1935 Buick Sport Coupe - Model 96S 🇺🇸

For 1935 Buick carried over almost everything as if it was a continuation of 1934. What few changes were made to the cars amounted to small trim changes and new colors. Buick was banking on its radically restyled and newly engineered 1936 cars and could not commit resources to the 1935 model year. This strategy didn’t help sales with approximately 53, 249 cars produced for the 1935 model year. But, since production and sales of new model year cars begin in the previous calendar year, the impact of the new 1936 cars would make the 1935 calendar year sales figures look like a big jump over 1934.

The intricacies of counting automobile production aside, 1935 was nothing more than a placeholder in Buick history as far as the cars were concerned.  But it was a pivotal year behind the scenes. Harlow Curtice took the reins of Buick in October 1933, too late to influence the 1934 cars, and subsequently the 1935 cars. But he got right to the business of fixing Buicks business problems. First he took back control of Buick distribution and sales from Pontiac. Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile were combined into a single sales organization in the late 1920’s in what was seen as a cost cutting move and getting rid of the redundant sales organizations. The problem with this arrangement was that it removed the personal touch from the Buick distribution channels. It also meant that managers didn’t care which brand was selling cars as long as they sold cars, an arrangement that favored whichever brand was strongest at the expense of the weakest. The upshot was Buick sales slid. Curtice took back control of Buick and rebuilt the sales and distribution network in 1934-35. He also went on a serious cost cutting mission, adjusting the number and type of body styles, transferring cost risks to suppliers, stepping up the sharing of parts with other GM brands and directing engineers and designers to reduce the number of parts.

All of these background moves would serve well when the 1936 model Buicks were finally released.  Curtice would throw everything Buick had at the development of the new cars. It was a big risk and bold move that would either make Buick great again or seal its demise. In the meantime, 1935 would not be a glorious year for Buick.