1957 Buick Century 4-door Riviera

"Newness for the sake of Greatness bestows the year's most bountiful array of finer features in every 1957 Buick. All four Series – Roadmaster, Super, Century and Special – are totally transformed in smart new low-silhouette styling. Buick power rises to new record might with the great new 364-cubic-inch high-compression V-8 engine. Buick performance surpasses all known sensations with the instant, flexible, and utterly smooth response of new Variable Pitch Dynaflow. The superb Buick ride becomes notably steadier, surer, safer with its new 'nested' chassis and levelized braking. Best of all, this wondrous array of finer features comes in such wide-ranging choice of model and price that practically any new-buyer can own the Newest Buick Yet."

Here is another "Businessman hotrod" from Sancti Spiritus. Buick had introduced the first Century already in 1936, but it's production had been stopped before the war. For 1954, Buick resurrected the Century name. The recipe was the same as in pre-war times: riding on the short-wheelbase body of the Special, but equipped with the biggest available engine of the Roadmaster, the Century was a really hot and agile crossbreed. Throughout the 50s, Buick had big success with this formula.

The Century's engines were all but thrifty though, which became an increasing problem for post-revolutionary Century owners. Therefore today "Show" and "Go" hardly ever match, because almost every Century you can find in Cuba has been converted to more economic engines. Our pictured car, for instance, lurched away with the disappointing sound of a diesel engine...