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Featured Editorials & Content

1931 Buick Sport Roadster (Model 8-94)

Casey Annis
David Dunbar Buick

David Dubar Buick was born in Arbroath, Scotland, in 1854, and brought to Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 2. By the 1880s, he was a successful inventor in the plumbing field, inventing among other things, the lawn sprinkler and a new process for coating metal bath fixtures, tubs and sinks with porcelain. Buick sold the plumbing business in 1899 for $100,000 giving him the seed money to start Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company. Buick was fascinated with the idea that he could replace a team of horses with just one engine. From the very beginning, Buick realized how important the combustion engine would be to the world.

In 1902, he organized the Buick Mfg Co. to make his first motorcar. Buick borrowed $5,000 from a friend, Ben Briscoe, who had no doubts about his ability as a craftsman, but was concerned about his business acumen. By September 1903, the company was already in financial trouble. Buick’s advanced designs invariably left the firm over-spent.

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Casey Annis
Casey M. Annis is the Founder and Editor of Vintage Road & Racecar magazine, as well as Editor of Alfa Owner, The Oily Rag and BMW Ultimate Classic magazines. He founded Parabolica Publishing in 1997 after a career in neurobiology. Along with his passion for automobiles, Casey is a long distance open-ocean paddleboard racer who’s competed over 10 times in the 32-mile Catalina to Manhattan Beach race and the 32-mile Molokai to Oahu race. Casey still contributes and writes about the world of vintage road and racecars and edits and curates the content for this website.
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