Feature Article from Hemmings Muscle Machines
May, 2014 - Matthew Litwin
...many enthusiasts forget that power was one element that propelled Buick to the top of Detroit's food chain; the division was actually third in line behind volume leaders Chevy and Ford for several years. It was Buick that first created the formula for what would later come to be known as the muscle car in the 1936 Century, achieved by installing the division's most powerful engine into a mid-size platform. The very name, "Century," was a direct reference to its top speed. (It actually fell 5 MPH short of triple digits, but it was an effective selling tool all the same.)