Buick Y-Job
| Buick Y-Job | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Buick |
| Model years | 1938 |
| Designer | Harley J. Earl |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Concept car |
| Body style | 2-door coupe |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 5.2-liter (320 ci) Buick straight-8 |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 126 in (3,200 mm) [1] |
| Length | 208.7 in (5,301 mm) [2] |
The Buick Y-Job was the auto industry's first concept car, produced by Buick (a division of General Motors), in 1938.[3] Designed by Harley J. Earl, the car had power-operated hidden headlamps, a "gunsight" hood ornament, electric windows,[4] 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.
The car itself was actually 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.[5]
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.[6]
- The "Y" designation was selected by Earl because it was used extensively in the aviation industry denoting the most advanced prototypes.[4]
In 2001, Buick recreated the Y-job with modern advancements called the Buick Blackhawk drawing extensively from the Y-job.
References
- ^ "1938 Buick Y-Job Concept Images, Information and History (YJob, Dream Car, First Concept Car)". Conceptcarz.com. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
- ^ "Buick Y-Job Concept". Supercars.net. 2004-03-01. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
- ^ "Inside Line: News, Road Tests, Auto Shows, Car Photos and Videos". Edmunds.com. 2009-01-22. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
- ^ a b Concept Cars by Larry Edsall pp19 Edizione White Star ISBN 978-88-8095-956-4
- ^ "1938 Buick Y-Job Concept Images, Information and History (YJob, Dream Car, First Concept Car)". Conceptcarz.com. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
- ^ "1938 Buick Y-Job and Harley Earl-GM PhotoStore". Gmphotostore.com. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
External links
- [1]
- Edmunds, The World's First Concept Car: 1938 Buick Y-Job
- Why the 'Y-Job' — Harley Earl and the Buick Dream Car
- World's first concept car
- 1938 Buick Y, a vintage diamond
- [2]
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