Buick Century 1936 1954 1973 1978 1982 1989 1997 Future

The name was first used by the marque in 1936, positioned above the Special and below the Roadmaster and Limited .

2 1954

The Century name disappeared when car production was discontinued part way through 1942, and did not re-emerge until 1954, running from then through 1958. Perhaps the most notable model of the ’50s was the Century Caballero, an unusual four-door hardtop station wagon which was produced for '57 and '58. Buick's 1959 complete line-up name changes retired the Century name for a while, replacing the 'most spirited Buick' with the Invicta series.

3 1973

In 1973, when all GM's intermediate models were redesigned, the name reappeared on Buick's mid-size sedans and wagons and some coupes. (Previously the Skylark had been Buick's entry in this market segment.) From this point on, along with the new upmarket Regal coupe, Century was a mainstay of Buick's smaller line. With the vanishing of the Skylark coupe after '72, the Century inherited its potent Gran Sport performance option. While the Stage I 455 in³ (7.5 L) V8 was somewhat diminished from its performance heyday due to emission controls, the Century GS coupes of '73, '74, and '75 remained strong performers by the standards of the time. At the other end of the power spectrum, to meet fuel economy regulations, some later models of this generation were equipped with 231 in³ (3.8 L) V6's. (It should be noted that the Buick Centurion, which appeared about this same time, was a completely different car.)

4 1978

In 1978, a downsized, redesigned Century appeared in the form of a fastback coupe and a very unusual fastback sedan. V6's were standard due to fuel economy regulations. The fastback sedan did not sell well (in common with the similar Oldsmobile Cutlass sedan) and it was revamped as a more conventional notchback in 1980.

5 1982

In 1982Events January January 6 William Bonin is convicted of being the "freeway killer". January 8 AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions January 11 Mark Thatcher, son of the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, disappears in the Sahara du, another downsized Century arrived, this time on the front wheel driveFront wheel drive is the most common form of engine/ transmission layout used in modern automobiles, where the engine drives the front wheels. Rear wheel drive was the traditional standard while four wheel drive is also sometimes used. The history of fron GM A platformThe General Motors A platform (commonly called A-Body was a midsize car automobile platform. The A-bodies evolved from rear wheel drive compact cars to front wheel drive midsize sedans over the course of 35 years. The switch in drive layout in 1982 spawne, in coupe, sedan, and wagon form. Wheelbase was 104.9 in, with 189 in overall length. Both four-cylinder and diesel V6 engines were offered in this generation, although neither became popular. Performance versions of several Buick models, including the Century coupe, were offered in the mid-80s under the T-Type name. With a 181 in³ (3.0 L) V6 producing 110 hp (82 kW), though, the T Century's performance was modest. This Century did gain an excellent reputation for build quality and reliability and had a very successful production run of 14 years.

6 1989

The Century recieved a facelift for 19891989 is a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). Events January January 7 Akihito becomes Emperor of Japan following the death of Hirohito. The Heisei period begins January 8 the Kegworth Air Disaster A British Midland Boeing 737 cra but continued on the aging GM A platform. Beginning in 1989, all models except wagons were easily known by their distinctive full-width tailights, a somewhat extravagant flourish on a smaller sedan, but one that carried on a Buick tradition of big tailights. An exterior refresh came in 1991. The 2.5 L I4 was replaced with a new 110 hp 2.2 L for 1993, and power on this engine was up to 120 hp for 1994 with the introduction of MFI. The 160 hp 3.3 L V6 was replaced with a 3.1 L V6 for 1994 with the same power rating.

Engines:

1990-1992 2500 2.5 L (151 in³) I4, 110 hp, 135 ft.lbf
1990-1993 3800 3.3 L (204 in³) V6, 160 hp, 185 ft.lbf
1993 2.2 L (134 in³) I4, 110 hp, 130 ft.lbf
1994-1995 2.2 L (134 in³) I4, 120 hp, 130 ft.lbf
1994-1995 3.1 3.1 L (191 in³) V6, 160 hp, 185 ft.lbf

7 1997

In 1997 what would prove to be the last Century appeared, still a front-drive V6 configuration, this time on the GM W platform. Only a four-door sedan was offered, the coupe and wagon variants having vanished. In this generation, the Century and Regal were exactly the same car, distinguished only by trim and powerplant differences. Since the Century was the lower-priced, it was also the lower-powered and plainer of the two. Nevertheless, the design was well-proportioned and the car retained its reputation for quality. After the 1998 discontinuation of the Skylark (which had returned as a compact in the ’80s), the Century for the first time became Buick's entry-level car.

Engines:

1996-2002 3.1 3.1 L (191 in³) V6
1996-1998 3.8 L (231 in³) V6
2003-2004 3.8 L (231 in³) V6

8 Future

From April 1999, Shanghai GM produced a version of this Century for the Chinese market. These models had slightly different names: the entry-level model was the Buick New Century, with more upscale models carrying the GL and GLX names. Later, G and GS models were added.

In 2004, it was announced that the all-new Buick LaCrosse would replace both Century and Regal in 2005. A limited run of Centuries with special trim was planned for model year 2005 to mark the end of the name.

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1 1936