When Brian Clark first bought his 1959 Buick four door hardtop, he said that, despite its age, it was in extremely good condition. His ’59 Buick was “very good...mechanically excellent, body solid and the interior original.”

He sees the importance of keeping the old classics alive. I asked Brian if he had customized or restored his Buick in any way since he bought it. He said he added a few factory and period correct accessories, and covered the original upholstery to protect it. While he never undertook a huge restoration project on his cars, he has done some odd jobs, and was fully aware of light restoration carried out beforehand.

“The '59 I bought after it had been lightly restored. The exterior had been painted in a base coat/clear coat in the original color, and most of the mechanicals had been refreshed. The interior is all original, although I have since recovered the seats to protect the original upholstery. Before my trip to Colorado Springs, I did have the radiator recored, replaced the brakes and the transmission mount, along with a full tune-up.”

The Wildcat had intrigued me as it is a sportier car than the ’59 Buick. He had some work done on her two decades ago to restore some of the former glory .

“The Wildcat I did vinyl dye the interior to bring back the color and had the engine rebuilt to factory specs and painted. Other than that, it was repainted in Acrylic Enamel almost 20 years ago” said Brian.

As with a lot of Buicks and Wildcats from this era – they still drive well and are used regularly. He told me that he tries to drive his Buick once a week during the “non-winter” or “non-salt months”. This is a wise move as old bodywork wasn’t manufactured to withstand the elements as are the modern cars. Areas exposed to salted roads such as wheel hubs and the underbelly can rust and corrode.

Maintenance also comes into question, and so does the never ending problem of finding parts. Even though the internet is always available, Brian says that parts are sometimes difficult to come by since this is a one year body style. However, he told me that it is relatively easy to maintain, due to the straight forward setup by Buick in the 50’s and due to the big club scene, parts are possible to be located. Brian is currently an officer of a Buick club.

He knows roughly fifty 1959 Buick owners. There is a Division of the Buick Club of America dedicated just to '59 Buicks and he serves as treasurer of that club. They have a website that is open to anyone at www.buick-59.com. Division and BCA membership is not required to participate, but is appreciated to help support the site.

Because ’59 Buicks were a one year model, many of the people who own them obtained them thru passing down through generations, or discovered them under a pile of rubbish in an old barn – lost and forgotten. However, Brian’s Buick has a more modern story.

“I found the '59 Buick on Ebay, listed by a dealer from South Dakota, at Frankman Motors. It was the first 1959 Buick I recall ever seeing and fell in love immediately. I asked many questions of the seller and eventually bought the car from the dealer. Last fall I also purchased a '69 Electra 225 from them.” Brian told me. This was a great find on Ebay which is often criticized for listing junkers that should never be allowed near a road. Good thing Brian has an eye for cars. 

Every car enthusiast or classic car buff I’ve every talked to has a favorite aspect of their pride and joy. For Brian it’s the Deltawings – the rear fins and the canted headlights. They make for a menacing and futuristic design. The design of Buicks in the 50’s and 60’s were typical of cars seen in films and posters of that era: long, wide, flat, while sporting piercing headlights and stylish fins.

The interior of Brian’s car is also eye pleasing and has a few modern commodities – and some tell-tale signs of age!

“Interior of the '59 is all original, showing light water damage on the door panels from the windows not sealing tightly due to the car being a hardtop, but overall very presentable. The dash appears brand new, with the padded dash intact and still soft. This is a piece that you will see collapsed on many cars due to the fragility of the foam used. The car has a working AM Sonomatic radio of tube design and I have added an AM modulator that allows me to plug into my MP3 player or FM station for more music options. (This is unseen, with the plug in located in the glove box).”

Brian’s first car was also a 1965 Buick Wildcat two door hardtop, and something that he still adores to this day, loving old Buicks ever since. Like most car enthusiasts, it’s clear to me that Brian’s heart still lies with that ’65 Wildcat. When asked what his dream car would be he said “My first Buick, the Wildcat”.

Looks like for the time being though, he will do like the song says and “love the one you’re with!”

Brian with his daughter, Ashley:

By Dean Sherwin

Dean is based in Ireland and has extensive writing experience, especially in the area of the auto industry writing car features, reviews and blogs, as well as other cultural and sporting events, and the gaming industry.

http://www.artofstinginess.com- Owner and Editor

www.deansherwin.com Freelance Technology, Culture and Opinion Writer