Museo Stradale

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One man's passionate quest to survey finest motorcars in the world

Photographed: Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance, 2010. Owner: not recorded

Domestic Strengths: The way to secure a lasting place in the American auto industry has always been reliability. This is a digression from what we normally talk about, and a disparate consideration from what we normally care about most. After all, the style of an automobile is what normally attracts buyers in the first place.

Now Buick would certainly develop a very strong sense of style, but not until the late forties would this attribute come to the fore. Prior to the lovely Roadmaster, Buick followed the widely accepted strategy of model names devised by number, and the style often refected prevailing trends, rather than being out on the leading edge. Even earlier—as in this late veteran, early antique—style wasn't so much a predicate as it was a result, in which case the worth of an automobile was stripped down to reliability of operation.

Both the Standard and Master series Buicks were noteworthy for being well built, the primary difference between them involving a four cylinder versus a six cylinder motor. In a few years both lines will carry the six, but for 1913 the Standard muddled along with a stout 4-cylinder producing 22 horsepower. This could clock the Model 25 at nearly 50 miles per hour at the top end, which we should say is respectable for a 100 year-old four-banger.

Morphology: The only notes on appearance I'll provide address the top, which I prefer in retracted position. With the top rolled down, the Buick's substantial wheels are ennunciated, taking advantage of a lower aspect. This is also due to the collapsible windscreen. Further, we should note that the bonnet is not yet smoothed into the bulkhead, a trait that will appear first on Master series Buicks, (so much as I can surmise at the present), but is instead fashioned straight into a nice piece of wood. The remainder of the coachwork is relatively straight-forward, but consumes an exceptional compliment of trim, as well as very flattering sculpted wings on the front. All together, it's a pretty, old car in robust shape, and it was great to see it out on the show field on a rainy day at Radnor Hunt.

Sources:

Histomobile, with limited information

Barrett-Jackson, with a similar 1913 Model 25 sold in 2007

 

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