Over the next decade and a half cars Buick remained only 6-cylinder. By the standards of the twenties six cylinders is quite enough for even the most expensive car class: it went to such engines and machines aristocratic British Rolls-Royce, and British sports cars as Bentley (if these two brands have not had for each other and there is no relationship completely independently), and the model is very prestigious American brands Pierce Arrow, and many other worthy cars. Mark Buick, for its part, belonged then to the middle class, and so it somehow even more so should be enough six-cylinder - for your eyes. But the leadership department Buick General Motors Corporation in the mid twenties, decided to upgrade their vehicles as close to their crowns production program corporation cars Cadillac, and laid the development of an 8-cylinder engine. Cars Cadillac had eight cylinders under the hood since the month of September 1914 - but their set was done by a V-shaped pattern, and the machines it was decided to design a Buick engine line. Approximately the same as it was with competing brands, - Hudson, Packard, Studebaker, - but with one important difference: verhneklapanny. And how could it be otherwise? Indeed, from time immemorial all production engines were built by Buick for this scheme - it chose another founder Mark D. Buick to its original power plant on two cylinders. And the sign on the factory enterprise, a white frame around the flying of the extracted gold italic bottom-up-направоповерхлиловойэмалевойплашкислова Buick, byloprostavleno: «Valve-In-Head Motor Cars», that is to say - "Verhneklapannye Cars." Tradition!
Stage "ladder", which leads to a tilting seat
Wheel cover plate on the bandwagon and are decorated with branded
Of course, the above-dvigatelisty analogues designers were carefully studied - all three. Still do not like. In Packard Motor weak - weak unnecessarily! - A place were found to be main bearings, the motor Hudson - head design unit, and studebekerovsky unit itself is pretty decent, was a longish car Buick. Project team leader Ferdinand Bower did not allow the installation of this engine on the chassis of Buick for sea trials, and furthermore - lying in the hospital for examination, he was severely chastised his deputy, the remaining "on the economy," particularly ensure that the projected size of in-line 8-cylinder engine fitted into the hood space vehicles Buick existing model. Deputy John Doltsa - Italian emigrant, a man hot, - tried to protest: where, they say, it's kind to row "eight" was the same length sryadnoy "six"? But the boss insisted - so it had to meet.
The main problem with compliance with overall length motor was indigenous bearings - they are too narrow, respectively, reduced their working area, and this is directly threatened the reliability of the engine. I had to use instead of the babbitt as a material for bearings more refractory bronze, revise the lubrication system and introduce it in an additional oil cooler, and take a whole series of steps aimed at improving the "vitality" of the engine at long and significant loads. But in the end all these problems were solved - and the engine torque passed with flying colors and sea trials, was recommended to start the series.
The motor was manufactured in three versions, differing working volume and - accordingly - power output. The smallest version of 8-50 was 3.6 liters and 77 liters developed. with., the largest 8-80 - 5.6 liters and 104 liters. with. and the average 8-60 - 4.4 liters and 90 liters. with. Indices of both motors are the indices of the three series of machines Buick in 1931 - the fourth series, 8-90, had the same engine as the 8-80, but a longer wheelbase. The car in our pictures - dark blue roadster - refers to the average series: a model 8-64, released in 1050 the number of copies and is available for sale at a price of 1335 dollars. (Judging by the fact that the car now resides in Germany, in the glorious city of Bremen, it may well be the export version of the model, 8-64 - and these were manufactured and sold in much smaller: only 28 pieces. However, the current owners are convinced that belonging his car - a model of 8-66-S. What can not be, because this index in 1931, belonged to a closed model with four-body coupe and roadster are not.)
In fact, Buick cars in 1931 were no different from previous models - minus the new engine and new transmission with synchronizers: a body remains the same - the very same that were first introduced two years earlier on the "anniversary" models (in 1929 brand celebrated its 25th anniversary). Then the new style to the general public "does not looked" - because of the convex sides of the local wits called them car Buick «pregnant," and appeared briefly in the production program in 1931, "junior" model of Marquette hastened to declare a "new baby". The child, however, was not so much a newborn, as stillborn - Marquette car production was discontinued because of the extremely low level of demand before the end of the season in 1930 - and bulky helped smooth out the roundness of the sides well padded shiny lining, shading advantageous light line and at the same time conceals depth, so that any car 1930 Buick looked longer than she really was. A single exterior detail, in which the car in 1931 to distinguish it from its predecessor, was a cap of radiator caps, topped with the number 8 with stylized wings - he had in all four series, as cars with six-cylinder Buick brand since 1931 no longer were produced. Only three decades later, in 1961 model year, innovations "compact» Buick Special got under the hood of a V-shaped "six", the famous engine and it was in all respects successful - but not of it now speech. Few know, however, that the first Buick V6 in the department designed in 1916 - but then found it in-line cylinders preferable. (Along the way, were still working on the motor and V12, - long before the solution of similar problems in the department have started Cadillac; two copies of the multi-cylinder power plant have even been installed on cars to pass dorozhnyhispytany, and one of these machines are still intact day).
Shown here a copy of the above instead of the cap with the number 8 has nakapotnoe decoration in the form of miniature figurines swift Roman god Mercury, running somewhere in the whole spirit of a winged ball in outstretched hand. This nifty little thing comes as the official emblem of the factory machines Detroit Buick foundry Ternstedta, and anyone could make it subject to the installation when ordering a car instead of a standard plug for a small additional fee. A similar, but more finely detailed, jewelry offered (and also for a fee) on the machines in 1929: up to two years in a row of radiator caps Buick cars topped head girl in a winged hat - but not all the models, but only a long wheelbase and the open. Machines in 1930 had any sort of nakapotnyh decorations - just a simple round cap with notches on the side. It must be admitted that the use of such a cap was not an example of it is more convenient than a "decorated": maiden head and "eight-to-wings" is not too good to lay his hand when trying to open the filler neck of the cooling system, and the thin-legged statues of the two samples cast from a brittle zinc alloy with chrome plating, all too easily broken near the ankle. That's why they used a relatively small demand among buyers Buick. These days, a car with such nakapotnym ornament - a rarity.
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Translation Buick cars for 8-cylinder rod could not stop the fall in consumer demand for these machines that appeared in 1926 - even despite the fact that the eight-cylinder car in 1931 cost an average of just $ 25 more expensive six-cylinder cars the previous sample. The recession dragged on for a decade, and it lasted until the mid-thirties, it took the change in leadership offices and fairly intensive efforts by the new authorities to finally reverse this trend. But to top fortieth Buick strengthened so that could even claim to be part of the car market premium, thus becoming a competitor to cars Cadillac. Noeto's another story.
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