The Buick Company, which William C. Durant founded his General Motors Empire in 1908, was one of the first automobile manufacturers to experiment with an overhead valve-gear setup.

By 1908, the Buick lineup was available in six models with four different engines, included an inline two-cylinder which had been with the company since the beginning in 1904. The T-head four was first offered in 1907, followed by a bigger T-head four introduced in 1908 along with new valve-in-head four. By 1912, the Buick production line had been condensed, eliminating 2-cylinder models, and focusing on a range of larger automobiles powered by 4-cylinder engines. For 1912, Buick built 19,051 vehicles.

The Buick Model 36 was a roadster body which had a price of $900, the same as the Model 34 Roadster. The differences between these two roadsters were the size, with the Model 34 resting on a 90.7-inch wheelbase while the model 36 had a 101.75-inch platform. Buick did offer another roadster, the Model 28, which sold for $1,025.

The Model 34 was painted with a gray body while the Model 36 was finished in the standard colors of blue and gray with blue-black hood, fenders and fuel tank. A Buick-brown body with blue-black fenders was also available.

The Model 36 shared its four-cylinder engine with the Model 34 and Model 35. It was a 165 cubic-inch four with a cast iron block, a Schebler carburetor, and delivered around 22 horsepower. It had a three-speed sliding gear transmission, 2-wheel mechanical brakes, and a semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension.

by Dan Vaughan