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July
28, 2003
One Year Ago Today
The Buick National Meet!
At kind of the last minute, Julia and I
decided to go to the National Buick Meet in Flint, which was celebrating the 100th
anniversary of Buick. As many enthusiasts pointed out, this was probably the meet
to attend if you are at all interested in Buicks. Over 1000 cars registered, and at least
that many showed up. I don't know what I was expecting, so I'll let the photos tell the
story. And I have to be honest: I didn't take a single picture of a car made after about
1953 because there were so many early cars to look at. Just when I thought all the older
cars were out of circulation, you enthusiasts come out and prove me wrong. This is one
time I was glad to be mistaken. Still, sorry about not really getting involved with you
guys and the newer models; I'm sure your cars are just as beautiful!
There were also a lot of neat
collections at the show, not the least of which were the Buick concept cars such as the
Bengal and the Blackhawk, and an extensive collection of Nicola Bulgari's (yes, that
Bulgari) immaculately restored Buicks. I was especially excited to see the Y-Job and the
original LeSabre, which were appropriately parked together.
I've thumb-nailed some of the photos to
speed loading of this page, so just click on the small photos for a larger one. You might
notice that I have a thing for the wagons--I think the Buick wagons were the most
beautiful combination of style and craftsmanship of all. These photos are but a fraction
of those I took of wagons--this was a terrific show for woodie-watching!
The photos shown at full size have a
story behind them of some sort. Enjoy.
This was the only '41 Century Sedanette at the entire
show. It has been completely
restored (and modified somewhat) to match the car the owner's father owned new. While
the
color is supposed to be Monterey Blue (same color that I want to paint my Century-
check out the blue '41 Super convertible below for a more accurate representation),
I think it is a little too bright to be faithful. But that doesn't stop it from being
a
great-looking car! I also think the wide whitewall radials look great on the car--I
was
waiting to see them in person before deciding what to put on my car. Also
note the dual exhaust, an easy modification on dual-carb Buicks.
This is Bob and Katie Montgomery's (Dual Carb Registry no. 02-003)
'41 Century 4-door sedan (model 61). I spent a lot of time talking to
Bob about the car and took many, many photos of its details so I can
make my own car as exact. This car is a national Senior award-winner,
and I can scarcely imagine a better template for restoration.
Bob was also generous enough to invite me to his house any time I'd like
to take another look. It will be my pleasure, Bob!
This is "Riv" Rivenberg's '41 Century 4-door
sedan in Sienna Rust. I was
very curious about this color when I first acquired my color chip chart,
and considered using it on my Century sedanette. While I think Riv's car is
quite striking, I don't think it's me. This is another car that is a national show
winner, and it was amazing to see in person. I've been wanting to see this car for a
long, long time. Riv, if you're out there, consider joining the Registry!
Another striking car, this one a '31 90-series
7-passenger phaeton called
"Black Beauty." I highlight this car because of a sign on its windshield
explaining
that while the car might not be perfect, it is driven to and from all shows.
In my opinion, one of the most beautiful cars at the show. Awesome!
I highlighted this car because it is very similar to
my father's 1925 model 25 touring. This one appears
to be a 7-passenger, while ours was a 5-passenger, but
I thought my dad would get a kick out of seeing one at
the show.
               
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Last modified on 02/06/2005
Thanks, Fidget!
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