1993 Buick Century Owner's Manual - Page 6

innovator. Buick engineers developed the "valve-in-head" engine, a light, powerful and reliable engine which- wou eventually influence the entire automotive industry. William C. Durant was instrumental in promoting Buicks across the country using his Durant-Dort Carriage Co. outlets and salespeople as the nucleus a giant of distribution system. He knewthe Buick as a "self-seller? , If automobiles could be good, he thought, maybe it this was time to switch from the horse and buggy business to automobiles. At the 1905, New York Auto Show, Durant took orders for 1O O Buicks ,O before the company had built 40. On Buick's success, Durant created a holding company, September 16,1908.He called it General Motors. Walter Marr and Thomas Buick Buick's chief engineer, Walter L. Marr (left), and Thomas D. Buick, son.of founder David Dunbar Buick, drove the first Flint Buick in a successful Flint-Detroit round trip in July 1904. David Buick was building gasoline engines by 1899, and Man, his engineer, apparently built thefirst auto to be called a Buick in 1900. However, Buick traditionally dates its beginnings to1903. That was the year the company was reorganized, refinanced and moved from Detroit to Flint. Buick has always been a product William C. (Billy) Durant 4