Saturday, January 8, 2011

Fast Cars in SoCal

Check out some of the rare Buicks that passed through a single dealership in Southern California.
From the late 50's through the mid-seventies, Reynolds Buick-GMC of West Covina, CA was literally the "Fastest Buick Dealer on Earth."

In the early postwar years in Southern California, the drag strip was the place to be. Young men with octane in their veins broke away from their weekday jobs to race on the weekends.

As it happened, a chance conversation with a Buick Factory Representative inspired what ultimately became a very successful partnership between Buick dealer Pete Reynolds, engine builder James Bell, and legendary racing driver Lennie "Pop" Kennedy, Together, and with the cooperation of the factory, they created a series of Buick drag racing cars that won many races, set records, and not only became part of the racing lore of Southern California, but also helped Buick to create some of its finest cars of all time.


2 comments:

  1. I didn't have the chance or opportunity to run on a track with my muscle Buicks. Octane in my veins was satisfied on the streets of Flint. Oh my,no tickets or accidents for my foolish ways back then. The Grand Sport 455 hp with a stage one kit that boosted it another 16 hp was best Buick ever offered - off the track. A.J. Foyt drove for Buick in the sixties on the track and was pretty successful. There was one called a Rally, a limited production vehicle that could have probably whipped me.circa 69-70. Never had the chance to go against it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just wanted to say thanks for the mention, Gordie and note that the site was written and researched by a Flint native (me in this case) with help from Buick enthusiasts in Flint.

    Jeff Stork
    Palm Springs, CA

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.