1958 Buick Limited 2-Door Hardtop (LHD)

Description

Nineteen fifty-eight was a significant year in Detroit. Not only was it notable for the arrival of the short-lived Edsel marque, but it marked a nadir in new car sales for the 1950s. When the product planners were conceiving the Edsel and for that matter the 1958 Buick range, they had no idea that the US economy would experience a recession after 13 years of unparalleled prosperity in the postwar era. It proved to be an especially unfortunate year for Buick, a marque which had traditionally finished fourth outright in sales behind volume-selling Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth. Buick finished 1958 in fifth and none of its models sold conspicuously well. Paradoxically, all 1958 Buicks are now highly-sought, as much revered for their outlandishly extravagant styling as they were at the time reviled. Buick’s Sweepspear side trim (a hallmark since 1949) was further elaborated with broad chrome panels in the hindquarters. As it had been since 1936, the Special marked the entry point into Buick ownership with the 2-door sedan powered by a 250-horsepower 364 cubic-inch V8 priced at $2636, while the Limited Riviera almost doubled this figure at $5002. (For comparison, the entry level Chevrolet Delray cost $2013, the Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz $7500 and the bespoke and beautiful Continental Mark II $9966.) Like other GM 1958 cars the Buick’s new styling theme was a one-season wonder. The monster grille holds no fewer than 160 tiny, glittering individual squares (shaped,’ according to Buick, ‘in a design to maximise the amount of reflective light’), a detail unimaginable even a decade later. Just 1026 Series 700 Limited Riviera 2-door hardtop coupes were made and this Buick represents the height of gaudy excess and decoration for its own sake: it is 1958 America on wheels.