Buick Model B

Buick Model B
Buick Model 14
Overview
ManufacturerBuick (General Motors)
Model years1904-1911
AssemblyJackson, Michigan, United States
Body and chassis
Body styleTorpedo
LayoutFront-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Powertrain
Engine2-cylinder horizontally opposed overhead valve engine
TransmissionTwo-speed (plus reverse) planetary transmission with cone clutch
Chronology
SuccessorBuick Four

The Buick Model B was Buick's first model as an independent company, later becoming part of General Motors in 1908. It was built in Jackson, Michigan. A model B was exhibited in 1905 at the New York Auto Show as a promotion of the model C which would be the same.[1] William C. Durant introduced the car himself at the exhibit, and took new car orders at the car show, raising sales from 37 cars in 1904 to 750 in 1905. It had a 2-cylinder, horizontally opposed engine – the world's first production OHV (overhead valve) engine – installed lengthwise within the frame, and had a planetary transmission with a cone clutch and two forward speeds, plus one reverse gear. The engine was rated at 21 bhp.[2][3] In later years, it was renamed as improvements were made. The chassis was shared later with the Oldsmobile Model 20 when they became a division of GM while the overhead valve engine wasn't used by Oldsmobile. It had a retail price of US$950 ($32,216 in 2023 dollars [4]) for the touring sedan.

The Model B / C continued to be made, as model F, G, and 14, but was dropped after 1911 as Buick had been promoting 4 cylinder cars, starting with the D in 1907.

  • Model B (1903-1904)
  • Model C (1905)
  • Model F & G (1906–1910)
  • Model 14 & 14B (1910–1911)
  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference american-automobiles was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Norbye Dunne 1978 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Kimes, Beverly (1996). Standard catalog of American Cars 1805–1942 (third ed.). Krause publications. pp. 161–193. ISBN 0-87341-478-0.
  4. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved 29 February 2024.