Some cars leave a paper trail; the Buick 60 Special left a name, a year — 1910 — and a place in Buick's list. What follows is what can be said with a source behind it. The shape is credited to E.A. de Waters / Louis Chevrolet / Bob Burman.
The story
The Buick 60 Special is an early American racing car, two of which were built by Buick in 1910. It is one of the first US-built monopostos, having a single seat centered width-wise in the chassis. The car is nicknamed the Buick Bug.
Its place in the line
The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Ford Model T, the Alfa Romeo A.L.F.A 24 HP, the Alfa Romeo A.L.F.A 12 HP. Nearby in the Buick catalogue sit the Buick First Call and the Buick Funeral Car.
Owning one today
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Buick 60 Special has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.