Buick's Bid

Nearly every motorist would like a sports car--or something close to it--if it had the comfort, roominess and reasonable price of the traditional family auto. In Flint, Mich, this week, Buick's General Manager Ivan L. (for Lester) Wiles, 55, took the wraps off what he thinks should fit the bill. It is Buick's Century, a new line that comes close to being a sports car for the family.

Sleek and low (60 1/2 in.), Buick's Century is designed to sell in the $2,300 price range between the Special and the Super (without such equipment as radio & heater). It is built on the Special's wheelbase (122 in.), but under the hood it has the same 200-h.p. engine as the Roadmaster. It will be available as a station wagon, two-door Riviera and four-door sedan.

The Century, however, was not the only new car to roll off Buick's production line. For the first time in 18 years, Buick redesigned its entire line in the same year, at a cost of about $45 million. While most prices were unchanged from last year, the basic factory price of the Super convertible was cut $60 (to $2,700), while that of the Skylark sports car was slashed $500 (to $4,100).

The 1954 models follow the low and racy lines of last year's Skylark, are some three inches lower and as much as five inches longer than the 1953 models. The new cars have wrap-around windshields that give more visibility. Hoods have been lowered and fenders raised, so the driver can see his right front fender.

Under the hood, the Special has a V-8 engine with 150 h.p., v. 125 h.p. in 1953; the Super's horsepower has been boosted from 170 to 182, and the Roadmaster's from 188 to 200.

To show his confidence in his new models, Wiles has scheduled first-quarter Buick output at 135,000 cars, up nearly 10% from the same period last year. Buick's goal for 1954: to push Plymouth out of third place in auto sales.

Two other automakers announced new lines this week:

> In its ding-dong battle with Chevrolet for top place, Ford spent $65 million on its 1954 line. Chief new feature: an overhead-valve V-8 engine that delivers 130 h.p., v. 110 h.p. in last year's model. A new Ford hardtop, the Skyliner, and the Sunliner convertible have transparent plastic roofs over the driver's seat.

> Willys Motors announced a new two-passenger sports car, the Kaiser Darrin 161, designed by Howard A. Darrin, who has done cars for Packard and Lincoln as well as custom cars for Rita Hayworth and Errol Flynn. Like Chevrolet's Corvette, the Darrin 161 has a plastic body that weighs but 300 lbs. (total weight: 2,175 lbs.). Powered by a six-cylinder, 90-h.p. engine, it has six forward speeds and doors that slide into the front fenders instead of opening outward. Factory list price: $3,668.

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