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Buick Y-Job

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Buick Y-Job
Harley Earl in the Buick Y-Job, 1939
Overview
ManufacturerBuick (General Motors)
Model years1938
DesignerHarley J. Earl
Body and chassis
ClassConcept car
Body style2-door convertible coupe
Powertrain
Engine5.2-liter (320 ci) Buick straight-8
Dimensions
Wheelbase126 in (3,200 mm) [1]
Length208.7 in (5,301 mm) [2]

The Buick Y-Job, produced by Buick in 1938, was the auto industry's first concept car[3] (a model intended to show new technology or designs but not be mass-produced for sale to consumers).[4] Designed by Harley J. Earl, the car had power-operated hidden headlamps, a "gunsight" hood ornament, electric windows,[5] wraparound bumpers, flush door handles, and prefigured styling cues used by Buick until the 1950s and the vertical waterfall grille design still used by Buick today.[until when?] It used a Buick Super chassis, indicated by the word "Super" located above the rear license plate.

The car was driven for a number of years by Harley Earl, until he replaced it with a 1951 model car. Sometime after that, the car was restored at the Henry Ford Museum, until 1993 when it was returned to the GM Design Center.[6]

The "Y" in the name has two explanations:

  • All experimental cars were called "X", so Earl simply went to the next letter in the alphabet.[7]
  • The "Y" designation was selected by Earl because it was used extensively in the aviation industry denoting the most advanced prototypes.[5]

In 2001, Buick recreated the Y-Job with modern advancements called the Buick Blackhawk drawing extensively from the Y-Job.

Specifications

[edit]

According to the GM Heritage Center, specifications for the 1938 model were:[8]

Engine: 320 c.i. Inline Eight

Horsepower: 141 @ 3600rpm

Transmission: 3 speed manual

Steering: Bendix power steering unit

Measurements: 208in in length and 74in in width

Steering: Bendix power steering

Other: Electronically controlled windows and convertible top

[edit]
  • Front view
    Front view
  • Rear view
    Rear view
  • Interior
    Interior
  • License plate
    License plate

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "1938 Buick Y-Job Concept Images, Information and History (YJob, Dream Car, First Concept Car)". Conceptcarz.com. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  2. ^ "Buick Y-Job Concept". Supercars.net. 2004-03-01. Archived from the original on 2012-09-10. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  3. ^ Smith2019-03-01T15:26:00+00:00, Karl. "Concept Car of the Week: Buick 'Y' Job (1938)". Car Design News. Retrieved 2024-04-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Inside Line: News, Road Tests, Auto Shows, Car Photos and Videos". Edmunds.com. 2009-01-22. Archived from the original on 2009-07-18. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  5. ^ a b Concept Cars by Larry Edsall pp19 Edizione White Star ISBN 978-88-8095-956-4
  6. ^ "1938 Buick Y-Job Concept Images, Information and History (YJob, Dream Car, First Concept Car)". Conceptcarz.com. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  7. ^ "1938 Buick Y-Job and Harley Earl-GM PhotoStore". Gmphotostore.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  8. ^ "1938 Buick Y-Job". Audrain Auto Museum. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
[edit]
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