It was the end of a terrible epic of suffering in which the old had been sacrificed to save the young on the principle of Soviet Union doctrine that "he who does not work does not eat." Life in wartime Leningrad represented the idea of "total war" at its most intense. The idea was to test public reaction to new styling and engineering ideas and, hopefully, to add a bit of luster to GM's production cars. Then in 1962, Buick brought out the first production Wildcat, a new factory hot rod designed to compete with the Oldsmobile Starfire and Pontiac Grand Prix. With the return to peace, however, neither the Century nor Limited were listed on the Buick roster. The Limited also did wonders for Buick's image. A new Limited series was introduced for that recession year, too. With little choice but to continue with the Invicta, Buick watched its output drop to 45,411 units for 1960 and then tumble to 28,733 for 1961, when the series lost its four-door sedan and brace of wagons. So went the saga of the Buick Wildcat. The 1962-1970 Buick Wildcat name had a certain ring to it. But a reputation for poor brakes, lapses in quality control due to the fast pace of production, and less-than-popular styling in 1957 pushed Buick back into fourth place.

Buick, now in third place ahead of Plymouth, had correctly gauged the performance craze of the mid-1950s and looked forward to even bigger things. Customers rebelled, and Buick slid into fifth place with only about one-third its 1955 volume. Using the same formula as in 1936, Buick dropped the Roadmaster's 322-cubic-inch V-8 into the Special's 122-inch wheelbase, and a new banker's hot rod was born. Another astute marketing move was the 1936 Century, often referred to as the original "factory hot rod" or "banker's hot rod." The formula, simple but effective, called for combining Buick's lightest bodies with its most powerful engine, then a 320.2-cubic-inch 120-horsepower straight eight. Meanwhile, the Century, a "banker's hot rod" model, was revived. Meanwhile, back in Flint, Buick was honing its marketing strategy for the 1950s. Buick maintained three series at the time: Special, Super, Roadmaster. Meanwhile, Invicta reinstated the wagons, adding them to the existing convertible and two- and four-door hardtops. The Century continued its winning ways until World War II intervened, adding "Compound Carburetion" for 165 horsepower and ever sleeker styling. When war began in Europe, he was instrumental in securing the neutrality of the Americas, and he also advanced FDR's interventionist policies regarding the Allies.

An upmarket series, it caused consternation within General Motors because it boasted custom coachwork and was sometimes bigger and more powerful than Cadillac -- but at a more attractive price. It was slightly more expensive than the Cadillac Sixty-Two extended-deck hardtop sedan, and a couple inches longer, to boot. But by the early 1950s, Buick was becoming more aggressive, much as in the mid-1930s after Harlow Curtice took over the division. General Motors reportedly was considering dropping Buick altogether, but Curtice -- who had already turned around General Motors' AC Spark Plug Divisihe strike. The public loved it (the all-new 1954 styling didn't hurt, either), and the results were even better than in 1936: 81,982 Centurys built for the model year. Production, at 52,851, was better than the 37,558 of the 1958 Century, but poorer than any other postwar Century. With 195/200 horsepower, the new Century could accelerate from 0-60 mph in a little over 10 seconds and do an honest 110 mph. Buick officials must have realized the Invicta had failed as a Century replacement, but their 1962 strategy was confusing at best. No matter, Buick's new styling and new names didn't generate the enthusiasm Buick had hoped for; the marque slipped even further in industry standings to seventh. With a combination of a rebate and your negotiation skills, you might be able to save even more than the rebate. It even gets cover billing. These monikers, first used in the mid-1930s, would persist for more than two decades, and by the early 1950s were almost as well-known as the Buick name itself.