1924 Buick four-door Touring
Provided by Hemmings

Buick styling was all new for 1924, including a new radiator shell design obviously cribbed from Packard. Though the new styling was somewhat more angular than the Packard, still, Packard overtones carried throughout the lines of the various body styles and made for an altogether pleasing appearance on both the four- and six-cylinder cars.

Speaking of the four-cylinder Buick, 1924 would mark the last year for these engines, as Buick phased into all six-cylinder cars starting in 1925. The next step up the powerplant scale was the overhead-valve straight-eight, introduced in 1931. Actually, Buick offered not one but three distinct eight-cylinder engines of 77, 90 and 104 bhp, available in four different series.

Besides the new look for 1924, the other big news coming from Buick was the addition of four-wheel mechanical brakes as standard equipment on all series. The rear brakes remained unchanged from the previous design but the front binders were a new and somewhat complex design. Oddly, while Buick made this progressive step, they also retained the archaic external contracting foot brake design on all four wheels while the more modern internal expanding design was used on the rear for the parking brake alone. Among the detail refinements on Buick for 1924 was a transmission lock. Nickel plating on the radiator shell was standard on the six-cylinder cars.

The car seen here, the Model 24-45 touring, was the best selling car in the Buick lineup for the year, with over 50,000 examples delivered in the domestic market and overseas. Like the Model T, they were originally available only in black but unlike the spidery T, they weighed nearly 3,500 pounds. Nonetheless, the 70-horsepower Six was capable of comfortably driving the Buick along at 60 mph or better, a most respectable turn of speed for the time.

In keeping with Buick's traditional approach of offering a wide range of cars under their nameplate, there were four models in the four-cylinder line and a total of thirteen body styles in the Master series 40 and 50 six-cylinder cars. Prices at the factory in Flint, Michigan, ranged from $935 for the least expensive four to $2,795 for the extremely rare four-passenger six-cylinder town sedan, which was really configured like a chauffeur-driven open front town car. Only 25 examples were ever built.

For those who are seeking a truly old car to enjoy the hobby today, a car like the 1924 Buick touring is one of the real bargains in the old-car world. Because they fall in that wide category from 1915-25 that doesn't have a lot of collector demand, good buys abound. These Buicks offer sound, sturdy engineering and construction and attractive looks in a car that has a good, active following of marque enthusiasts nationwide. Simple cars to maintain and reliable tour cars for long-distance events, they are also crowd-pleasers at local shows.

1924 Buick four-door Touring

Base price:	$ 1,295
Base weight:	3,455 lbs.
Body:	Five-passenger sheet metal over wood framing
Frame:	Ladder type
Wheelbase:	120 inches
Suspension:	Semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear
Brakes:	Four-wheel mechanical external contracting
Engine:	Inline overhead-valve six-cylinder, 255-cu.in., 70 horsepower
Transmission:	Three-speed selective sliding, floor shift control