With all-new styling and modern V8 power across the board for 1954, Buick notified  American car shoppers that here was “the beautiful buy.”

The 1954 model year was a busy one at General Motors. Buick, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac, the premium brands, all received brand-new body shells—longer, lower, and wider—in both the B-body and C-body product lines. At Buick, the restyling was credited to the prolific Ned Nickles, head of the Buick Studio. He continued the brand’s familiar toothy grille, sweepspear side trim, and his own signature ventiports in the front fenders.

Among the new features was the wraparound Panoramic Windshield, a favorite development of GM styling vice president Harley Earl in partnership with glassmaker Libbey-Owens-Ford. Other elements inspired by the LeSabre and XP-300 dream cars included the grille outline, the rear tail fin precursors, and the instrument panel controls. We presume Buick executives, including general manager Ivan  L. Wiles, must have been proud of the final result. The brand’s leading slogan that year was “the beautiful buy.”

Series 70 Roadmaster Riviera Sedan 

There were engineering improvements in the new body shells, too, including a more sophisticated body-mounting system, improved ventilation, and upgraded door seals. While the B-body cars (Special and Century) were increased only a half-inch in wheelbase to 122 inches, the C-body cars (Super and Roadmaster) received a full 5.5-in stretch in the chassis to 127 Inches, further enhancing the smooth, level ride the big Buicks were prized for in those days.

Series 60 Century Riviera Hardtop Coupe

You may have noticed we glided over an important addition for ’54: The popular Century, discontinued in 1942, was back in the lineup, slotted above the base model Special and below the long-wheelbase Super and Roadmaster. While the Century shared its short-wheelbase platform with the base-model Special, it received the same 322 cubic-inch, 200 hp Fireball V8 as the Roadmaster. The banker’s hot rod was back. Meanwhile, the base-model Special was treated to its own 264 CID, 150 hp Nailhead V8, and the valve-in-head straight eight, in service since 1931, was finally dropped for good.

Series 100 Skylark 

The limited-production Skylark convertible continued in ’54 but with some significant changes. To enhance its sporting appeal, it was moved from the Roadmaster platform to the shorter and lighter Century package and it, too, was blessed with the big V8 (but no ventiports).  However, Skylark sales declined from 1,690 to just 836 in 1954 and this was the final year. But if you were a convertible fan, Buick was the place for you. Along with the Skylark, the division offered ragtops in every series: Special, Century, Super, and Roadmaster. In the Special and Century series, there were station wagons, too, with bodies by Ionia rather than GM’s own Fisher Body Division.

The Buick brand was in high cotton in the early-to-mid fifties, comfortably holding down fourth place in U.S. sales just behind the low-priced three. In ’54 the volume continued to climb, surpassing the half-million mark for the first time since 1950. It’s said that Buick could have sold even more cars if the Flint plant could keep up with the demand. As usual, the value-priced Special accounted for a good chunk of the volume, nearly 43 percent, while the reborn Century claimed around 18 percent. All this was setting the stage for 1955, when Buick briefly passed Plymouth to take third place in U.S. sales.