Bathtubs and…Buick?

When we stop and think of great combinations, a number of things come to mind: Peanut butter and jelly, hamburgers and French fries, Batman and Robin.

Yet, strange as it may seem, we rarely find ourselves thinking of the little-known combo of bathtubs and Buick vehicles. Little did most of us know that the benchmark division of automotive giant General Motors was entwined with cast-iron bathtubs. However, thanks to Buick Motor Company founder David Dunbar Buick and his expertise at not only building engines but remodeling bathtubs, we find ourselves fascinated with this curious combination.

Scottish-born Buick was always intrigued with how things worked, and it showed in the variety of endeavors throughout his life. For a guy who quit school at age 15 to work for a plumbing company, he did very well for himself and gave hope to every kid who’s trying to convince his parents that school isn’t necessary. Those of us who have lush, green yards can thank him for inventing the lawn sprinkler, and every time we sink into a bathtub coated with enamel we’ll be thinking of DDB. This was a fellow ahead of his time, since his enameling process is still being used today.

It’s not often that guys take a liking to cars and bathtubs, but Buick was the exception to that rule. As his interest in engine development grew, his interest in bathtubs waned to the point that his plumbing partner got disgusted and dissolved the partnership, with the business being sold. Now free to be a car guy exclusively, he went for the gusto and develop an entire car. The problem was he loved research and development so much he spent too much time on it until his capital ran out. He was broke in 1902 and 1903 until he got a $5,000 loan from a friend to start what is today’s version of the Buick Motor Company.

Ironically, despite his inventive genius and creativity, he spent much of his life trying to find two nickels to rub together. He left Buick in 1906 with a severance package and tried his luck at being a land and oil baron, with little success to show for it. Near the end of his life he was practically broke and had too little money to even have a telephone, spending his time as a teacher at a Detroit trade school.

The ironic twist to this story was DDB was viewed as a person whom fame kept tapping on the shoulder, yet when he turned around to say hello he’d never find anyone there. With over 35 million cars with his name on them, he did what he loved, yet the money never followed.