Century first appeared onBuick ’s roll in 1936 , the same year that Buick replace its numerical series names with something more memorable : Special , Century , Roadmaster , and Limited . Century was most meaningful of the new names because it signified thecar ’s top speed , and the 1939 Buick Century was accomplished in other areas as well .
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Often called " the first muscle car " or " the banker ’s hot rod , " Century combined the diminished Special body with the 120 - horsepowerstraight eight from the giving Roadmaster and Limited . The result was an first-class exponent - to - weight unit ratio chip in a top speed in the vicinity of 100 mph and lively speedup . At about half the cost of an Auburn speedster , the Century was a public presentation bargain .
By 1939 , the 320 - three-dimensional - inch eight was putting out 141 HP . That was one more than Cadillac ’s most powerful V-8 , a fact resented by Cadillac , which cerebrate Buick was getting above its General Motors station .
The possessor of our featured car , Erik Unthank , of Santa Clarita , California , does n’t pause to tug his 1939 Century in traffic because of its good execution , handling , and brake . It is one of only 850 Centuryconvertiblecoupes built for 1939 at a base Mary Leontyne Price of $ 1,343 .
This car has several rare options such as sidemount spare part and " streamboards , " which replaced standard track boards for a more streamlined facial expression . Unfortunately , streamboards were finespun and few have survived . A much more pop option was the heater , which was ride under the style , near the rider ’s foot .
Buick had several firsts in 1939 . The most significant was the industry ’s first received turn of events - signal spark . Unlike modernistic number signals , these were not incorporated into the taillights , but were part of the body ribbon . Buick also offer the first pushbutton wireless tuning that yr . New for Buick ( but not the manufacture ) was a column gearshift that left the front floor unobstructed . The convertible coupe lost its rumble seat and replaced it with interior opera seats behind the front seat .
After almost 70 years in the Buick card ( although not continuously ) , the Century nameplate disappeared after the 2005 model yr , replace by the LaCrosse .
