Divisions metal fabricating and body assembly facilities. 1985, Buick-powered cars won the pole position and the second spot in qualifying for [FONT="]the Indianapolis 500 - the first time since 1931 that an American production-based engine had won the Indy 500 pole. [/FONT] [FONT="] [/FONT] [FONT="] [/FONT] [FONT="] [/FONT] 1986 Bujick goes star wars -Riviera got A 9 inch CRT on the dash made by Zenith. it controlled the heater-A/C, radio and information display. 1987 was the last year of production for the G-body based GN and it had a great sendoff with the GNX becoming and instant legend, Here was Buick with a V6 that embarrassed Corvette with its speed. 1999 General Motors' new joint venture assembly plant in Shanghai, China, begins production of Buick Regals for the Chinese market. 1999 Riviera production ended with a the Silver Arrow special edition. 2001 1952 Buick Straight-8 Lakester, Bonneville Land Speed Record set at 175.041mph 2008 Worlds Fastest Boattail Riviera , Bill Inman runs his full bodied 71 Riviera over the final mile at 182.206 mph at Bonneville, 2008 World of Speed on Sept. 19th. 2012 Buick Regal Turbo Gets Industry-First Turbo Direct-Injected Engine with Flex-Fuel Capability The turbocharged Ecotec 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine that powers the Regal will help GM reach its goal of offering more than 50 percent of its production in flex-fuel models by the end of 2012.
just to refresh memories the original thread was more about engines "I’ve heard (and read) that Buick has had a lot of influence in the design of modern Chevy/Corporate GM engines. For instance, the fast-burn type compression chamber that Buick built into the 455 didn’t have a fancy name back then, but was what Chevy starting using in the '90s, calling it “Vortec.” Is this true? I’ve also heard that the bottom end of the LS series engines has a lot more in common with Buick’s 231/3.8 series V6 than the original Chevy small block. If so, what, exactly is it that is so similar? What gives the 455 such good torque output in the lower RPMs and why does it rev so well when other high revving V8s don’t make power down low (or visa-versa)? Is it something to do with the relatively short stroke and intake runners?" the "list" was originally just an add on question and - it would take days to list in one of the answers - and went from there.
I see egos have superseded history. But it begs the question: What's so significant of being the first in GM to do this or that? The first V-8 was Cadillac, right? And they also had the first self-starter? Olds had the first automatic. What has Buick pioneered? THAT's what will make the list interesting.
Dang Rob, that's one hell of a list! :Comp: Your fingers bleeding? :laugh: If you are familar with the full size version, and have looked at the drive train and front suspension of this generation ('79-'85) Riviera, Toronado & Eldorado it is very clear they just scaled the parts down in size, instead of starting from scratch.
A Buick Milestone first Buick FWD. - Not a first "This wasnt a first because it was basically a copy of the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. This was not a transverse engine." I have added downsized copy.
The list is Buick innovations and highlights (milestones) I dont think I'm seeing your point - can you copy paste some examples to help me understand.
I guess I was thinking the list was more about "Industry firsts done by Buick" but I guess I was mistaken. However, I was initially responding to the other person's comments like "That said, if any brand engines influenced the LS design, its Buick...." which is kinda ridiculous. I admire the project you're undertaking, but I also feel compiling a historical list should be honest. I'm not a Buick expert, but I do recognize general automotive history, which is why I was able to recognize and offer some counterpoint in earlier pages of this thread.
Fair point , the oringal question was "what other designs or ideas can be credited to Buick? I know Buick had a REALLY good R&D department in the 50s and 60s. I also know they were involved in the turbo-hydramatic developments and maybe the quadrajet. Anything else?" I've have gone far beyond that trying to combine a bunch of (hopefully interesting ) Buick stuff - rather than just design or ideas - Cadillac being the flag ship division was responsible for much more firsts than Buick. I'm more than willing to hit delete on things that don"t fit.
Huh? I didn't infer it was a first, and neither did you in your list. What I was saying is, if you look at the drivetrain of both an older full size Toronado, and '79-'85 Riviera, you will see that for the most part GM just scaled it all down to fit.
