When I was young, my great-grandmother drove a 1955 Buick Special. Everyday, for nearly 7 years, she picked me up from school with it. It was the last car that her husband bought, around the time of his retirement from Buick Motor Division, here in Flint. That was also 1955. I have pictures of him in his Spartan and utilitarian working environment from the 40’s and 50’s. They all have that otherworldly ancient quality of an age gone by. I used to stare at those pictures and look at the objects in the background. Curious signs, old telephones, blurry images of machinery and clear pictures of dead people.
I never gave the car much thought at the time. The other kids either teased me about it or, were fascinated by it, one or the other. She made me sit in the back seat, for safety as she piloted the formidable tank gingerly through those 70’s era pseudo-compacts and over-sized, underpowered G.M. monstrosities. Regardless of all of that, the car really was quite a work of art. Chrome interior trim-work, matched painted metal accents and comfortable appointments throughout. Needless to say, I love Buicks today.
The 2003 Park Avenue Ultra has the old portholes. Interesting. I don’t think that it quite holds a candle to an old LeSabre, Roadmaster, Century, Wildcat, or Invicta but, at least stealing from their own past turned out to be a good thing. Now, if I can only afford one, say in… 2006? 2007? Okay, 2008. Regardless, the newest Buick advertising campaign adding some brigtwork and invoking the names of dead beloved auto designers does not even come close to the glory of the old days. Nice try though.