1954 Buick Century

Description

With two-tone paint, flashy chrome wire wheels, and the industry's hottest V8 under the hood, this 1954 Buick Century hardtop is, well, pretty darned special. There's not a bad line anywhere on the car, and thanks to a nice older restoration it has an appealing look that's matched by great road manners that are as impressive today as they were sixty years ago.

Sure, Chevys are popular and Cadillacs are flashy, but nobody could compare with Buick's brand of style. It's not subtle, but the dramatic look only gets better with bold colors like the white-over-burgundy combination shown here. It was restored a few years ago, so it's not perfect, but you have to get up close to find the imperfections and with all that chrome and trim, nobody's going to be looking at the little stuff anyway. One look at the car and you know that panel fit is critical, so they focused a bit of extra attention on it, and the doors have that solid feel that only stuff from the 1950s seems to have. And yes, we really need to talk about the chrome, because there's enough here to outfit a fleet of lesser cars, and while there are a few blemishes here and there, it all looks pretty good from 10 feet away. From the fine-toothed grille to the sweep spear running along the sides to the wonderfully ornate taillight housings that put a bright bit of punctuation on the car, this Century really looks dressed up.

The interior is a little more subtle, but only a little. Two-tone black and red upholstery combines a '50s sensibility with bold colors that make it look expensive, which was surely the point. It has all been restored, of course, and shows modest signs of use and good quality workmanship throughout, with straight seams and correct materials. The steering wheel is thin and almost delicate, especially on such a big brute, and the fully functional gauges are arrayed in two round pods with secondary controls below. Of course, the radio is an AM unit that isn't working as usual, but once you hear the sound the Nailhead makes, maybe you won't miss it. And as a Buick, it's got a massive trunk with correct side panels, what might be the original mats, and a full-sized spare tire.

The Century was always Buick's best performer, and this hardtop carries a big 322 cubic inch V8 called the "Nailhead" thanks to its nearly horizontal valve covers. The name of the game was torque, and the undisputed champion in '54 was the Nailhead, so this car moves like it's got Corvette DNA in its veins. It's wearing correct corporate turquoise engine enamel and they didn't take many liberties with the hardware, which still uses the original heavy-duty air cleaner and cast iron exhaust manifolds. There's a reliable and incomparably smooth Dynaflow automatic transmission behind it, and it does take some getting used to but it's pure Buick at its best because the ride is unlike anything else. The underside isn't detailed for show, but it is clean and offers that smooth Buick ride that has to be experienced to understand. Flashy chrome wire wheels were popular with Buicks of all shapes and sizes, and these wear a proper set of bias-ply wide whitewall tires.

With a little TLC, this Buick could be truly amazing and at this price, you have plenty of room to work. Call now!