The 1957 Buick Century featured in this article has a heritage that goes back to the 1930’s. The production run for the earlier Buick Century’s lasted from 1936 to 1942 and was interrupted by the war. These were powerful Buicks being able to reach speeds of over 90 MPH during the late 1930’s.
After the model was dormant for years the name reappeared in dealership showrooms in 1954 as one of General Motor’s performance car offerings. The 1957 Buick Century’s would be noted for sporty design, luxury features and big powerful V-8 engines.
The Buick Portholes
One of the most remembered features of the Buick Century were the portholes on the /side of the front fenders. These were also called ventiports which really were their official name.
The portholes or ventiports would signify the engine. The Buick Century sported four portholes designating the V-8 engine. Four portholes on each side of the car. The portholes were also seen on the Buick Roadmaster models. The meaning of the portholes had to do with emphasizing the power output of the Buick’s big V-8. In regards to those Buick portholes, for those that might remember the old television series from the 1950’s, Highway Patrol, these were the cars you would have seen each week portrayed as California Highway Patrol cars.
The 1957 Buick Century’s all had four portholes on each fender which signified the 364 cubic inch V-8 putting out 300 horsepower. These were 100 MPH automobiles.
1957 Buick Century Advertising
Buick advertising for the 1957 model year stressed power. One of their motto’s during that year was “gives you the power to take it easy“. Another motto was “the dream car to drive“. Buick touted that the big V-8 gives you enough power to have some in reserve for those tall hills along with smoothness provided by their Variable Pitch Dynaflow automatic transmission. Dynaflow’s claim to fame was it’s smoothness and instant response time.
Another feature advertised in 1957 was a “buzzer” that would sound when you attained the speed you wanted. They called it a “built in conscience“. This was quite a unique feature in 1957. Today it’s offspring is the automatic speed control.
The 1957 Buick Century Design
Buick was known to have produced some of the most stylish and powerful cars of any nameplate during the 1950’s.
The 1957 Buick Century was a sporty looking car and was a departure from Buick’s more laid back designs of the earlier 1950’s. Buick touted it’s low sweeping grace and fresh lines. Many say that the 1957 Buick Century was the best looking Buick ever produced. All Century models in 1957 had the eye catching chrome side spear which added a sporty touch with class. As the photos in this article illustrate, the 1957 Buick Century was a very good looking car.
The 1957 design was in many ways a continuation of the earlier 1950’s designs by GM’s Harley Earl. Probably the most popular model in 1957 was the Buick Century Convertible which remains a sought after collector’s car today. Their value has appreciated well over time. Don’t be surprised to see price tags for original 1957 Buick Century Convertibles, in mint showroom condition, with asking prices north of $50,000.
Buick claimed to have built the 1957 Century on the most level riding compact chassis ever built offering great maneuverability. GM also claimed the highest power to weight ratio of any Buick model ever built.
Also in 1957 Buick unveiled the Caballero station wagon using the Century body. The Caballero was produced for two years in 1957 and 1958 and then discontinued. Although Caballero sales didn’t meet expectations, this station wagon with the Century body and it’s side chrome spear trim is one of the sportiest looking classic station wagons you’ll ever see.
1957 Buick Century Models
Buick Century buyers had several models to choose from. There was the Sedan, the Riviera hardtop coupe, the ever popular convertible and the four door Caballero station wagon. The Riviera hardtop along with GM’s Oldsmobile of that year were the first four door hardtops built.
1957 Buick Century Specifications
As stated above, power meant a lot to Buick in 1957 and the Buick Century came with a 364 cubic inch V-8 engine delivering a big 300 horsepower. This was powering an automobile with a weight of about 4,200 lbs.
The 1957 Buick Century wheelbase was 122.0 inches which was about five inches shorter than both the Roadmaster and Special models.
Compare the 1957 Buick Century to the cars on the AutoMuseumOnline articles on the links below…
The 1956 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 Convertible
The 1958 Ford Fairlane Retractable Hardtop
Also see our article on the Rare 1958 Studebaker Golden Hawk
To learn all about the Buick automobile and the company, an excellent book on the subject is The Buick: A Complete History by authors Terry B. Dunham and Lawrence R. Gustin.
1957 Buick Century Collector Car
As mentioned in this article, the 1957 Buick Century is a popular automobile among collectors. Prices being asked have been increasing over the years and many collectors view this model as one of the most stylish ever produced by Buick. In addition to the styling, the 1957 Buick was in many ways a 1950’s muscle car with it’s big V-8 and 300 horsepower. If the vehicle wasn’t so large it could have competed head on against 1950’s European imports.
If you can find a usable body shell somewhere the 1957 Buick Century can be a terrific project car where restoration costs might be recouped and more.
Mint condition 1957 Buick Century Convertibles can command prices of $50,000 and above.
(Article and photos copyright 2013 AutoMuseumOnline)