“King of the road in value, Buick’s Two-Door Sedan, Model 48, brings you the cream of Buick’s big car features — power, roominess, performance, and new ‘Low-Sweep’ styling. Smart roof moldings, flowing across the rear deck, and completely new front end styling create a smart fore and aft distinctiveness.”
A 1957 Buick always looks the part, even if it’s the base model, pictured here. This was the cheapest Buick you could buy in 1957, but there’s very little left to be desired. Only door frames and fixed side windows betray this was a budget Buick, as abundant chrome trim and rakish proportions are similar to the higher versions.
Starting at $2.596, the Special wasn’t cheap, but very attractively priced for being a Buick. And the list of available options was looooong, so if you really fancied, you could spec the base model to pretty high levels of luxury.
Even the engine choice was in favour of budget buyers: they got the same “Nailhead” V-8 block with 364 cu-inch (5,965L) displacement, shared with the higher Roadmaster, Super and Century models. And with an output of 250hp, the budget Buick wasn’t exactly underpowered, either, compared to the 300hp of the top level engines, which were achieved by a higher compression ratio and 4-barrel carburetors.
We think the Buick designers under studio chief Ned Nickles nailed it with the design of the 1957 models. It truly is the evolutionary culmination of the glamorous Buick look of yore, by combining loads of chrome and the traditional styling cues with a nimbler appearance than ever before. Most notably, the clever application of the signature “Sweep-Spear” side trim visually alters the proportions and makes the cars longer and lower looking than they actually are.
Yet, what is a highlight of GM styling prowess in retrospect, didn’t seem to meet the contemporary taste back then. For many, it lacked the freshness of the more progressive looking competition. For the first time since decades GM Design wasn’t considered the styling leader anymore. The baton now was passed on to Chrysler and Virgil Exner’s stunning “Forward Look” designs.
On top of that image problem, an economic recession began to emerge in the latter 1957, and the customer’s favour swiftly swayed towards more economic and reasonable cars. Thus, as gorgeous as the 1957 Buicks looked, they sold poorly, compared to their predecessors. The complete change of direction with the redesign for 1958 didn’t help either, as sales plummeted further, to only a third of the 1955 peak volume.
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