Vehicle Description
If you're a fan of chrome, then this 1956 Buick Century will
certainly hold a special appeal. For many, the appeal of this Buick
can be explained by its big car comfort and power and Chevy-sized
package, making for one formidable factory hot-rod. With a
strong-running 322 Nailhead under the hood and '50s style for days,
this Buick is bound to be ahead turner wherever it goes.
The "CMC" paint code on the cowl tag is for the tri-tone
combination that was popular on '50s Buicks, sandwiching code M
Seminole Red between code C Dover White top and side coves for a
truly dazzling effect. No paint job in 1956 ever looked this good,
which we can credit to modern paint technology, and the finish will
probably look this good for years to come thanks to durable
materials. It's clear someone did their homework, because this
sucker fits together extremely well. And talk about chrome! That
massive grille is composed of dozens of separate pieces, each of
which was stripped, polished, plated, and reinstalled to create the
grinning countenance that is the Buick front end. Impressive! Of
course, it also includes the four "venti-ports" signifying a
Century, plus the famous Buick sweep-spear whose shape is still
seen in Buicks built today.
The restored two-tone interior is nothing short of artwork. GM
designers in the '50s were the best in the world, and this car
shows you why. The black and red seats are wide and comfortable, of
course, with flashy door panels to match and both the carpet and
headliner are new. And as long as we're looking at the doors, note
how the exterior paint wraps around the door jambs, a sure sign of
a high-quality job. The black steering wheel is a nice touch and
the wrap-around dash embraces chrome just as much as the front-end
of the car does. The gauges are showing a bit of age but they do
give you a complete view of the engine and the original Sonomatic
AM radio still lives in the center of the dash with that incredibly
ornate speaker grille below it. The trunk is obviously quite
original, and reproduction trunk mats are widely available, so it
would be easy to push it to the next level without a big
investment.
Buick's 322 cubic inch "Nailhead" V8 was standard across the line
for the first time in 1956, meaning that the Century finally had
the horsepower to match its big brothers. Nicely detailed when the
car was restored, the engine wears Buick Turquoise paint and a
stock air cleaner with a factory 2-barrel carburetor underneath. An
alternator replaced the original generator, but otherwise the car
pretty much sticks to the factory specifications throughout and the
radiator up front is gigantic, so it runs nice and cool. Buick's
Dynaflow transmission was a bit more sophisticated by 1956, but
it's still impossibly smooth out on the road, where speed creeps up
on you without anyone noticing. The suspension is commendably
supple and aided by a power steering system, and even with power
drum brakes all around, braking is confident. Steel wheels with
chrome hubcaps are a nice upgrade, and they ride on 225/75/15 wide
whites, a throwback to the look of stock bias-plys.
The Century gives you all the style and performance you could
possibly get at this price. Like I said, if you like chrome, there
aren't many better choices than this. Call today!
