1930 Buick Series 60

The top-of-the-line Buick Series 60 was joined by the intermediate Series 50 resting on a 124-inch wheelbase and the entry-level Series 40 with a 118-inch platform. Prices on the Series 40 ranged from $1,270 to $1,330, the Series 50 sedan listed for $1,540 and the coupe at $1,510, and prices began at $1,585 for the Series 60.

The 1930 Buick Series 60 had a 132-inch wheelbase and was equipped with an inline-6 cylinder engine that it shared with the Series 50. It had overhead valves, a 331.4 cubic-inch displacement, four main bearings, mechanical valve lifters, a Marvel carburetor, and delivered 99 horsepower at 2,800 RPM. The Series 40 had a 257.5 CID inline-6 with 80 horsepower. Both versions of the six-cylinder engine used a three-speed sliding gear transmission with multiple disc clutch and floor shift controls. Mechanical, internal expanding brakes on all four wheels provided the stopping power.

1929 Buick vehicles were adorned with all-new styling courtesy of General Motors' Art and Colour department headed by Harley Earl. The designs shared a similarity to their newly introduced LaSalle siblings, which had been the first marque to wear the new Harley Earl styling. The 1929 Buick models were named after their wheelbase lengths, the Series 116, Series 121, and Series 129. None of these platform sizes were carried forward into 1930, and both the 239.1 CID inline-6 and 309.6 CID inline-6 were enlarged for 1930.

The 1930 styling updates primarily centered on removing the unpopular 1.5-inch bulge that traversed below the beltline and earned the 1929 Buick's the nickname 'Pregnant Buicks.' A new vertically mounted, thermostatically controlled shutter system complemented the radiator, and the overall height of the Buick models was reduced by approximately two inches. All 1930 Buick vehicles received a new dash panel with the instrumentation being both indirectly and directly lighted.

Body styles on the 1930 Buick Series 60 included a Sport Roadster with rumble seat priced at $1,585, Deluxe Coupe at $1,965, a seven-passenger phaeton at $1,595, a coupe at $1,740, sport sedan at $1,760, a seven-passenger sedan at just over $1,900, and a limousine at $2,070. The sport roadster with rumbleseat was a new body style, joining on January 1st of 1930. The most popular body style was the sport sedan with 12,508 examples built, followed by 10,216 of the coupe, 6,583 of the sedan, 5,370 of the DeLuxe Coupe, 2,006 of the Sport Roadster, 807 of the phaeton, and 690 off the limousine. The combined 38,180 examples of the Series 60 accounted for approximately twenty-one percent of Buick's total 1930 production.

Beginning in 1929, the frames were built of thicker steel with deeper cross-sections to reinforce strength and rigidity. The suspension components were strengthened, and the engines received steel-backed main bearings, a first for Buick. In keeping with the trends of the era, ashtrays and cigarette lighters were now standard equipment.

The strengthened structural and mechanical components would become even more relevant as the 1930s progressed. Buick's 1931 line was solely powered by eight-cylinder engines which would grow in displacement and power as the years progressed. In 1933, Buick vehicles received a new X-crossmember frame, along with other improvements such as Fisher No-Draft ventilation, free-wheeling, and a new type of headlight with more thoughtful illumination for oncoming traffic. The transmission gained helical gears in 1934, and additional improvements to the headlights. By the time civilian automobile production came to a close in 1942 as production shifted in support of the war effort, the largest Buick eight-cylinder engine was a 320.2 cubic-inch unit that offered 165 horsepower and nearly 280 lb-ft of torque.

The Series 60 reign as the top-of-the-line Buick was short-lived, as it was dethroned in 1931, with the lineup consisting of the Series 50, 60, 80, and 90. The Series remained a staple of the Buick lineup for many years, gaining the 'Century' name in 1936. Production continued uninterrupted through 1942, but when civilian production resumed following World War II, the Century name did not immediately return. The name was revived in 1954 and used through 1958, and again in 1973 through 2005.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2021