The first Buick to reach 100 mph was the Century, in 1936. (GM archives)
“The banker’s hot rod”
The Buick Century was long the quintessential American comfort-mobile. The Century nameplate was first used by Buick for a line of upscale full-size cars from 1936 to 1942 and 1954 to 1958, as well as from 1973 to 2005 for mid-size cars, according to Wikipedia.
“Buick renamed its entire model lineup for the 1936 model year to celebrate the engineering improvements and design advancements over their 1935 models, introducing a “streamlined” appearance.
“The first Buick Century debuted in 1936 as a shorter and lighter model featuring the same engine as the bigger Roadmaster and Limited series giving it more performance.
“The Century name was then used on six generations of cars of varying sizes as well as performance and trim levels.”
“The basic formula for the 1936 to 1942 Century was established by mating the shorter behind-the-engine cowl Special bodies to the Roadmaster’s larger straight-eight engine — and consequently longer engine compartment.
“In contrast, the 1940 Series 50 Super combined the larger Roadmaster body with the smaller Special engine.
While the Special was powered by Buick’s 233 cubic-inch inline-8, rated 93 hp, Centurys produced between 1936 and 1942 were powered by the 320-cubic-inch producing 141 hp, making them the fastest Buicks of the era and capable of sustained speeds of 100 mph, hence the name Century (100), earning the Century the nickname “the banker’s hot rod.”
