1996 Buick Roadmaster Owner's Manual - Page 7

Durant also created a racing team that won racing 500 trophes in 1909 and 1910, including successes at Indianapolis two years before the Indy 500 began. The success of Buick engines was visible not only on the race track, but in endurance tests across the country and around the world. Buick was the only car to complete a 1,000-mile Chicago-to-New York race in 1906. And a Buick was the firstcar to travel across South America, driven from Buenos Aires, Argentina, over the Andes to Santiago, Chile in 1914. Buick drew plenty attention because it could climb of hills and run through mud like no other car. Buick's endurance and reliability were worldfamous. During World War I, Buick built Liberty aircraft engines as well as Red Cross ambulances successfully that so one Buick ambulance was awarded Croix de Guerre the by the French government. As a builder of premier automobiles, Buick was hardhit by the Great Depression. However, new General Manager Harlow H. Curtice created popular new models including the Special and the Roadmaster. Buick sales soon flourished. I 1911 Model 21 Touring Cur on h i m s Test Hl il First Buick Factory V