Buick HistorySource: General Motors CorporationDavid Dunbar
Buick was a Scottish industrialist and auto builder. After
making his mark with a process for annealing porcelain to steel
for bathtubs, he turned to the profit opportunities of the
horseless-carriage phenomenon. His first car, appearing in 1903,
was a simple little chaindrive runabout with flat-tiwn power.
One engine feature, over head valves, was a rarity then, but has
been a hallmark of almost all Buicks since. Buick Motor Company,
founded by David Dunbar Buick, is incorporated on May 19, 1903.
Ground is broken for the first Buick engine plant on September
11, 1903, with funding from Flint Wagon Works, and operations
are moved from Detroit to Flint. William Crapo ('Billy') Durant
of Durant-Dort Carriage Company, Flint, Michigan, takes control
of Buick Motor Company on November 1, 1904. Buick builds its
first production four-cylinder car, a 1907 Model D. Under Billy
Durant's leadership, General Motors Company is organized in 1908
(Sept 16), incorpo