conceptcarz.com

1909 Buick Model F

David Dunbar Buick was born in Arbroath, Scotland, and came to the United States at the age of two and grew up in Detroit. He was working for a plumbing fixture company when he devised a method of adhering porcelain to cast iron, earning him a fortune in the process. With his newfound wealth, he launched a venture called Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company to make gasoline engines. He hired a machinist and tinkerer named Walter Lorenzo Marr and a French-born mechanic-machinist named Eugene Richard. Together, they devised an engine with valves in the cylinder head, opposite the pistons, not alongside them. The 'Valve-in-Head' engine design would become a hallmark of Buick cars stretching to the modern era.

By 1909, Buick was seated comfortably in second place for U.S. motorcar production. At the helm was Billy (William Crapo) Durant, who was subsidizing his growing General Motors Empire through the success of Buick. Durant had taken a ride in a Buick in 1904 and two months later he had become a member of the company's board of directors. An avid stock speculator, Durant had soon floated a $300,000 stock issue for what was now the Buick Motor Company. In 1911, Durant was ousted as GM's chairman, but made a return in 1916.

The Buick Model F was introduced in 1906 alongside its Model G roadster-bodied companion. Together, they were the most successful Buicks of their time, with nearly 17000 examples constructed through 1910. Among their appeal was affordability and durability, demonstrated in 1906 when the Chicago American and Examiner staged a 1,000-mile relay run from Chicago to New York. The only entrant able to complete the event was a Buick Model F. A contemporary account notes that 'stretches of bad road were rendered well nigh impassable by rainstorms…through all this struggle of a thousand miles, the Buick never failed to move forward.'

The 1909 Buick Model F was a Touring car that had seating for five and retailed for $1250, dropping mid-year to $1,000. In total, there were 3,856 examples produced in 1909. The Model F was powered by a two-cylinder engine that displaced 159 cubic inches and produced 22 horsepower. It had wooden spoke wheels, a two-speed Planetary transmission, and a cone clutch. Braking was by mechanical brakes on two wheels.

Little had changed for the Model F from the 1908 model. It kept the same color schemes with red wooden wheels and running gear. It was a strong seller that helped keep Buick in second place in the automotive industry.

The 1909 Buick Model Lineup consisted of the four-cylinder Model 6, Model 10, and Model 15. The Model 6 (6A) rested on a 113-inch wheelbase, had a roadster body style, and was listed for $2,750. The Model 10 was offered as a roadster with seating for either two or three occupants, with the 2-passenger version selling for $1,000 and the three-passenger version adding an additional $50. Additionally, the Model 10 could be ordered as a Toy Tonneau with seating for four passengers. The Model 10 had a 92-inch wheelbase, the Model 16 measured 112 inches, and the Model 17 was slightly larger with a 112.5-inch wheelbase platform. The Model 16 could be purchased as either a roadster or a Tourabout while the Model 17 was a five-passenger Tourer. The Model 16 and Model 17 listed for $1,750.

The Model 6 was powered by a T-head, four-cylinder engine displacing 336 cubic inches and offering 40 horsepower. The 165 CID four-cylinder engine powering the Model 10 had 22.5 horsepower. The 318 cubic-inch inline fou powering the Model 16 and Model 17 produced 32.4 horsepower and was backed by a three-speed sliding gear transmission. The Model F and G had two-speed planetary transmissions and the Model 6 had a three-speed sliding gear transmission.

Buick produced 14,606 vehicles in 1909.


By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2009

Related Reading : Buick Model F History

David Buick was a Scottish-born bathtub manufacturer and the founder of the Buick marque. He was joined by a Michigan bicycle merchant named Walter Lorenzo Marr and a French machinist named Eugene Richard. These individuals devised an engine with valves in the cylinder head, opposite the pistons rather than the more popular way of alongside them. The term Valve-in-Head was appropriate and would....
Continue Reading >>

Recent Vehicle Additions

Performance and Specification Comparison

Price Comparison

1909 Model F
$1,250-$7,500
1909 Buick Model F Base Price : $1,250

Compare: Lower | Higher | Similar

Other 1909 Buick Models
$1,000 - $1,050

Model F

Specification Comparison by Year

Year
Production
Wheelbase
Engine
Prices
1,207
87.00 in.
2 cyl., 159.00 CID., 22.00hp
$1,250 - $1,250
3,281
92.00 in.
2 cyl., 159.00 CID., 22.00hp
$1,250 - $1,250
3,856
92.00 in.
2 cyl., 159.00 CID., 22.00hp
$1,250 - $1,250
4,000
92.00 in.
4 cyl., 159.03 CID., 22.00hp
2 cyl., 159.00 CID., 22.00hp
$1,000 - $1,000

Related Automotive News

A (Silver) Ghost Story For Christmas

A (Silver) Ghost Story For Christmas

Whether youre a long-time classic car owner looking to add to your collection, are about to take your first steps into the joy of classic car ownership or are planning to delight someone by presenting them with their own piece of four-wheeled history...
Top Three Finalists In SEMA's 'Battle Of The Builders' Roll On Coker Tires

Top Three Finalists In SEMA's 'Battle Of The Builders' Roll On Coker Tires

Las Vegas (November, 2017) – All three finalists in the fourth annual SEMA Battle of the Builders competition were equipped with period-correct tires made or distributed by Coker Tire, as the highly anticipated event reached its culmination...
COKER DOMINATES THE FIELD AT PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS

COKER DOMINATES THE FIELD AT PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS

Coker Tire-equipped classics took home Best of Show and 15 Best in Class wins out of 26 classes, with 77 out of the 110 cars in pre-war classes riding on Coker Tires, at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours dElegance. Chattanooga, Tenn....

2015 Fall Carlisle Auction Preview

Carlisle Auctions Returns for its Annual Fall Carlisle Offering 2015 Two-Day Event Features Classics of all Eras CARLISLE, PA – Success! What Carlisle Auctions has done since its inception in the fall of 2012 can be summed up with that...
Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion : A Brilliant Finish

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion : A Brilliant Finish

There are times to spectate and there are times to roll up ones sleeves and participate. At the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion this year, both options brought abundant joy, as more than 550 authentic and historic race cars from nearly every decade...