The world's first concept car--Harley Earl's 1938 Buick Y-Job. BUICK WEEK

It’s easy to look at the Harley Earl-designed 1938 Buick Y-Job today and dismiss it as just another neat old car. But put it in the context of 1938, and you’ll realize that it is one of the most radical, influential cars of all time.

Cars back then were much different. They had tall, narrow bodies. There wasn’t much room across, but there was plenty of headroom to accommodate the hats people liked to wear. There were running boards and fenders that attached beyond the body. This is one of the reasons they were so narrow inside. Headlights typically were housed in big pods over the fenders. Taillights were an afterthought—tacked unceremoniously to the back. Wheels were usually 16-inches in diameter or better. The roads were getting better by the late 30s, but people still placed value on the ground clearance the larger wheels provided.

When better cars are built, Buick will build them. A look at 110-years of history and innovation. BUICK WEEK

If there ever were a car company that was accused of being too old fashioned, while at the same time achieving its greatest success by looking into the future, it's Buick. It is one of the best-kept secrets in the industry today, yet has one of the most colorful, eventful histories imaginable.  My first car was a Buick, and my dad has had a few over the years, so I have kind of a soft spot for the brand.  So let's take a look at the history of this storied company.

David Dunbar Buick founded the company that bears his name in 1903, and the first cars were sold to the public in 1904. Those first cars, known as the Model B, were reliable because of their durable valve-in-head engines. So bulletproof was this design that Buick's mantra, "Valve-in-head is ahead in value" served the company in advertising pieces decades later.