Guest norb Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Today,all Buick employees ,retirees, and the buicktown chapter were invited to a celebration of 100 years of the first Buick building construction in Flint.Buicks were built in Jackson mi. until these were ready.A beautiful day,a big turnout and GM sent four big trailer loads of new & old cars.A nice program,even a Male chorus.Buicks from 1904 to 2006. Norb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurion Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Norb, that's a great photo, and I appreciate your interest in the history of the Buick site in Flint. So, thanks for documenting these things for us.That '68 Wildcat convertible is beautiful!Another car that stands out to me is the Wedgewood Blue '59 Buick at the far right side of the photo. I mention this car because I believe that I met its owner two years ago this week in Flint. If it is, in fact, the same car, it's an Electra sedan still owned by its original owner, who worked in the tool and die department at Buick in Flint. The car is yet another '59 with its original Triple Turbine transmission. The really interesting part is that the owner recalled the weekend in 1957, when he was required to help develop the grille design for the '59 Buicks. Numerous styles and materials were evaluated for the chromed rectangles that comprise the '59 grille. Finally, he presented me with a small gift -- one of the prototype grille rectangles, made of brass and significantly larger than the production style. It's a great treasure, and I remember thinking that this could only happen in Flint! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted July 23, 2005 Share Posted July 23, 2005 Many people do not fully understand or comprehend the physical and emotional relationship between Flint, MI and Buick and many aspects of the automobile industry, nor how highly intertwined these things are! Similar relatioships also exist with other brands too (i.e., Dearborn and Ford).As younger generations (including some of us!) enter the scene, many of these "understandings" will continue to diminish (They'd wonder "What's the BIG deal" in many of their forum posts, most probably), unfortunately. Even more unfortnate, many of them would not take the time to find out what the "Really BIG Deal" is all about and why it is so important in the total scheme of things.Thanks for sharing the picture and related items, Norb!!!! Great things!!!NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest norb Posted July 23, 2005 Share Posted July 23, 2005 You are right,many Flint families have worked at Buick in the last century and they still feel close to it even if it is now called 'Powertrain".Buses brought people in by the hundreds and we retirees got metal licence plates & medallions made right here by Powertrain people.The building in the background with the blue awning is the Cultural & diversity center built in part of a closed bulding by skilled trades.A beautiful area with a stage,seats and a sound system and a large area for displays & history.Other than that,there are nine buildings left producing engines & trans parts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted July 23, 2005 Share Posted July 23, 2005 Thanks for the additional pictures!NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcatsrule Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Here is a link to more pictures that I posted Davidhttp://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=79227 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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