A rare 1920s Buick has completed a remarkable journey ‘home’ to Angus and the birthplace of the American motor giant’s founding father.
David Dunbar Buick was just two years old when his family crossed the Atlantic from Arbroath to begin a new life in Detroit, Michigan.
It was the beginning of a journey which led to the formation of the Buick Motor Company under the Red Lichtie with a talent for engineering.
Buick would eventually become the cornerstone of the General Motors automotive empire.
But the retired policeman owner of the 97-year-old Buick Master Six had no idea of the car’s connection to the town when he was eyeing up a house in Arbroath.
Estate agent’s tip on town’s famous tie
It was only when Brian Rennie asked a local estate agent to measure the garage to make sure the stunning convertible would fit that he learned of the link to the legendary name.
And the 1926 beauty is now tucked safely in the garage of a former sailmaker’s house after travels which took it from Canada, to Australia and, finally, Angus.
Brian, 62, a former Chief Inspector with Central Scotland Police, moved to Arbroath with wife Jacqui last December.
The couple also previously spent several years in France.
But they’d no direct connection to the Angus area before falling in love with the house looking out to the North Sea.
“We have family in Aberdeenshire and Stirlingshire so Arbroath seemed a good mid-point,” said Brian.
“When we were looking at this house I asked the estate agent to measure the garage to see if it would fit.
“He asked me if I was aware Buick came from Arbroath and I’d never heard that before.
“It’s a complete fluke, but it’s a great story.
“The house needed a lot of work so it has been a labour of love for the past year.
“But I’ve now got some time on my hands so I’ll spend some of that on the car.”
Dedicated car enthusiast
“I’ve had a lot of old vehicles but this one is definitely a keeper,” said Brian.
“I bought the car in 2009 a retired engineer in Frome in Somerset.
“It was originally built in Canada, exported to Australia and then found its way to the man I bought it from.
“There were three models of the Master Six – a sedan, convertible and doctor’s coupe.
“But I think this convertible is one of only two in the UK.”
Brian used the vehicle as a wedding car but the cream and green machine has been in storage for the past six years.
And it’s almost certain the Buick is the first of the marque to reside in the home town of the famous manufacturer’s founder.
“There’s been a lot of interest in it arriving here,” Brian added.
“Jacqui put a few photos of it coming off the trailer on Facebook and they’ve had around 600 likes.
“Hopefully it will get some interest in Buick going again.
“There’s a plaque in the town but it would be great to see more made of the famous connection.”
Previous plans for a statue honouring Buick never came to fruition.
And, of course, it’s not the only Angus link to a giant of the US motor industry.
A simple cottage outside Brechin is the original home of the family who gave their name to perhaps the world’s most famous motorcycle manufacturers, Harley-Davidson.
Buick’s sip from the cup of greatness
Buick was born in 1854, just a couple of years before the family crossed the Atlantic to begin a new life.
He left school early to follow the entrepreneurial streak which saw him become the owner of a plumbing firm he worked for after it fell on tough times.
But it was the internal combustion engine which fascinated the Scot.
In 1902, he established the Buick Manufacturing Company, with the objectives of marketing engines to other car companies and manufacturing his own.
But Buick soon ran out of cash, with just one car to show for his work.
He raised more money, but again hit financial trouble.
In 1906, Buick left company he had founded, with only one share of the company in his possession.
The then president of Buick, William C. Durant, bought that single share for $100,000 – the equivalent of $3.3million in 2022.
Buick tried to return to the automotive business with a car named the Dunbar.
But he failed again.
The man whose named graced so many of the US car industry’s famous models died virtually broke, of colon cancer, in 1929, aged 74.
US commentator Theodore F. McManus noted: “Fame beckoned to David Buick. He sipped from the cup of greatness, and then spilled what it held.”
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