1929 Buick Series 121

Buick production rose dramatically under the stewardship of General Motors' President William C. Durant. In 1914, the company introduced its first six-cylinder car and for a period in the 1920s, the model lineup would consist entirely of sixes. New introductions on the 6-cylinder line for 1924, the last year of Buick's base-model four, were four-wheel brakes, a strengthened chassis and axles, and a detachable cylinder head. The four-cylinder model was replaced in 1925 by the Standard Six equipped with a new, overhead-valve engine displacing 191 cubic inches and offering 50 horsepower. The larger Master Six was equipped with a 225 CID engine with 70 horsepower. A restyling occurred on both models for 1926 along with larger 207 and 274 CID engines (Standard and Master respectively), new gas and oil filters, one-piece brake linings, and an improved clutch. The Fisher bodied cars had slightly rounded radiator edges, and aluminum was used for the gas filler caps and hubcaps. Only minor changes occurred in 1927.

Within the General Motors Company, big things were happening, as the construction of the sixteen-cylinder engine for the Cadillac was underway, and Harley Earl had joined the company, formed the Art and Colour Department, and introduced the LaSalle marque in March of 1927. The LaSalle was produced in the Cadillac production facilities as a lower-priced median car line between Cadillac and Buick.

Earl's talents were soon applied to Cadillac and Buick.

The 1929 Buick Lineup consisted of the Series 116, Series 121, and the Series 129. Prices on the 116 ranged from $1,200 to $1,320; the Series 121 was priced from $1,320 to $1,520, and the Series 129 was priced from the $1500s to $2150. The Series 116 had a 116-inch wheelbase, the 121 had a 121-inch platform, and the Series 129 had a 129-inch wheelbase. The overhead-valve six-cylinder engine in the 116 displaced 239.1 cubic inches and offered 94 horsepower at 2,800 RPM. The Series 121 and 129 shared a 309.6 CID inline-6 with overhead valves, four main bearings, mechanical valve lifters, and a Marvel three-jet updraft carburetor. All engines were backed by a three-speed sliding gear transmission and braking was handled by mechanical external contracting brakes on all four wheels. The SEries 116 had five body styles, the 121 had six, and the Series 129 had eight. All Buicks now had a new molded rubber steering wheel.

The 1929 Buick lines were the first to wear completely new styling by Harley Earl and his team. The Series 121 consisted of a close-coupled coupe, sedan, Rumble Seat Sport Coupe, Business Coupe, Sport Roadster, and a close-coupled sedan. The sedan was the most popular with 30,356 examples built, followed by the close-coupled sedan with 10,110 examples built. 6,638 were the sport coupe and 6,195 were the sport roadster.

The new bodies rested on new chassis with the frame comprised of thicker steel and deeper cross-sections. In the front were semi-elliptical leaf springs while the rear used a Cantilever setup. Lovejoy shock absorbers provided support and the engines now used steel-backed main bearings for the first time.

Optional equipment included a clock, spare tire cover, spare tire, step plats, wire wheels, disc wheels, wide-spoke artillery, side mounts, bumpers, and welled fenders.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2020