1914 Buick Cycle Car

Inexpensive to manufacture; inexpensive to buy; inexpensive to operate; as well as sporty and fun to drive; cycle cars were popular in the early years of the 20th century. They were called cycle cars for their lightweight construction, and were essentially four-wheeled motorcycles. Although he was a little late to the game, Walter Marr wanted to see Buick cashing in on the cycle car phenomenon.

This experimental vehicle was designed for Buick by Walter L. Marr and built in 1914 in Flint, Michigan. It has a 4-cylinder side-valve engine mounted on a 100-inch wheelbase frame which utilizes elliptic springs front and rear.

The car was given to Walter Marr after Buick decided it was too costly to produce and would not be a production vehicle. It remained in the family, being passed down to son Walter D. Marr, who restored the car in 1946, then given to his grandson, Richard Marr.

Marr was Buick's chief engineer, and his ideas usually found their way into production, or at least to the prototype stage. Walter P. Chrysler was president of Buick at the time, and he gave Marr's cycle car concept a green light. However, even though it seats just two, one behind the other, the prototype that took shape was less cycle and more car, with a four-cylinder liquid-cooled engine and 100-inch wheelbase.

Buick management realized that Marr's cycle car was an expensive proposition, requiring a retail price that would be too close to its standard cars to make a good business case, and production plans were cancelled. Mr. Chrysler gave the car to Marr, and it has remained in the Marr family ever since. Marr's son had the car restored in 1946, and it is owned now by Richard Marr, Walter Marr's great grandson.