Tag Archives: Buick

General Motors, Decline and Fall, 1980-2009

published July 9, 2020 in Warp & Woof General Motors, Decline and Fall, 1980 – 2009   William Sundwick   Founded in Flint, Michigan in 1908, the corporation that ushered in the automobile age in America and came to dominate the nation’s industrial economy by the 1970s, declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy just after celebrating itsContinue reading “General Motors, Decline and Fall, 1980-2009”

Next Step in Car Shopping

Published May 9, 2019 in Warp & Woof Next Step in Car Shopping Advance to the Test Drive? William Sundwick This year’s Washington Auto Show was in April. Held later than last year, it began to push into 2020 model year marketing territory. Nevertheless, it provided a useful opportunity to further explore the 15 vehiclesContinue reading “Next Step in Car Shopping”

Quest for the Perfect Car

Published March 31, 2019 in Warp & Woof Quest for the Perfect Car Five Step Process for Car Shopping William Sundwick We buy a car approximately every five-to-seven years. In a two-car family, that means cars generally sit in our driveway for a minimum of 11 years. Maybe as many as 15 years. So, carContinue reading “Quest for the Perfect Car”

Arrival and Insertion, 1953-62

Published September 27, 2018 in Warp & Woof Arrival and Insertion, 1953-62 The Flint Series, Chapter 3 William Sundwick Flint grew rapidly in the early fifties. The 1950 Census pegged its population at about 163-thousand, but by 1960 it was 197-thousand. We all noticed it. New neighborhoods, like our Ballenger Highway neighborhood, were adding singleContinue reading “Arrival and Insertion, 1953-62”

Flint: Lumber to Carriages to Cars

Published September 13, 2018 in Warp & Woof Flint: Lumber to Carriages to Cars The Flint Series, Chapter 1 William Sundwick  When I arrived in Flint, Michiganat age six, the city, incorporated in 1855, had already established itself: first as a hub for the central Michigan lumber industry, then earning the appellation “Vehicle City,” thenContinue reading “Flint: Lumber to Carriages to Cars”

What We Drove, and Why

Published October 18, 2017 in Warp & Woof  What We Drove, and Why One Family’s Car Culture, GM Style – 1950-1970 (Sundwick Automotive Photo Library, Part IV) William Sundwick We were not a typical family, even for Dearborn or Flint. Dad was a committed General Motors “lifer” – a salaried engineer, destined by the endContinue reading “What We Drove, and Why”

Exploring the Sundwick Automotive Photo Library: Part II — Customs

Published June 9, 2017 in Warp & Woof Exploring the Sundwick Automotive Photo Library: Part II — Customs William Sundwick What is a “custom car?”  This library will use the following definition: Custom: any car or light truck that has been altered in appearance significantly from a model available in the manufacturer’s original catalog forContinue reading “Exploring the Sundwick Automotive Photo Library: Part II — Customs”

How Did Cars Become Totems for Advanced Industrial Civilization?

Published March 1, 2017 in Warp & Woof How Did Cars Become Totems for Advanced Industrial Civilization? Personal experience from mid-century America William Sundwick Origins It started in Germany. When Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, acquaintances from a start-up engineering firm, invented a light-weight internal combustion engine (ICE in today’s parlance), they apparently realized thatContinue reading “How Did Cars Become Totems for Advanced Industrial Civilization?”