Classic Buicks on Display
Nearly 1,800 cars and thousands of visitors traveled to Flint, Mich., an industrial city near the "thumb" of Michigan's hand-shaped lower peninsula to celebrate the 100th birthday of Buick.
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| Two former Buick General Managers Lloyd Reuss, left, and Don Hackworth share a few stories from their days at Buick. Reuss tried to renovate Buick's operations in Flint, giving the operation the moniker "Buick City" before he went on to become GM President. Reuss, though, was forced out by the GM Board of Directors in 1990 as GM teetered on bankruptcy. Reuss and Hackworth participated in Buick Motor Division's 100th birthday July 25-26, 2003. (Photo: Joe Polimeni/General Motors) |
Most people who have never visited the city might imagine the city as the rundown, rustbelt shown in Michael Moore's 1989 film Roger & Me. The city took a severe blow as GM's fortunes slid after the oil embargos of the 1970s and 1980 recession, when the automaker cut nearly 60,000 jobs, but the Buick festivities allowed the community to shine.
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| This 1905 Buick Model C was on display during the recent Buick Centennial celebration in Flint. It was first sold by Hollywood, Calif. car dealer Charles S. Howard, who was also the owner of the famous 1930s racehorse, Seabiscuit. (Photo: Joe Cabadas, Canadian Auto Press) |
The Buick Centennial, held on the grounds of the Flint Cultural Center that is home to the Flint Public Library and the Alfred P. Sloan Museum, was sponsored by the Buick Club of America as well as GM. The museum is named after GM's longtime chairman who helped rebuild the automaker into a symbol of modern corporate America after the 1920 recession. Sloan also tuned GM's brand concept where the automaker would offer a car for a person at every age of life and income -- starting with Chevrolet, then Oakland (later Pontiac), Oldsmobile, Buick, and all the way up to Cadillac.
As part of Buick's centennial, General Motors provided $15,000 in "seed" money to help Sloan Museum's Buick Gallery and Research Center to restore a 1905 Model C Buick. Jim Johnson, assistant director of Sloan Museum and project leader, said his goal is to complete the restoration by June of 2005, on the 100th anniversary of the month it was produced.