For a single year in 1953, Buick offered both V8 and straight-eight models in its lineup. It marked the end of an era for the GM division and the beginning of another.
There were two big stories at Buick for 1953. First, the brand was celebrating its golden anniversary. Founded in 1903 by David Dunbar Buick in 1903, the company had joined General Motors in 1908, and was now it was promoting its 50 years in the business with an advertising campaign and special emblems on the cars.
Next, for 1953 Buick introduced its first V8, the one that became known as the Nailhead. (See our feature here.) Since 1931, Buicks had been known for their overhead-valve, straight-eight engines, a brand identifier, but the new V8 was not only necessary, it was inevitable. GM had decided that going forward, its corporate vehicle platforms would no longer support inline eight-cylinder engines. After all, the V8 was 150 lbs lighter and more than a foot shorter than the straight eight—a far more manageable package (see above).
Special Riviera Hardtop Coupe
So for a single transition year in 1953, Buick offered both straight-eight and V8 models, with one foot in the past and the other in the future The base Special (Series 40) was powered by the trusty 263.3 cubic-inch Fireball straight eight with 125 hp, or 130 hp with Dynaflow transmission. Meanwhile, a 322 CID V8 with 164/170 hp was standard in the Super (50 series), while the 322 CID V8 in the flagship Roadmaster (Series 70) received a boost in compression ratio to 8.5:1 and a four-barrel carburetor, good for 188 hp.
Skylark
Otherwise, the ’53 product line was relatively straightforward as Buick years go, with all three models—Special, Super, and Roadmaster—based on the same 121.5-in wheelbase chassis. A Riviera hardtop, a convertible, and a four-door sedan were offered in each model, while a station wagon was available in Super and Roadmaster levels. A new specialty model was the Motorama-inspired Skylark, based on the Riviera but with unique exterior sheet metal and trim and 40-spoke wire wheels. Priced at an even $5,000, the Skylark sold 1,690 units.
Air conditioning was another new Buick feature for 1953. Offered only on the V8-powered Super and Roadmaster, this was a first-generation A/C unit with the compressor mounted on the engine and the condenser ahead of the radiator in the familiar manner. However, the evaporator and blower were located in the trunk, with ducting through the parcel shelf and headliner. In 1954, Nash and Pontiac improved on this bulky and cumbersome setup with the first dash-integral systems.
If there was much pushback from traditional Buick straight-eight buyers to the introduction of the new V8, it wasn’t evident in the sales for ’53. Into a rising market, Buick moved nearly 487,000 cars that year, a 32 percent increase over 1952. Meanwhile, the V8-powered Super and Roadmaster continued to take their usual share of Buick sales. For 1954 the straight eight was dropped, and Nailhead V8s were the only engines offered in full-size Buicks through 1966.
Roadmaster Sedan 
Last year of the pfat, more bulk for your buck look before the new, streamlined and panorama windshielded 54’s appeared on GM’s three senior lines. The bottom two followed in 1955. And by that year, every brand had a V-8.
Probably a very smart move on Buick’s part, not to turn off the real conservative end of their clientele. If you didn’t trust those new fangled V-8’s you were only penalized by being forced to buy the cheap model in the lineup.
While I’ll certainly admit to the technological superiority of the V-8, my heart stays fond to the venerable straight eight. That ’37 Special I had for fifteen years certain had its influence on my life.
And since the bulk of the business was Specials, it allowed them to ramp up production of the new engine rather than risk putting defective ones out by the million.