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37-506: The original line given the Limited nameplate, topped by an extended-wheelbase limousine, was in direct competition with Cadillac senior sedans for clientele, which wanted a GM luxury car but regarded Cadillac as "ostentatious" or "flamboyant" in contrast to Buick's reputation for durable, reliable, and staid premium vehicles. Buick's top platform was introduced in 1931 as the Series 90, using

74-445: A gray iron foundry; after remodeling that year, it was converted to a manufacturing and assembly plant for torque converters . Factory 83/84 included 950,000 sq ft (88,000 m ) of building space, divided between Buildings 11, 32, 66, and 83. Prior to 1981, it was used to manufacture front and rear axles; after the remodeling, it built "white metal" engine components, including pistons, water pumps, and manifolds. This

111-429: A 4-door hardtop, 2-door hardtop coupe or convertible, the Limited rode Buick's 127.5 in (3,238 mm) wheelbase, and overall length 227.1 in (5,768 mm). Interiors were of high quality fabrics in sedans and coupes, full leather in convertibles. Buick sold only 7,438 Limiteds, due in part to their price. The Limited's four-door hardtop sedan started at a base price of $ 5,112, ($ 53,986 in 2023 dollars ) which

148-462: A location in Flint, on Hamilton between Industrial and St. John, producing 16 cars in 1903 and 37 in 1904. The plant originated with Buick before the formation of General Motors. Other elements were built by early manufacturers and suppliers like Fisher Body . General Motors was founded in 1908, including Buick, which produced 30,000 cars in Flint for 1910. After General Motors assumed operations,

185-455: A new 200,000 square foot manufacturing plant on the former Buick City complex. The plant's acreage became an EPA cleanup site. In August 2018, a 156,000-square-foot Lear Corporation seat manufacturing facility opened, built on 33 acres of the former Buick City site in Flint. The Buick City site occupies 412.947 acres (167.114 ha), bounded approximately by E Pierson Rd (to the north), Saginaw, North, Industrial, and Andrew/Horton (to

222-587: A newer facility that was scheduled to open in 1985. In response, a senior administrator wrote the Buick City business plan, which was adopted in 1982. After several updates and a US$ 350 million investment, it was christened "Buick City" in September 1985, GM's answer to Toyota City , adopting the latter's high technology, just-in-time manufacturing methods, labor-management cooperation, and inventory control. Production of Buick and Oldsmobile H-body cars

259-551: A sectioned rear compartment separating the driver from the rear passengers, and a glass partition could be raised to provide privacy. AM radios were first offered as an option. Behind the scenes, Cadillac executives lobbied to get the Limited out of production because it infringed on their market. While it was priced in the lower end of its Fleetwood series price point, the Limited was listed at US$ 2,453 ($ 53,731 in 2023 dollars ) but almost equaled Cadillac's factory built Imperial Touring Limousine , which cost almost four times as much as

296-426: Is also known as Factory 31. Building 11 was the first built under General Motors, completed in 1909 for US$ 1 million. Engine component manufacturing was moved to Factory 36 in 2004. Factory 86 encompasses Buildings 03, 04, 08, 10, 12, 16, 23, 29, 40, 44, and 94, collectively with 1,800,000 sq ft (170,000 m ) of space, used for vehicle assembly, testing, and storage. Building 04, completed in 1947,

333-614: The Liberty L-12 engine in Flint, supporting manufacturing for military aircraft and vehicles used in World War I . By 1923, Buick had produced one million cars. Car production stopped from 1942 to 1946 as GM plants switched over to producing trucks, tanks, and aircraft; Buick specialized in making the M18 Hellcat , the fastest tank destroyer of the entire war. After World War II , when vehicle production resumed, Buick City

370-637: The engine block and cylinder heads were cast at Defiance Foundry in Defiance, Ohio and earlier at Saginaw Metal Casting Operations in Saginaw, Michigan . At the end of 1986, General Motors announced that 11 manufacturing plants would be closed by 1989; this put 35,000 of the 150,000 Flint residents out of work, and the subsequent economic toll on the community was chronicled in Michael Moore 's 1989 documentary film , Roger & Me , although

407-558: The "Limited" name to its top trim Electra 225, which was previously known as the Electra 225 Custom. The cars were not badged as Electra 225s, but instead wore "Limited" scripts. However, these cars were Electra 225s, and in a break from tradition, the "Limited" trim level could be optioned with either the Park Avenue or Park Avenue DeLuxe options package, each even more well-equipped than the Limited model alone. Buick continued to use

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444-580: The 1940s and beyond. Elements of the 235-acre (950,000 m ) complex dated from before 1904, when it was known as Flint Wagon Works ; the first manufacturing operations at the site started in 1898 after Billy Durant and Josiah Dallas Dort purchased the Imperial Wheel Company and moved its factory to the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and St. John Street (now James P. Cole Blvd). After Flint Wagon Works purchased Buick Motor Company in September 1903, Buick's operations were relocated to

481-495: The 7-passenger Limousine were US$ 2,035 ($ 40,771 in 2023 dollars ). The Series 90 offered nearly the same refinement and attention to detail as Cadillac, but lacked its more modern, more powerful engine, while having a more advanced overhead valve train than the Packard's aging flathead design. Standard coachwork for Buick was exclusively supplied by Fisher Body , and rolling chassis were available to coachbuilders. The next year

518-768: The Buick Limited name was revived as a single-year halo car for the Division in model year 1958. In comparison to the chrome-laden junior models in the Buick lineup, the GM C platform -based Limited was slightly more restrained than the Special , Century , Super and Roadmaster . Instead of a chromed side panel trim, it got a body color-keyed insert decorated with fifteen slanted hash marks (three groups of five). The Limited also received its own rear tail treatment that traded

555-455: The Buick, in its appointments. Buick executives asserted that Limited production averaged only 1,561 vehicles per year for model years 1938 through 1940, an insignificant amount compared to Cadillac's production of its senior cars. For 1940 Buick renamed some of its Series designations and gave names instead. Buick's Series 40 was named the Special , the Series 50 became the Super , the Series 60

592-695: The GM " C-body " platform shared with the Cadillac Series 355 . It featured a 344.8 cu in (5.7 L) Buick Straight-8 engine OHV engine, developing 104 bhp of power at 2,800 rpm. A premium luxury car, it was intended to compete with the advanced Cadillac V8 , the exclusive straight-8 Packard Standard Eight , and other top U.S. marques. Closed cars came with mohair velvet interiors, retractable silk passenger compartment shades, and wool carpeting throughout. Roadsters, Phaetons and convertibles came standard with leather interior. Retail prices for

629-564: The Limited name date to 1936 when Buick added names to its entire model lineup to celebrate the engineering improvements and design advancements over their 1935 models. It shared its chassis with the top-level Cadillac Series 70 vehicles. Buick had released a new line of cars that were technically superior to their predecessors by offering such features as all-steel passenger compartment tops (GM's Turret Top design), improved front suspension, improved hydraulic safety braking system, alloy engine pistons and an improved engine cooling system. In 1938,

666-774: The award. The final cars built at Buick City were the Pontiac Bonneville and the Buick LeSabre . Full-size sedan manufacturing was consolidated at Orion Assembly . Vehicle engines and components continued to be manufactured in the northern part of the site, renamed General Motors Powertrain Flint North , for approximately another decade; however, the remainder of Buick City was vacated by GM employees and site responsibilities were transferred to Motors Liquidation Company as of December 6, 2010. In 2013, American Cast Iron Pipe Company announced plans to construct

703-400: The closure of Buick City would not start until a decade after the film was released. Citing declining sedan sales, General Motors announced in 1997 the Buick City plant would close; the last day of vehicle assembly plant operations was June 29, 1999. That same year, Buick City won J. D. Power's Platinum Award for assembly plant quality. As of 2016, it is the only General Motors plant to win

740-561: The designation of "Limited" through 2005 on its various models to typically denote the highest trim level in a model range. GM C platform Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.150 via cp1114 cp1114, Varnish XID 911079176 Upstream caches: cp1114 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:42:38 GMT Buick City Buick City

777-418: The eve of World War II when the last Buick was built February 2, 1942. Following World War II , Buick dropped its extended wheelbase models, and cancelled the Series 90 Limited nameplate. The name Limited was truly appropriate to the cars themselves which were limited to touring sedans and limousines; its sales too were the smallest of Buick's entire model range: In celebration of GM 's Fiftieth Anniversary,

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814-641: The factory was expanded to accommodate the manufacturing and assembly of Buick vehicles and components. For more than 80 years, it was Buick's "home plant" and built the majority of models in the lineup. By 1915, the Durant/Dort Carriage Company had ceased operations, including the Imperial Wheel Works division; its buildings, near the northeast corner of Industrial and Hamilton, were incorporated into Buick, which started expanding north. In 1918, Buick switched production to

851-408: The heavy chrome tail light housings for a wraparound tail light lens broken up by four chrome bands. Rear bumper "Dagmars" housed "Dual Jet" back-up lights. In the front, it received the same aggressive Fashion-Aire Dynastar grille, cast of 160 chrome squares, each "shaped in a design to maximize the amount of reflective light"according to Buick PR. Power brakes were standard. Available only as

888-619: The majority of Buick automobiles were produced at Buick City. The original factory at one time was the largest in the world, consisting of 24 separate buildings contributing to the manufacturing process, until 1928 when the Ford River Rouge Complex was completed and began operations. In the beginning, all components were manufactured in one location, to include wheel bearings , nuts, bolts, and screws, to transmissions , suspension components, wheels and interior components. Operations were carried out in this fashion well into

925-584: The most expensive Buicks in production, riding on the company's longest wheelbase of 138 in (3,505 mm), and the best appointed cars that Buick built. All Limiteds were built at the Buick factory in Flint, Michigan , while all Cadillacs were built in Detroit at the Clark Street Facility while coachwork was provided by Fisher Body . Production of the Limited, and all Buick continued until

962-456: The size grew and a new high performance engine was introduced developing 113 hp. In 1933 all GM cars received an updated "streamlined" look produced by the corporation's Art and Color Studio headed by Harley Earl . In 1934 the running board was shortened and engine output increased to 116 hp. In 1935 the appearance alone was updated. Total sales for the line was 43,321. In 1936 the model changed its name to "90 Limited" . The origins of

999-562: The west), E Hamilton Ave (to the south), and CSX Railroad and James P Cole Blvd (to the east). It is divided into the Northend (north of Leith) and Southend (south of Leith). Automobile manufacturing activities in the Southend ceased in 1999 and the buildings were demolished by 2002; the Northend continued manufacturing automotive parts and components until 2010, and most buildings there were demolished by 2012. Building 01, built in 1968,

1036-407: The wheelbase was stretched 2 inches from 138 to 140 inches (3,556 mm), and the Limited, along with Roadmaster, lost its wooden structural members for steel, making them the last Buick passenger cars to rely upon wood components. In 1939, Buick products underwent a substantial redesign; however, the Limited's "limited" production merited it to continue using its 1938 body. The 1939 Limited offered

1073-638: Was $ 221 ($ 2,334 in 2023 dollars ) higher than Cadillac's entry-level Series 62 four-door hardtop sedan at $ 4,891 ($ 51,652 in 2023 dollars ) of which Cadillac sold 13,335 units. For the 1959 model year, Buick renamed its entire lineup, with the Super becoming the Invicta , the Roadmaster becoming the Electra 225 . The Limited name was used again in 1967 as a trim option on the Electra 225 Custom model and other models. Between 1971 and 1979, Buick added

1110-501: Was a massive, vertically-integrated automobile manufacturing complex in northeast Flint , Michigan , which served the Buick home plant between 1904 and 1999. In the early 1980s, after major renovations were completed to better compete with Japanese producers, the plant was renamed to "Buick City". From 1904 to its closure in 1999, Buick City was the central plant for Buick and one of General Motors' largest factories; for those years,

1147-995: Was a three-story building with approximately 300,000 sq ft (28,000 m ) of floor space, used solely as an administration building with no manufacturing operations. Factory 03 encompassed Building 30 and its annexes (30A, 30B, 30C, 30D, 30E, and 30F), approximately 205,000 sq ft (19,000 m ) in total, used to manufacture coil springs. Factory 05 was Building 43, with approximately 650,000 sq ft (60,000 m ) of floor space used for manufacturing transmission components. Building 07 housed three fossil-fired boilers (coal or natural gas) to generate process steam and compressed air for site operations. Each boiler produced up to 400,000 lb/h (180,000 kg/h) of steam at 200 psi (1,400 kPa) [gage]. It had approximately 170,000 sq ft (16,000 m ) of floor area. Factory 10 encompasses Buildings 20, 22, and 24; Building 20 had approximately 700,000 sq ft (65,000 m ) of floor area and

Buick Limited - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-488: Was named the Century , the Series 70 was named the Roadmaster , and the Limited was given both the Series 80 and Series 90, with the Series 90 given to a limousine with a 140 in (3,556 mm) wheelbase and 8-passenger capacity. The engine was a 320 cu in (5,243.9 cc) 120 hp (89 kW; 122 PS) Buick Straight-8 engine , improving to 141 hp (105 kW; 143 PS) by 1939. Limiteds were

1221-435: Was scheduled to commence at Buick City for the 1986 model year. The Buick City concept represented a successful attempt by General Motors to compete with Japanese manufacturers; the 1989 Buick LeSabre built in Buick City was the top-ranked car in the J.D. Power and Associates customer satisfaction survey for that year; it was the first American built car to appear on the list. For the engine assembly plant (Factory 36),

1258-401: Was the primary location where all components were created, with knock-down kits distributed to assembly plants in major metropolitan US cities, where the vehicles were locally assembled and distributed in their respective regions. Buick built rear-wheel drive A-body Regals , B-body LeSabres , and C-body Electras at the Flint campus; however, GM considered moving vehicle production to

1295-472: Was used as an aluminum foundry during World War II, then as the Dynaflow transmission assembly plant. These buildings collectively had approximately 225,000 sq ft (20,900 m ) of space and were used for site facilities engineering, maintenance and construction, and Powertrain laboratories. Factory (Building) 36 had approximately 1,100,000 sq ft (100,000 m ) of floor area and

1332-472: Was used for final assembly, with 435,000 sq ft (40,400 m ) of space; Building 16 also was used for final assembly, with 194,000 sq ft (18,000 m ) of space. Building 44 was the paint shop, with 113,000 sq ft (10,500 m ) of space, completed in 1977. Building 08 was completed in 1972 and used for final car preparation. Building 40 was used for wheel and tire assembly and storage for blemished body parts. Building 12

1369-449: Was used for machining, assembly, and testing of vehicle engines and engine components. Building 38 had slightly more than 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m ) of floor area and was used as a warehouse for vehicle engines and engine parts, Product Evaluation Program car cleaning, and light vehicle repair. Factory 81 encompassed Buildings 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, and 74 along with their respective annexes. Prior to 1981, these were used as

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