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The name Buick has become legendary in the American automobile industry. As a division of General Motors, its history dates clear back to 1903. Here's a little bit more about the history of this important part of the car business in the United States.

David Dunbar Buick was a Scottish-born American inventor who moved to Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 2 when his parents immigrated to the United States. His formal education was limited, but his talented mind for invention and his natural business sense helped him to find financial success with his own plumbing company at a young age. Some of his earliest inventions included a lawn sprinkler and the process for enameling cast iron baths, which were common in his day.

In the late 19th century he developed a fascinating with internal combustion engines, as did many other brilliant minds during that era. He and an engineer named Walter L. Marr built the first automobile that carried the Buick name and went into business.

The enterprise moved to Flint but teetered on the edge of bankruptcy in 1904. However, David Buick could not be stopped, and by 1908, Buicks were outselling Ford and Cadillac combined thanks to the brilliant marketing by financial back Billy Durant, who would later consolidate several separate car companies to form General Motors.

Once General Motors was firmly established, the Buick line was able to grow steadily before the Great Depression. In 1926, Buick alone produced 260,000 automobiles and was rapidly gaining a reputation for reliability. Its sturdiness was put to the test in a variety of marketing and publicity stunts such as: winning a hill climbing competition in Africa, engaging in a tug of war contest with an elephant, and making it all the way across New Zealand.

Hit hard by the Depression, Buick came roaring back financially by winning 30 military contracts for vehicle production during the Second World War. Buick became known for its styling and engineering, and sales reached a record half a million models in 1950.

In 1959, Buick continued its transition into the modern motoring age by changing the names of its products line and introducing now-familiar names such as the LeSabre. The sleekly styled "Special," introduced in 1962, was named Motor Trend Magazine's "Car of the Year" and featured the innovative addition of a V-6 engine.

Today, Buick continues to win awards in the automobile marketplace, and has cemented its place as a pillar in the General Motors line.