My 1922 Buick Touring reaches 100 years old

[Mark Kikta]

Yesterday we had a small birthday party for our 1922 Buick (Mabel).  She is the 606th 1922 model built.  Production started 1 August 1921 so we figure she was most likely built the first week of August 1921.

 

Happy Birthday Mabel !

 

Her story to follow:

[Morgan Wright]

Take Mable to Hershey and get the Century Club badge. 

[Mark Kikta]

The story of this car as far as I can discern, goes something like this:

 

One of my best friends, Bob Hawkins, lived in Jacksonville, Florida.  We were in the Jax AACA club together for many years, and for a time, I was the president of that club.  Over the years living in Jacksonville, Fl.  I purchased three cars from Bob, one of which includes this 1922 Buick that I purchased from his estate after he passed away. I had previously purchased a 1939 Chevrolet 2-door Sedan and a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass-S from him. Bob would only sell his cars to someone who promised not to turn them into Hot Rods.

In the 50’s- 70’s Bob was an airline pilot for National Airlines and while he lived in Jacksonville, Fl., he commuted to NY and flew out of LaGuardia Airport.  He had a small apartment in Brooklyn, NY and kept his 1939 Chevy (the one I purchased from him) in NY so when he flew into town, he had a car to get around. He purchased this 39 Chevy in Brooklyn, NY and installed a trailer hitch on the car to use it to tow cars home that he purchased.  Bob purchased this 1922 Buick in NY sometime before 1959 and then took it to his mother’s farm in NC to store it with many others that had been purchasing.  I found some 1960 newspapers from North Carolina under the front seat. 

 

I’m quite sure he used the 39 Chevy to tow this car home after buying it in NY because he said that he had towed many cars with the old Chevy when I purchased it from him.  In fact, he asked me to return the trailer hitch when I removed it from the 39 Chev, which I did, as I had no use for it. The 39 Chevy had a large dent on the left front fender when I purchased it and Bob told me that he accidently slid into a pole at LaGuardia airport in the snow to put that dent on the car.

 

Bob told me the 22 Buick sat in a barn on his mother’s farm for a number of years but after he started having issues with kids breaking into the barn and stealing parts off of the cars he had stored there, he brought it down to Florida in this car trailer.  I’m not sure exactly what year that happened, but I know I talked to Bob about possibly buying this car since the early 80’s as it sat in the car trailer in his back yard. The car was packed into the covered trailer with other fenders, lots of misc parts and even a couple airplane wings.  I'm sure he loaded the trailer full of parts to bring home from NC when he drove it to Florida. Bob always said he would get the trailer cleared out someday so I could see it, but it just never happened.  Unfortunately, Bob passed away and I contacted his grandson to buy the car.  

 

My son and I went to his place and we finally unloaded the trailer full of stuff, and that's when I fell in love with the car.  The rest is history.

 

 

I think it’s very intriguing that the 39 Chevy that I purchased from Bob sat in his back yard for years about 50 feet from the trailer that housed this 1922 Buick. I’m sure that my 39 Chevy was used to tow the 22 Buick.

 

So today, on the Buick’s 100^th Birthday, the two cars once again sit next to each other in my garage, a familiar sight to each other.  I think I'm having a sentimental moment

 

I have attached a few photos:

My 39 Chev in a snowstorm in Jacksonville Fla likely 1960's, the 39 Chevy towing a 20's vintage car of some sort, Putting my 39 Chev on the trailer when I purchased it in 1978, the 39 Chev today, Me with my new 22 Buick in the old car trailer, and the two cars together again.

[Mark Kikta]

Your right Morgan, I should

[garnetkid]

That is a great story Mark.  I wish I knew the early history of my 1925 which of course will be 100 years old in four years.. At that time I will be 82 years old and hope to be still able to drive it.  Also will have owned it for 48 years almost half of its life.   Leon

[Mark Kikta]

Wow you have owned it 48 years, very cool!

You certainly know half of its history anyway.

[Brian_Heil]

Happy Birthday Mabel!
 

I found an envelope with a name and address on it in my 1923 with an early 1980s post mark

 

I contacted the person early in my ownership ~1997 and they sent a large envelope of pictures of the car unrestored in the late 1970s he had taken.   He and the car were in the Boston area then. He owned it for a short period
 

Who did the cosmetic restoration after him is a mystery. He had no info on who he sold it to or bought it from. 

 

The car ended up in a Kruse auction cosmetically restored and the gentleman I bought it from in New Hampshire got it at the auction or from a flipper who got it at the auction. Anyway, Kruse said they woukd not do searches of auction history. 
 

The car still sports it’s unique radiator ornament and a Manhattan NY Buick dealer  etched plate with 4 digit phone numbers and contact information on the front passenger toe board. I believe the plate to be original to the car. 

[Morgan Wright]

My car was bought in 1917 by Graff in Findlay Ohio.

 

Sold in 1968 by Graff's 80 year old daughter (she was around 32 when the car was new in 1917 so maybe she drove it too). To Sidney, Ohio.

 

Then bought from the son of the second owner in 2009 by the 3rd owner. Sullivan, Illinois.

 

Then me in 2017. Saratoga, NY

[Dave39MD]

Great story and two great cars, thanks for sharing.

 

Dave

[Mark Kikta]

Great histories for great old cars!!!

[Terry Wiegand]

All of these 100 year old automobiles have one whale of a story behind them.  That's pretty cool, Mark.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

AACA Life Member #947918