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News anchor swaps his Roadmaster for a custom Buick Enclave Woody

Dennis House, self-proclaimed car buff and Connecticut news anchor, thinks that with the impending launch of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, woodies will make their grand return to the car scene in modern fashion. House wanted to get ahead of the potential trend and decided to create a one-of-one woody wrap for his Buick Enclave. On the rear quarter panel of the custom SUV, an aftermarket badge reads "Enclave Estate Wagon." It's a direct call back to one of the vehicles that has inspired House's love of wood-paneled family haulers, the Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon. House owns two Roadmasters, a black 1996 model and a 1995 woody. In making room for the Enclave, House has decided to sell the '96, which looks spotless and only has a bit more than 71,000 miles on the clock. According to GM Authority, who spotted House's Enclave, the look was achieved with a vinyl wrap. After exploring the idea of a first-gen Enclave woody or a Regal TourX woody, House decided the application worked best on a current Enclave. The mock-ups were done on the computer, and Scranton Cadillac Buick GMC completed the work. The wrap starts just beneath the headlights and wraps around the entire vehicle. Furthering the theme, House took a photo of the woody with a surfboard. For now, the woody look is not a factory option, but House hopes General Motors takes notice and considers offering the choice on future models. If not, just take your ride to Scranton Motors, and they could probably help you out.            View this post on Instagram                   What a cool new 2019 Buick Enclave for CT’s own Dennis House! We couldnÂ’t be happier to have you as a part of the Scranton Motors family!! #scranton_cadillacbuickgmc #scrantonmotors #dennishousetv #carbuyingshouldbeeasy #buick #buickenclave #2019buickenclave #woodpanelingforthewin A post shared by Scranton Cadillac/Buick/GMC (@scranton_cadillacbuickgmc) on Apr 19, 2019 at 10:18am PDT

Looking back at how and why GM saved Buick

Still uncomfortably fresh in our collective minds is 2008, the year when the US economy tanked, auto sales collapsed, and both General Motors and Chrysler endured federally managed bankruptcies. Then 2009, when, among other draconian measures, the government task forces dictating what they were compelled to do to earn taxpayer financial support ordered thousands of dealers cut and GM to discontinue four of its eight US brands. Three of those chosen for GM's axe were fairly obvious: off-road icon Hummer had become politically incorrect, Swedish-born Saab was a perennial money loser, and product-starved Saturn had sadly sagged after its strong early start. On the other hand, high-volume value brand Chevrolet, luxury Cadillac, and high-profit GMC seemed clear keepers. That left Pontiac and Buick, both boasting strong brand heritage and histories but both languishing at the time with lackluster image and sales. Most believed that "old man's car" Buick would be killed and once-youthful Pontiac and its performance image would be revived. So few understood why when exactly the opposite happened: Buick lived, Pontiac died. One key factor was Buick's long, distinguished history in China. In the early 20th century, many of that country's most influential citizens owned, drove, or were driven in Buicks. By 1930, one out of every six cars on the roads in Shanghai was a Buick. So when GM launched vehicle production at a Shanghai joint-venture plant in 1999, the chosen brand was Buick. Today it remains GM's best-selling brand in that fast-growing market. Another was an appealing new design direction that began with a shapely 2006 three-row crossover concept called Enclave. Inspired by the Buick Velite concept convertible of 2004, its curvaceous "form vocabulary," GM Design vice president Ed Welburn said at the time, previewed coming Buick production car and CUV design. "The body shape flows, like there's wind blowing over it," he enthused, adding that the Enclave concept's richly trimmed cabin foretold "a renaissance in interior design for GM." And when the production Enclave arrived for 2008, followed by platform siblings from Saturn and GMC (and later Chevrolet), it indeed caught the public's eye and started selling well. And once past GM's painful and embarrassing bankruptcy, Buick has been on a major roll. Continuing to sell strongly in China while growing substantially in the US, it has enjoyed four straight years of global sales records.

Buick reveals production GL8 Century minivan, and you can't have one

The futuristic GL8 MPV concept Buick showed late last year in China is headed to production. This jazzed-up people-mover appears to have held true to its concept design, with only a few elements of the exterior getting attention before heading to the assembly line.  At first blush, the most significant change from the concept is the exterior paint scheme, which was essentially inverted over several of its surfaces. The glossy silver grille of the concept gave way to a more conventional honeycomb pattern for the production version, but accents in a similar silver finish are now visible along the hood and roofline and the rising wave that peaks just in front of the GL8 Century's C-pillar.  Admittedly, the production car loses some of the wilder elements of the concept's cabin, but perhaps not as much as you might expect based on the interior photo included here. We can only see the rear seats, which give off sort of a baby private jet vibe that is vastly more impressive than what Buick offers in its American SUVs.  The Century will sit atop Buick's GL8 lineup of MPVs (which includes the more-pedestrian GL8 ES and GL8 Legacy) in China when it goes on sale later this year. Related video: 2022 Kia Carnival EX Sliding Minivan Doors | Autoblog Short Cuts