Charles D. Barnette

Mr. Earl I want you most of all to see it. Let me know if you can't get it at home. Your friend, Charles-I will be most interested in your comments after viewing same.

While waiting the remaining 9 days until the B59 party in Colorado Springs, I discovered that Rawhide, Bonanza, and Twilight Zone all had their TV debuts in 1959. Buddy Holley, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper were killed together in a plane crash in 1959. Plus Johnny Mathis recorded "Misty" in the year 1959. Now since I have already put a 53 Buick on this site to represent the beginning of the 50s decade and since I have tied the XP-75 into the Skylark, how about some pictures of the 1953 Buick Skylark (first year for the Skylark)? Two years ago at Petit Jean I was fortunate to be able to take pictures of one both at my motel in Russellville, AR, and on Petit Jean Mountain. Carla will post the results. The 1953 Buick Skylark could be considered a "six seat sports car"! The car was described as "scintillating life on wheels"! This limited production vehicle was built on a Roadmaster chassis, had cut-down doors, and hunkered-tight top. It was brilliantly lively, and I hope to see some examples of it at Colorado Springs next week. Meanwhile check out this "burgundy" one coming up shortly. Charles D. Barnette

Dear 40 Series, the mere thought of this car living again blows my mind. I would suggest looking closely at the site created by Greg Cockerill listed above. Good luck! Charles D. Barnette

The club will remember that the 1954 Buick Landau came to Texarkana last October. At that time a special photo session was set up in the parking lot of Beech Street First Baptist Church in order for David Temple, author of GM's Motorama, to take professional pictures. Kevin Lambert, husband of my secretary Nancy Lambert, shot raw footage of the photo session with David Temple, myself, the employee of Mr. O'Quinn (owner of the car), and Robert Blair (son of the Buick executive who saved the Landau) all present along with the incredible 1954 Buick Landau Motorama Show Car. Mr. Lambert has just now put the footage on You Tube. Here is that link.

Thanks Greg for your excellent post. Now I will add this great car to my list to find along side the list of Motorama cars to find. Wouldn't it be great to find the silver XP-75 sitting next to the 1959 Buick Texan Estate Wagon? Oh well a guy can dream can't he? Last weekend, I attended the Petit Jean annual Father's Day Car Show near Morrilton, Arkansas. Some of the most beautiful country-side in the world is found here which is at the foot of the Ozark Mountains with Petit Jean being a "mountain". At the show was a red 2 door 53 Buick "Three Holer". Carla will post my pictures of same. The year 1953 was a great year for Buick at the beginning of the 50s decade. The XP-75 in my mind represents the transition from the 50s to the 60s. During the fifties there were three personalities in the entertainment business that defined the decade. A 50 Mercury at the show contined portraits of all three in its external paint job. Carla will post pictures of same to get us all in the mood to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 59 Buick taking place in 10 days from now. A word to the wise is that the 59 Buick event will be a photographer's paradise-don't forget your cameras! Charles D. Barnette

Of course you can see where I am coming from, it might help me find out a little bit more about the elusive 1959 Buick Texan Wagon! Charles

A little research on the net reveals that the story of Ionia's legendary station wagon bodies begins with its founder Donald R. Mitchell. Ionia started building Buick's wagons in 1949 with the contract renewed in 1954. From 1954 through 1964, Ionia manufactured all 139,444 station wagon bodies sold by GM's Buick division. So where are the records and photos of Ionia on the Buick wagons during this period kept now? This would be a treasure-trove for those owning these wagons today! Charles D. Barnette

Two weeks from today, Buick lovers gathered at Colorado Springs will witness the largest invasion of 59 Buicks since the year of 1959. Each 59 Buick will arrive engulfed in "Rock Star" like euphoria! The tidal wave of excitement has reached a fever pitch ready to explode in monumental proportions! Have you caught the B59 fever yet? To help the cure, Carla will post herein a GM archives picture of the 1959 Buick XP-75 from my collection. Are you ready? Charles D. Barnette

BCA, it is time to come together now over the beauty of the Buicks. That is what binds us all together to begin with. Let's make this meet the best that the BCA has ever had! When Karen asked me to move I said "YES" even though I had almost a one year reservation at the host hotel, because it seems to me we are a winner whether we stay at the Crowne Plaza or the Double Tree!!! (Three exclamation points-one for LeSabre, one for Invicta, and one for Electra) I guarantee the 59 Buick Division is ready to show you at least 34 59 Buicks from all over the nation in every body style and in every color. Further, you will not be able to escape me singing at the top of my lungs in either Hotel Lobby the song "Buick 59" by the Medallions. We will sing it in rounds together if you are lucky enough to get on my shuttle! In fact I believe I'll start singing it now and will not quit until I reach the Springs. "Would you like to ride in my Buick 59? It's got a 8 cylinder motor and a jet propelled over-drive!" Can you hear me all the way from Texarkana?... Can you hear me now? Everybody together now-sing! Charles D. Barnette

Finally I have my hands on my own copy of the long awaited 2009 June issue of The Bugle. All I can say is WOW! I hope the 1960 Buick fans are taking notes for next year when the 60 Buick turns fifty, because the 59 Buick people have set a high bench mark indeed for celebrating a 50th anniversary. Pete has put a marvelous, historical two issue treatise together on the 59 Buick that is highly collectible. I feel deeply honored to have been allowed to make a contibution to the 59 Buick by my article on the "Texan". I hope that if the Texan does still exist that this article will flush it out. I am thrilled by the layout of every article regarding the 59 Buick-I have to admit that I love the best the articles "Searching For a Flattop" and "59 Invicta (2 door hardtop)". See you all in Colorado Springs! Charles D. Barnette

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: old-tank</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Charles Please no "Eyes Of Texas" around this Aggie! Willie </div></div> Ah! I see a good Texas rivalry has emerged on this site. I should feel right at home in Colorado Springs! I am sure we can make room for the Aggie War Hymn as well. I may have to bring my new 5 volume set of Aggie jokes. However for the record I graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, so we will have to sing "That Good Old Baylor Line" sung to the tune of "In The good Old Summertime". Although I had two brothers graduate from UT at Austin in Aerospace Engineering, we do have a Texas A&M branch in Texarkana that we are very proud of and are building a beautiful new campus here as I type this post. I will arrive in Colorado Springs on Thursday in time to organize a massive choir out of the B59 folks celebrating 50 years of the 59 Buick. I will have them at the breakfast as well to sing San Antonio Rose by Bob Wills, Yellow Rose of Texas, and end it all with Willie Nelson's "Crazy" song (I am a church piano player and if there is a piano in the Breakfast Room I think we could draw the largest crowd you ever had for a Forum Buick Breakfast!). Only the love of Buick can bring Aggies and UT Texans harmoniously together! Charles D. Barnette

I think I have already said I will be there somewhere on this site, but let me be there out of sequence as number 59 in honor of the 59 Buick! I am anxious to give you guys a little taste of two states really-Texas and Arkansas. We Texans like a big breakfast! Charles D. Barnette-if pressed I might even lead us all in rounds of the song "The Eyes Of Texas Are Upon You"!

Brian, just a few words from your greatest cheerleader. "B" is for the extraordinary Bugle issue on the 59 Buick and for Part II coming up in June. "U" is for the Utopia we will feel standing in the presence of so many 59 Buicks come July 2, 2009, in Colorado Springs. "I" is for the Ingenious Art Poster that you made available on the 59 Buick 50th year which is a highly collectible item. "C" is for the clock ticking away reminding us that only 41 days remain until the beautiful event. "K" is for the Kinetic and Kindred spirit we feel as 59 Buicks begin to rumble from all over the world to come to Colorado Springs. Put these letters all together and it spells Buick (Buick 59 that is). It is a good time to be alive! Charles D. Barnette

As a finale to this thread, Carla and I have teamed up for a B59 picture to grab everyone's attention and hopefully promote to the maximum participation in the B59 celebration coming up. The details of how this picture was made will not be revealed until July 2, 2009, in Colorado Springs. Happy Golden Anniversary to the 59 Buick from Carla and Charles! (Only 60 days left after this Sunday to get those B59s registered to be brought to the big event.) Our creation on the B59 will appear in a separate post shortly.

Here are some of my unique and rare shots of the three Motorama Buicks in the Sloan Museum of Flint, Michigan. These include 1. The motor of the 1956 Buick Centurion, 2. The rear of the 1951 Buick XP 300, and 3. Four unique shots of the 1954 Buick Wildcat II including emblems (notice the face of the wild Wildcat in the front emblem) and interior. Enjoy! It was a photographer's delight the day these pictures were taken at the Sloan Museum. It will be an even more total delight for photographers on July 2, 2009, at the B59 Golden anniversary celebration in Colorado Springs! Charles D. Barnette

The ultimate and timeless show car in my opinion is the 1951 LeSabre Motorama show car shown at the 1953 GM Motorama and still in existence. This car has to be the most famous Motorama car ever! Even President Eisenhower when he was a General got to ride in it. Throw in the fact that it was a personal car of Harley Earl, and you then have a car that is priceless! Now owned by the GM Heritage Center, I had the great opportunity and privilege of photographing it at the 1997 Detroit Auto Show. Carla will post here shortly my 2 pictures of the mighty 1951 LeSabre. Charles D. Barnette-now only 65 days left and counting down until the B59 Golden anniversary event in Colorado Springs!

The 2004 Buick Velite concept auto made its debut at the 2004 New York Auto Show. In January of 2005 it was shown at the Detroit Auto show where I snapped some pictures of same. On Monday Carla will post two of my pictures on this thread of the car. It was considered to be a more practical candidate for production than the Buick Bengal previously shown on this thread. It is a midsize, two-door, four-seat cnvertible that is driven by the rear wheels and powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.6 liter Buick V-6 engine that produces 400 horsepower. I believe it is a beautiful car! Charles D. Barnette

The abundance of special Buick show cars over Buick's long history is amazing! Here are some that have not been mentioned on this thread yet as follows: 1. the 1952 Buick Skylark, 2. the 1958 Buick Lido Coupe-an Italian Pininfarina creation built on a Buick chassis with Buick mechanicals, 3. the 1964 Buick Wildcat Sprint, 4. the 1969 Century Cruiser (Buick recycled the General Motors Firebird IV for this one), 5. the 1963 Riviera Silver Arrow, 6. the 1972 Siver Arrow III, 7. the 1983 Questor, 8. the 1985 Wildcat, 9. the 1988 Lucerne Coupe, 10. the 1989 Park Avenue Essence, 11. the 1990 Bolero, 12. the 1992 Sceptre, 13. the 1995 XP 2000 (a rolling billboard for electronic wizardy), 14. the 1998 Signia (a forerunner for the crossover wagon), 15. the 1999 Cielo (containing a retractable roof that retracts into the trunk area leaving side rails still in place, 16. the 2000 Blackhawk convertible (Buick's answer to the "retro trend"), and 17. the 2000 Regal Cielo (Buick again employed a roof moving on rails-8 motors had to be activated to accomplish the task). Where are they now? Source; American Dream Cars by Frumkin and Hall, copyright 2002. Only 68 days to go and still counting down! Charles D. Barnette

At the Detroit Auto Show, the Buick Enclave concept made its debut. I was there to capture it in pictures along with the "Car Czar" himself, GM's Bob Lutz. (Bob Lutz to me is the closest we come to having a Harley Earl today.) First here came the exotic dancing girls making way for the vehicle (this reminds me of Motorama "Glitz"), then the crossover vehicle itself making it the first Lambda vehicle to be displayed, then interviews with Bob Lutz near this standard front wheel drive vehicle with an optional all-wheel drive first on sale in early 2007. Bob Lutz has a towering frame with snow white hair and reminds me alot of the late, former Texas Governor John B. Connally. Brian, let's invite Bob as well as the beautiful ladies pictured to the B59 show now only 69 days away! Charles D. Barnette-my legal assistant Carla Tynes will post my 4 pictures (2 of which you can easily spot Mr. Lutz) here of the historic Buick Enclave debut in the "Motor City".

In 2001 I attended the Detroit Auto Show (North American International Auto Show) and snapped a picture of the 2001 light blue Buick Bengal concept convertible on display on its own turntable. In reading "American Dream Cars" by Mitchel J. Frumkin and Phil Hall, I am just now finding out that this four-door design, four-passenger roadster concept was named after golfer great Tiger Woods who at that time was sponsored by Buick on the PGA circuit. The headlights do look like claw marks! A Tonneau cover hid the rear seats when not in use and provided an area to stow Tiger's famous golf clubs or mine if I had any. For awhile, the Bengal was actually considered for production. It is one "cool" car; too bad it didn't go into production. Brian, I'll bet Tiger would like to see the even "cooler" B59s when they gather at Colorado Springs on July 2, 2009! Can we send him an invite too? I will attempt to get my picture of the Bengal posted here. Charles D. Barnette

Buick has created some of the most beautiful and fascinating cars the world has ever known, and I believe this thread proves it! I have been looking at "Mood Cars" in David Temple's book, "GM's Motorama", for posting material on the CLC (Cadillac LaSalle Club) national site which made me think of the elegant 1961 Buick Flamingo "mood car" shown at the 1961 Motoramas (this was the last of the great GM Motoramas held Nov. 13-21, 1960, in New York; Jan. 7-15, 1961, in San Francisco; and Jan. 28-Feb. 5, 1961, in Los Angeles). A "Mood Car" at the Motoramas was really a production vehicle slightly modified with special interior and exterior colors, and the car usually was given an exotic name. The unusual 1950 Buick of which a picture was found and posted sometime ago with a salmon (pinkish) body (with black top) appearing on this Buick Club of America site was actually a 1950 Motorama Buick "Mood Car" although the term "Mood Car" was not formally used until 1956. David Temple and I dubbed the unique 50 Buick as "Charlie" after the old "Star Kist" tuna TV commercial cartoon fish character with dark horn rimmed glasses known as "Charlie the Tuna". We rejoiced that the picture was found and displayed on this site. Back to the Flamingo, the car was really a 1961 Buick Electra 225 convertible with the exterior being pearlescent orange (really a pinkish color) with paisley upholstered bucket seats. The front passenger-side bucket seat could be swiveled around to face the rear seat. Where are you now Mr. Flamingo? Charles D. Barnette-only 71 days left to get those "Holy, Golden" 59 Buicks rounded up and registered to be brought to Colorado Springs!

There were only 2 GM 1959 Motorama shows, and they were both in the latter part of 1958. They were held Oct. 16-22, 1958, in New York and Nov. 8-16, 1958, in Boston. (Source: "GM's Motorama" by David Temple). There was no 1960 Motorama. For both 1959 and 1961 (last year) Motoramas, the emphasis was on production vehicles and not concept (Dream) cars. Consequently the only Dream Car to appear at either 59 or 61 GM Motorama Shows was the outstanding 1958 Firebird III (considered to be the last GM Motorama Dream Car built). Although Pontiac people claim it as their own, the car was really an overall GM project with the name "Firebird" passed on later to Pontiac. Further although the fins of the 1959 production cars were glorious, the Firebird III had the perfect number of fins--seven! So although the 59 Buick was there at the 59 Motorama, it was there as production models not as any Dream Car models-although each 59 Buick is a dream to me. The 1959 Buick Estate Wagon dubbed "Texan" shown at the 1959 Chicago Auto Show with its sun roof is the closest car the 1959 Buick had to having a "Dream car", and it apparently was not at the Motorama shows. Charles D. Barnette

Dan, the Collectible Automobile article cited above also states that scale models of the Y Job are few and far between. Further the largest one done is the 1/18 scale rendition produced by Anson. The hitch is that the Anson model of the Y Job is currently out of production according to Collectible Automobile. If you have this model, guard it! Mine is treasured by me and on display at our local antique car museum in Texarkana. Charles D. Barnette

I now finish up on this thread by having asked my B59 friend Brian to post group shots (front and rear) of my 4 1/25 scale 1959 Buicks -all Invictas- that I will have on display July 2, 2009, in Colorado Springs at the exciting B59 Banquet. He has willing done so in his usual flair- see the above post. You will note the four unique body styles representing the convertible (modified version), the Texan wagon (one of a kind with sun roof), the 4 door hardtop (flat roof)-this model done by Paul Hettick, and the 2 door hardtop (modified)-I have the original AMT box (not shown here). These 4 will definitely melt the snow that fell in Colorado Springs yesterday! I look forward to meeting and greeting the Buick lovers in attendance at this upcoming, memorable event. I am sure we all will remember it the rest of our lives! Happy Golden Anniverary to the 1959 Buick! Let's swamp Colorado Springs with 1959 Buicks come July 2, 2009. If you have a friend who has a 1959 Buick that is not a member of the club, this would be a great time to get them to join and registered to bring their 59 Buick to Colorado Springs. See you in July! Charles D. Barnette

Just a note that in the June 2009 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine (now on the stands) is an excellent article on the 1938 Buick Y-Job witten by one of my favorite writers Michael Lamm along with Terry V. Boyce. There are great, priceless photos of the car along with the article explaining the significance of the car. What also got my attention was a photo of a 1959 Buick 4 door flat top Electra on the inside cover explaining that in the next issue there would be an article on the "Upper-Medium-Priced Cars of 1959". Charles D. Barnette-75 days left and still counting down.