Persevering with the theme of “household automotive historical past,” at the moment we take a more in-depth take a look at my grandpa’s 1950 Buick Particular. At 73 years previous, this automotive’s design nonetheless conveys magnificence, fashion, and sophistication. Among the artifacts I maintain most expensive in my photograph archives are a handful of photographs of this attractive Particular, so let’s focus on the story behind it.

Particular Historical past

The Particular took a spot on the decrease finish of the Buick hierarchy. Its identify first originated in 1936 as a designation of the Collection 40. The last decade that adopted introduced modifications in design, trim, and powertrains.

Manufacturing of full-size 1950 Buick fashions started in mid-1949 with meeting in varied physique types together with coupes, sedans, convertibles, and station wagons – all of which rode on the Common Motors B-body platform. Buicks had been ranked in accordance with value level and choice packaging: the Collection 40 was the Particular, the Collection 50 was the Tremendous, and the Collection 70 was the luxurious Roadmaster.

A spiral-bound e-book referred to as “The Info for 50” incorporates coaching supplies for salesmen. An introductory message from the Common Gross sales Supervisor reads, “This yr it’s extra evident than at every other time I can keep in mind that folks notice it’s sensible to purchase Buick – that in Buick, they get extra fashion, extra sturdiness, extra economical energy, extra automotive for the cash than in every other make. They understand it isn’t solely neatly modern to personal a Buick automotive, additionally they understand it makes good sense – within the worth they get and within the excessive resale determine they command at trade-in time.”

Later, the writer offered a bullet-point record that illustrated the 17 key updates for 1950:

• New taper-thru styling most distinctive but
• New non-locking bumper-guard grilles Buick unique
• New curved one-piece windshield on 50 and 70 Collection fashions
• New three-section rear window on all Tourback sedan fashions
• New alternative of wheelbases in 50 and 70 Collection fashions
• New higher-compression ratios and horsepowers in all sequence
• New F-263 Fireball engine makes Tremendous a standout
• Stepped-up inside room with shorter total size in all fashions, all Collection
• Solely automotive with Dynaflow Drive (customary on 70 Collection, non-obligatory on all others)
• New observe bumper-guard parking and back-up lights
• New push-button door locks with Positive-Secure latches
• New hood-located Ventiports
• New self-locking trunk-lid latch eliminates deal with
• New decrease physique design with identical floor clearance
• New improved engine cooling system with extra silent fan operation
• New air cleaner with improved silencer
• New heating and air flow system, with quicker window defrosting

Powering this large sedan was an 248cid valve-in-head Fireball inline-eight engine. An obtainable F-263 raised displacement to 263cid for choose fashions. One of many revolutionary promoting options throughout the mannequin lineup was the automotive’s obtainable computerized transmission, which was referred to as Dynaflow Drive. Dynaflow engineering consisted of a hydraulic torque converter with emergency low and reverse planetary gears.

Buick promoting emphasised the fashion and utility of its grille. I talked somewhat about that in a Choose of the Day in August. Every of the 9 chrome items that prolonged over the entrance bumper had been individually replaceable.

A redesign in 1951 reworked varied features of the outside together with that hanging grille, sadly. The Particular identify was phased out totally after 1969 and was succeeded by the LeSabre within the full-size phase and the Skylark within the mid-size phase.

Grandpa’s Particular

My grandpa’s satisfaction and pleasure was a “Mannequin 43D” – which meant that it was a four-door, six-passenger deluxe jetback sedan. The “jetback” identify was in reference to the automotive’s sloping, fastback-style rear finish versus a squared-off or formal conventional sedan look. There have been eight obtainable colours, and grandma appears to recall grandpa’s automotive being blue, so which means it was in all probability Olympic Blue based mostly on the brochure coloration palette.

Grandpa’s automotive was outfitted in numerous brightwork and equipment. Amongst them, there have been triple stars affixed to every rear fender skirt, twin spotlights up entrance, chrome window visors, and beneficiant facet moldings.

At ages 23 and 24 respectively, my newlywed grandparents Rex and Marilyn set out from Logan, Utah within the Particular and made their approach towards Las Vegas, Nevada for his or her marriage ceremony honeymoon in 1954. The five hundred-mile one-way drive takes about seven hours at the moment, however again in 1954, journey moved at a slower tempo. They’d have had to make use of highways 89 and 91 for your entire size of the journey, which ran by means of loads of small Utah cities alongside the best way.

Among the journey photographs present the automotive on the Arizona-Nevada state line. The northwest nook of Arizona incorporates a brief stretch of highway close to Mesquite, Nevada on Freeway 91 that will have been the placement for each of those photographs. As we speak, Interstate 15 passes close to the identical location.

The place’s the Particular?

We don’t know the present location or state of grandpa’s Particular if it even exists. Grandpa Rex handed away in 1989 after I was solely seven years previous, so I by no means acquired the prospect to talk with him about that. For now, the closest I’ve been to proudly owning a Particular is discovering this diecast scale mannequin model.