1934 Buick Series 50

David Dunbar Buick was a designer and inventor who built his first automobile in Detroit, Michigan in 1903. Although brilliant in many areas, his lack of business skills eventually led to numerous changes of ownership before he was eventually eased out in 1908. His departure from the Buick Motor Company coinciding with its establishment as the cornerstone of new owner William C Durant's General Motors. Durant's stewardship brought the Buick marque to new levels of success, and by the end of the 1930s had become one of America's most popular cars.

During a portion of the 1920s, Buick's model range had consisted entirely of six-cylinder power. By the end of 1930, Buick had replaced its line of six-cylinder models with an all eight-cylinder range for 1931. The inline-8 had overhead valves, a cast-iron block, mechanical valve lifters, and five main bearings. The 1931 Series 50 rested on a 114-inch wheelbase and its 220.7 cubic-inch engine used 4.75:1 compression and developed 77 horsepower at 3,200 RPM. Its three-speed sliding gear, synchromesh transmission used a single dry plate clutch.

Dramatic styling changes arrived in 1933, highlighted by new fenders with deeper valances, a height reduction of 2.25-inches, and more sweeping curves mimicking the styling trends introduced by Harley Earl and his Art & Color Department on the LaSalle and Cadillac marques. The vee-shaped grille replaced the previous flat unit, twin taillights were in the back, and the removal of the wood spoke wheels for wire units added to the modern appearance. The new body design rested upon a new X-crossmember frame and used Fisher No-Draft ventilation.

The 1934 series 50 rested on a longer 119-inch wheelbase and offered in five body styles. Two-door body styles included the business coupe which had a base price of $1,110, the convertible coupe listed for $1,230, and the sport coupe was $1,145. Four-door body styles included a sedan priced at $1,190 and a Victoria coupe with built-in trunk priced at $1,160. The most popular body style was the sedan with 12,094 examples constructed. 4,405 examples were the victoria coupe, 1,150 were sport coupes (with rumble seat), and 1,078 were business coupes. The convertible coupe was the most exclusive with 506 examples constructed.

The 235 cubic-inch inline-8 powering the Series 50 developed 88 horsepower at 3,200 RPM. It used a two-barrel Marvel updraft carburetor and mechanical valve lifters. The company's year-old synchromesh transmission gained helical gears with shorter gear shift lever movements. The three-speed sliding gear unit used a single dry plate clutch and floor shift controls. An automatic starting mechanism was added mid-year that prevented the starter from being used to move the car when the ignition was locked.

The Series 50 was priced above the Series 40 which rested on a 117-inch platform. Above the Series 50 was the Series 60 on a 128-inch platform and the Series 90 on a larger 136-inch wheelbase. The Series 40 was powered by a 233 cubic inch inline-8 with 93 horsepower and the Series 60 used a 278 CID inline-8 with 100 horsepower. The range-topping Series 90 had a 344.8 cubic-inch displacement and developed 116 horsepower at 3,200 RPM.

1934 Buick models were priced from $795 to $4,900. Buick produced 63,647 vehicles during the model year, plus an additional 7,362 chassis and cars for export.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2021