1905 Buick Model C

Identification No. 18903 (See Text)Introduced at a pivotal moment in Buick's early development, the 1905 Model C represents the evolution of the pioneering Model B and the beginnings of the success that would propel Buick into prominence under William C. Durant. While visually similar to its predecessor, the Model C incorporated a number of refinements, including revised body styling, expanded five-passenger accommodation, and a foot-operated service brake, while retaining Buick's innovative valve-in-head two-cylinder engine.In the run-up to Buick's 90th anniversary in 1993, Lawrence Gustin authored an article in The Buick Club of America's Buick Bugle “In Search of the Oldest Buick.” A copy of the article on file reveals that it is unlikely that any of the 37 1904 Buick Model Bs survived through to the early 1990s, making the handful of 1905 Model Cs that survive the oldest of their kind. It is believed that this example-the fifth-oldest known to survive-was built in June 1905 with Gustin noting ownership by collector Clifford Beauchamp of Waukegan, Illinois. It later passed to Army National Guard Brigadier General Richard Braund, best known for the Duesenberg II. The article notes that Braund confirmed the extensively restored engine carried no serial number, and today the Buick is identified by number “18903” stamped on its flywheel.Following General Braund's decades of ownership, the car was acquired by Peter Eastwood of Pasadena, California, making it a member of a family that also included three other Model Cs. Leslie Holden of Southern Pines, North Carolina, acquired the 101-year-old Buick from Eastwood in 2006 and completed its ongoing restoration that would quickly earn numerous awards and invitations to premier shows. Following completion, it garnered AACA National First and Senior Awards, beginning with a National First Prize at that year's AACA National Meet in Charlotte, North Carolina, followed by a further AACA National Award in 2009 presented at the AACA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and culminating in a First Grand National trophy at the 2010 AACA Meet in New Bern, North Carolina. The following year it also captured the AACA's Edgar E. Rohr Memorial Award and the Horseless Carriage award at the 2011 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.In 2021, this incredibly early Buick entered The Casa Bella Macchina Collection of Daniel Heit, long known for his appreciation of high-quality collector cars. Representing the marque's formative engineering and design philosophy, the Model C stands among the earliest and most significant Buicks of the brass era. Today, survivors from 1905 are exceptionally rare, making this restored example with its AACA and Amelia awards an outstanding representative of Buick's earliest years.