In addition to a roomy interior and a regular V6 engine, they last manufactured the Buick Century for the 2005 model year. When they initially released the car in 1936, the Century was famous for its power and was given the name to emphasize its capacity to go at 100 mph. Buick built the Century. Throughout its lengthy history, it has undergone several significant design alterations.
History of Buick Century
The Century name goes back to 1936, and they used the name on various models in the 1950s until becoming one of Buick's most popular models in 1973. The Century was one of Buick's best-selling models until 2005 and attracted primarily conventional and conservative customers.
Buick Century (1939 - 1942)
Buick's Century models, produced between 1936 and 1942, blended its most significant and most powerful engines with its lightest and smallest vehicles. Featuring a 331.4 cubic inch six-cylinder engine on a 132-inch chassis, the Series 60 was released in 1930 as the pinnacle of the Buick series.
- Series 40 - 'Special'
- Series 60 - 'Century'
- Series 80 - 'Roadmaster'
- Top-of-the-Line Series 90 - 'Limited'
All had eight-cylinder engines with displacements ranging from $233 to 320 cubic inches and horsepower ranging from 93 to 120 horsepower. Buick updated its vehicles in the mid-'30s as part of a particular marketing technique, and they developed the Century nameplate as a successor for the Series 60 model. Manufacturers replaced most canvas-top cars with modern body-on-frame vehicles featuring an enclosed cabin for passengers and a separate section for baggage storage. All 1939 Buick models had a redesigned two-piece 'waterfall' grille with narrow vertical bars and a smaller hood and slimmer front door pillars that allowed for more glass surface. Buick engineers struggled in 1939 to increase aerodynamics without completely rebuilding the cars. Hydraulic drums at each of the four wheels provided stopping power. The 'No Rol Hill-Holder' function aided with acceleration for automobiles parked on steep slopes. Compared to the 41 parts utilized in the 1938 clutch assembly, the Special and Century received a redesigned clutch assembly with only nine parts.
Buick Century (1954 - 1972)
The Century brand was reintroduced in 1954, adopting the same concept of combining the smaller, lighter Buick Special body with the biggest and most powerful 322 cubic inches V8 engine. They also featured a station wagon type in this period's range, which was unavailable during the Century's first manufacturing run in 1936. The Century's engine power increased. Power increases from 200 hp in 1954 to:
- 236 in 1955
- 255 in 1956
- 300 in 1957
The full-sized Century series ended here. GM's lone hardtop station wagon from 1957 to 1958 was the Century Caballero. GM discontinued the hardtop station wagon because the Caballero was unpopular with customers and had prohibitively expensive tolling.
Buick Century (1973 - 1977)
1973 and 1974 saw the addition of the Luxus high-end trim level, which was dubbed the Century Custom in 1975. This year's standard equipment included a 110 horsepower 231 V6. The big-block 455 was now only available on the wagon. It replaced the 455 in 1977 Century wagons. For 1976, GM intermediates got a redesign that included larger, smoother front and quad rectangular headlights. The 'Century Special' was an entry-level Buick Special coupe sold from 1975 to 1977 as part of the Century model series. The Century Special coupe had a particular landau top that covered much of the quarter glass. It resembled the higher-level formal roof automobiles. 1976 and 1977 versions have a body-color header panel.
Buick Century (1978 - 1982)
On the market since 1978, the Century has been restyled as a fastback coupe, sedan, and a more conventional station wagon. This new automobile was slimmer, shorter, and lighter than the previous one. The Century Turbo Coupe was a unique vehicle from 1979 to 1980, powered by a turbocharged 3.8L V6 with V8 performance but lower fuel economy. Unlike the identical Regal Turbo Sport Coupe of the same era, the Turbo Coupe's total production had fewer than 2,500. Due to poor sales, Buick restyled the fastback sedan as a notchback in 1980, and the 'Limited' coupe was discontinued. The following year, they stopped the production of the fastback coupe. The company relocated the current notchback sedan and wagon versions to the Buick Regal range in 1982. In 1981, a new Century coupe and sedan were introduced, this based on the front-wheel drive A chassis. A station wagon replaced the previous Regal wagon in 1984. The Buick Century was introduced in an Olympic version for the 1984 Los Angeles games. From 1985 through 1986, Hess & Eisenhardt/Car Craft in Lima, Ohio, converted 124 Buick Century Coupes into convertibles. These were not factory-approved coach convertibles. The sedan variants were distinguished by their showy full-width taillights. On a smaller sedan, this was deemed showy, although it followed a Buick history of enormous taillights. The vehicle's dash remained unchanged from 1981, with a circular speedometer replacing the broad rectangular one.
Buick Century (1984 - 2005)
In 1984, they did their redesigning for the final time for the Century. The only body style offered was a four-door sedan with a front-wheel-drive V6. The Century switched to W-body. The Regal and Century were identical vehicles, with only trim and powertrain changes. The Buick Century was cheaper than the Regal, but it had less power and was plainer with only a 3.1L V6 engine. But the Century's superb reputation endured. After Skylark was retired in 1998, the Century became Buick's first entry-level car, positioned as a cheaper alternative to Honda and Toyota. The new Buick LaCrosse replaced the Century and Regal in 2005. The company manufactured a limited number of Centuries with distinctive trim in 2005 to commemorate the end of an era and a legendary name. On October 25, 2004, the last Buick Century left the factory.
Price
There are different prices for different models and their manufacturing years. Prices and year are as follows:
- 1939 Buick Century: $1,720 ($34,789.54 today)
- 1956 Buick Century's Base Price: $2,963 ($30,626.53 today)
- 2005 Buick Century: $32,999
Features
Buick Century (1939 - 1942)
The high and compact engine compartment was bordered on the exterior by colorful, curving fenders obstructed by the spare wheels. Buick had already realized that the side stairs were no longer necessary since the automobiles were no longer as tall as they had been. The inside was basically basic and tidy, but they completed it with high-end components. The Buick Century was available in three body styles: coupe, sedan, and convertible. The automobile had a radio, ashtray, and a metallic dash panel with three huge gauges in front of the driver. Buick also put a clock in front of the passenger in addition to the leather trim.
Buick Century (1989 - 1996)
Buick replaced the rear quarter windows with Buick tri-shield emblem-adorned black plastic inserts. They also incorporated flush headlights into the grille, and the hood decoration was typical on the front end. Full-width taillights, a somewhat expensive flourish for a compact sedan, but built on a Buick history of large taillights, differentiated all sedan models. In 1991, they gave the exterior a makeover. Buick stopped manufacturing the coupe variant in 1994, and all vehicles gained a driver's side airbag as standard equipment.
Buick Century (1996 - 2005)
Surrounding the primary circular grille were sweeping headlights with curved corners. The Century was a great example of bio-design, yet most buyers were AARP members. Buick created a car that was both luxurious and discreet. The dashboard is wave-like, with a curved top side above the instrument panel. Buick also modified a slanted passenger side. Buick had capacity for four, with broad, comfy front seats and a backbench for two. The basic trim came with high-quality velour, while the top trim came with leather. The four-spoke steering wheel has audio controls and an airbag in the center.
Specs
The OHV 320 cu in (5.2 L) straight-8 producing 141 horsepower (105 kW) drove the Centurys built between 1936 and 1942, earning them the fastest Buicks of the period and proficient of continuous speeds of 100 mph (161 km/h). They nicknamed the Century "the banker's hot rod" because of its achievement in terms of speed and acceleration. In 1982, The horsepower of the Century T-Type was modest, but the 3.8 SFI engine, which produced 140–150 horsepower (104–112 kW), provided power in this comparably light car. The 2.5L I4 was replaced in 1993 by a new 2.2L I4 with 115 horsepower. They stopped manufacturing the slow-selling coupe variant for 1994 (603 sold in 1993, or 0.5 percent of total Century sales). In 1993, the 3.3L Buick V6 with 160 hp (119 kW) was replaced by a 3.1L V6 with the same rated power. The adoption of MFI increased the 2.2L I4's performance to 120 hp (89 kW). The last generations of the Buick Century models had different horsepowers. These include:
1997 - 1999: V6 160 hp (119 kW), L82 3.1 L (191 cu in), and 185 lb-ft (251 N⋅m)
2000 - 2005: V6 175 hp (130 kW), LG8 3.1 L (191 cu in), and 195 lb-ft (264 N⋅m)
Release Date
On October 25, 2004, GM rolled the final Buick Century off the Oshawa production line. The Century became Buick's entry-level automobile for the first time when the Skylark in 1998. All trim levels were dropped for 2003, leaving only one base model. The "Century" marking on the front doors was also removed, leaving just the taillights to be seen. During the Century's nine-year existence, there were few changes. The all-new Buick LaCrosse replaced both the Century and the Regal. The company created a limited number of Centurys with distinctive trim in 2005 to honor the end of the Century name.