Have you ever wondered about the beginning of the company that created all the Buick used cars on the road today? This is part three of the early days of the David Buick story.
After Durant came back from the New York Auto Show with more than 1,100 orders for Buick vehicles, the two leased a factor and began production. They moved the factory from Flint to Jackson, but Durant was raising money to build a huge factory on the north side of Flint. As a result, he was able to persuade many prominent businessmen to move their operations to the area. Charles Mott was one of them. Before he moved to Flint, he owned an axle-building business in New York.
The Buick Manufacturing Company built 750 Buicks in 1905. By the end of 1906, they built 1,400. And the next year when all Buick-related manufacturing operations were moved to Flint, the automaker was able to churn out more than 4,600 vehicles. During this time, Buick also made a name for itself on the racing circuit. Durant told Bob Burman, a member of the Buick racing team, to send back any parts that failed during a race so the engineers could improve upon them. From that, a slogan was born – “When better cars are built, Buick will build them.” By 1908, Buick was the second largest automaker in the United States.
From there, through stock handlings and business deals, Buick became a part of General Motors. Other changes took place, but Buick continued to make the same quality vehicle that it was known for. That’s why you see so many Buick used cars today – because they last for many years. Visit your local Buick dealer and see their inventory of new and used cars. You’ll see why the automaker has been around for more than a century.
