The Buick Century is a 2-door coupe / 4-door sedan (car) / sedan / 4-door station wagon from Buick, built from 1936, when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together. Under the bonnet: 331.4 cuin Buick Straight-6 engine OHV I6. Harley Earl drew it.
Where it came from
Buick Century is the model name that was used by Buick for a line of upscale full-size cars from 1936 to 1942 and 1954 to 1958, as well as from 1973 to 2005 for mid-size cars. The first Buick Century debuted as the Series 60, then was renamed in 1936 as a shorter and lighter model featuring the same engine as the bigger Roadmaster and Limited series, giving it more performance while using the shorter wheelbase body of the Buick Special. During the 1930s and 1940s it was Buick's companion to the top level Roadmaster and was offered as a two-door and four-door sedan and convertible.
The Century name was used on six generations of cars of varying sizes as well as performance and trim levels. In 1969, Buick developed a concept car known as the Century Cruiser. In the 1970s, the Century Regal became a separate model and market positioning between the two products changed from year to year depending on sales. The Century was updated to front wheel drive in 1982 and was Buick's two-door coupe, four-door sedan and station wagon, with regular updates and feature upgrades as customer preferences changed over time.
Under the skin
Power comes from 331.4 cuin Buick Straight-6 engine OHV I6; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. It shifts through a 3-speed synchromesh manual. The wheelbase is 114 in / 119 in / 124 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Its family tree is legible: it took over from the Buick Master Six; its successor was the Buick LaCrosse (2005–2009) / Buick Regal#Regal TourX / Buick Regal TourX; assembly was at Buick City, Flint, Michigan, United States. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Volkswagen Beetle, the Bugatti Type 57, the Chevrolet Suburban — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Buick catalogue sit the Buick First Call and the Buick Funeral Car.
What it costs now
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Buick Century 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.
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