1908 Buick Model 10

The Buick Manufacturing Company of Flint, Michigan, was founded by David Dunbar Buick and would be the first automobile company to come under the leadership of William Crapo Durant, forming the underpinnings of Durant's General Motors Corporation. During the early years of the 1900s, it provided the cash flow to feed Durant's acquisitive urges. Buick outsold the Ford Model T in 1909 and 1910. Priced at $850, the Model Model 10 had over 8,000 sales in 1909 and even more (nearly 11,000) in 1910. The total 1910 calendar year Buick production was 29,425 units. Offered in 'Buick White,' they were promoted as 'The White Streak' in recognition of the competition successes which it had achieved.

Buick's 1908 model lineup included six models with four different engines. An inline two-cylinder, chain-drive engine had been the company's mainstay since the beginning in 1904, and a T-head four-cylinder unit joined the lineup in 1907. In 1908, a bigger T-head four arrived in the new Model 10, feauring a brand new valve-in-head design.

The Model F was a five-passenger tourer priced at $1,250 and a total of 3,281 examples were built in 1908. The Model G was a two-passenger roadster priced at $1,150 with 219 examples sold. Both were equipped with a two-cylinder, 159 cubic-inch engine with a float feed Schebler carburetor and delivering 22 (SAE) horsepower at 1,200 RPM. Both models rested on a 92-inch wheelbase platform.

The Model D and S used a T-head four-cylinder unit that displaced 255 CID and offered 30 horsepower. The Model D was a five-passenger tourer, and 543 were built in 1908. The Model S was a roadster, and 373 were built. Both the Model D and S were priced at $1,750. The Model D had a 102.5-inch wheelbase, and the Model S used a 106.5-inch platform.

Buick's top-of-the-line model for 1908 was the Model 5 which had replaced the previous year's Model K. It used a 108-inch wheelbase and the bodies were painted in either red or blue and rode on ivory wheels. The T-head, 336 cubic-inch engine had its cylinders cast in pairs, an aluminum crankcase, and developed 40 (SAE) horsepower. Priced at $2,500, a total of 402 examples were built in 1908.

The 1908 Buick Model 10
The Buick Model 10 was a new model for Buick in 1908, and it was competitively priced at $900. Beneath its elegant bonnet was a 165 cubic inch engine which had vertical overhead valves operated by exposed rocker arms and pushrods from a camshaft set in the crankcase. The 22.5 horsepower produced by the engine was sent to the rear axle through a two-speed planetary transmission and driveshaft. The front axle was suspended by semi-elliptical leaf springs while the rear used full elliptical leaf springs. Braking was via the rear wheels.

A total of 4,002 examples of the Model 10 were built in 1908. They wore an off-white/gray finish complemented with brass trim. Standard features included an oil-fired side and taillights, acetylene headlights, and a bulb horn. A top was a $50 option.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2023