Lot 532: 1910-11 Buick Model 14 Buggyabout

David Dunbar Buick founded the Buick Motor Car Co. in Detroit in 1903. By early 1904, Buick had sold control of his firm to investors and had been moved to Flint, Michigan, where 37 Buicks would be built before the year was out. Entrepreneur William C. Durant gained control of the fledgling car builder in November, 1904. With “Billy” Durant at the corporate wheel, Buick soon became one of the best-known and best-selling automobiles on the market.

A horizontally opposed 2-cylinder engine powered early Buicks. Featuring a patented overhead-valve (OHV) design, it made an impressive 22 horsepower. The engine was mounted under the body, at the center of the chassis (the fuel tank was under the hood). Buick would use this 159-cid engine in some models through 1910.

During 1908, Buick introduced the Model 10, a smaller car powered by an 18hp 4-cylinder OHV engine. Priced around $1,000, the Model 10 was an immediate success. Basking in Buick’s accomplishments, Durant set out to create a conglomerate that would blanket the auto market top to bottom. Incorporated on September 16, 1908, his new company was called General Motors.

According to Buick historian Larry Gustin, the Buick Buggyabout was probably developed by Alanson P. Brush during his brief employment at Buick. Brush had joined the automaker in 1909, at Durant’s behest, to fill in for legendary Buick engineer Walter Marr while the later was ill. Brush had worked with Cadillac founder Henry Leland and then designed and produced his own small car before coming to Buick.

Although rumors of a new small Buick were published in 1909, it wasn’t until late in 1910 that the Model 14 Buggyabout first appeared. It was a small roadster, built on a 79-inch wheelbase and was about the size of a horse-drawn buggy (sans horse). The Model 14 was powered by a new 127-cubic inch OHV two-cylinder engine producing 14.2hp. (Historically, the Model 14 remains the smallest Buick ever made, and its engine is still of the smallest displacement ever used in any Buick automobile.)

The Model 14 engine was mounted under the front hood, with its crank at the front. The hood side panels had special bulges, to accommodate the width of the horizontally opposed OHV engine’s cylinders. A 2-speed selective sliding gear transmission with disc clutch was utilized, with dual chains driving the rear wheels.

Weighing just 1,425 lbs., the Buggyabout originally listed for a bargain $550. Despite its late introduction, production of the 1910 Model 14 reached 2,048. During 1911, the Model 14B appeared. The only major change was that the fuel tank was now mounted at the rear, instead of under the seat. An additional 1,252 Model 14Bs were built in 1911, the final year for the model.

The consignor obtained his rare Model 14 Buggyabout from a prominent Atlanta collection in 1975. It is believed to have had only three prior owners. A protracted frame-off restoration was completed in 2005. Period-correct brass headlamps and an authentic tail lamp are fitted to the car. The consignor notes that the vehicle is equipped with the correct magneto and has a rewound coil box. Please note that the Buick Model 14 Buggyabout is identified as a 1908 model on the Pennsylvania title that accompanies it.

One of the last Buicks to be fully trimmed in brass, the petite yet sporty Model 14 Buggyabout is a historically significant and exceptionally scarce car that is sure to attract crowds whenever it is shown.