1954 was quite a year for Buick. The whole line was completely restyled, with long, straight lines, sweep spears on the sides and wraparound windshields. The V-8 engine, introduced in the senior series for '53 was now used across the Buick line in two displacements. The glamorous limited production Skylark was totally redesigned for '54 and had a price reduction as well, although it still costs as much as a Lincoln.
Big news for '54 will be the return of a performance model, made possible by placing the larger of Buick's two V-8 engines in the lighter body from the Buick Special. The result was the Century, and it was an immediate hit. The tag line for '54 was "The Beautiful Buy," and that was the truth on both counts. They were beautiful, and offered great value for the money, especially in the Special and Century models.
1954 was an excellent year for Buick, with calendar year sales of 531,463 units. Not only was it a 50,000 unit increase over 1953, but they also passed Plymouth to become the number three automaker in the U. S. instead of their customary fourth place finish. There were no bad news days at Buick in 1954.
The brochure for 1954 is based on renderings, as was the industry custom at the time, and shows the tastes of the time. The renderings themselves have no background, except for the prestigious Skylark which is depicted in a full rendering. The color palette is bright and colorful, with bright reds and vibrant greens and blues. Yellow is a popular choice as well, and two tone combinations are the rage. The V8 engine is prominent in the Century and Special sections, and the full range of options is depicted. There were actually two issues with different covers- the original in tone on tone red cover, and a spring edition with a green cover. The springtime cover is above, and the original issue is seen below.
Take a look at the brochure for "The Beautiful Buy"- Buick for 1954:
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