1925 – Buick “Around the World” part 2 – Press Reports

A motor car which is being driven around the world arrived in Sydney at about 10 o’clock yesterday morning and left for New Zealand in the evening.

The car is a standard six-cylinder touring model Buick, which left New York about three months ago, and has since traversed parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. After passing through New zealand it will be shipped to San Francisco and complete its journey by crossing the United States of america to New York again. The object of the journey is not to establish a speed record, but to demonstrate the strength of the Buick service throughout the world. The reliability of the car is emphasised by the fact that it is never for very long in the hands of the same driver, but has been passed on from city to city and country to country by a relay.

The car carries an elaborate parchment log on which is recorded the names of the different towns and cities it has visited, the driver and, in many cases the signature of the American consul. From New York it was shipped to Liverpool, England and driven from there, via Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Swindon and London, whence it was shipped to Amsterdam, Holland and driven by a Dutch driver to Brussels, Belgium. The Belgium driver who took it over in Brussels drove it to Paris, France and a frenchman then took charge as far as Marseilles, where it was shipped to Cairo. Egypt then provided drivers who took it to Port Said and through Palistine to Jerusalem.

The drivers from Jerusalem were at the wheel while the car passed through Beirut and Damascus to Baghdad, traversing Mesopotamia and Iraq, apparently including an Arab, judging by the name signed on the log, and from Baghdad, Persia, whence the route lay through Persia to Basreh. At Basreh the car was shipped again to Bombay, India and driven via Agra to Calcutta: shipped again to Colombo and driven all around the island of Ceylon, and shipped once more to Fremantle, Western Australia. At Fremantle, Mr E.G.Langdon took the wheel and drove the Buick to Adelaide, where Mr H.L.Searcy took over and drove to Melbourne. From Melbourne Mr. R.T.Lane drove to Albury, where Mr P.A.McIntosh, who was accompanied by Mr Jack McManus was waiting. Mr McIntosh took over the car on Sunday evening, and on Monday morning set out on the drive to Sydney.

“It was a fast drive, and the car behaved excellently” said Mr McIntosh. “We had to stop in practically every town along the road from Albury to permit our agents and the public to inspect the car and that meant even harder driving than we cared for over very bad roads. Nevertheless, the car ran faultlessly, and, in fact, it has only had one puncture since arriving in Australia. Four spare wheels are carried, and as a precaution the tyres were changed in Adelaide.”

“Altogether the car, whose chassis number is 1300781 has covered 9476 miles under its own power since leaving New York. During the journey from Albury it averaged 23 miles to the gallon of petrol.”

Christchurch motorists will be interested to know that to-day the Buick round-the-world car will pass through the city. The N.Z. Automobiles, Ltd., Buick distributors in this city, are driving the car on the present lap of its long journey around the globe.

When the Buick Motor Company and the General Motors Export Company, working in collaboration on this plan, decided to send a Buick Standard Six touring car around the world, it was with two definite objects in view. The first was to demonstrate the stamina and reliability of the Buick Standard six model-the newest and most popular of 20 years production of Buicks. The second object was to show to the public how extensive is the Buick service organisation.

This is being accomplished by a novel method of handling the car itself. No single driver or mechanic goes with the car; instead, it is driven everywhere by Buick distributors and dealers, who in a chain unbroken, except by necessary water hauls, are taking the car from New York eastward around the globe back to its starting point. Every mile of land that this car is traveling on its round-the-world trip is covered by Buick owner-service. The route includes England, Holland, Belgium, France, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, India,Ceylon, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

The new Standard Six model, with a wheelbase of 114 3-8 inches (2.9 metres)and engine bore and stroke of 3 inches (76 mm.) and 4.5 inches (114.), is a slightly smaller edition of the well known large Buick Six that Buick has been building for many years past, It is a four-wheel brake car, equipped with low pressure tyres, and engineered throughout to meet requirements of the owner who wants a sturdy, reliable, yet comparatively low-priced car with 6 cylinder smoothness and rapid acceleration.

The present Buick trip around the world is simply a rather spectacular demonstration of what has been in effect for some time past-namely, the locating and equipping of Buick service stations at strategic points that will ensure Buick owners throughout the world having convenient access to Buick replacement parts and skilled mechanical assistance. To this policy, the Buick Motor Company largely attributes the unusual popularity of its product in all countries.

During the time the round-the-world tour has already been on the road, no mechanical or other trouble has developed, and runs have been made exactly on schedule.

The round-the-world Buick car passed through Ashburton late yesterday afternoon, and was driven through the town by the local agent, Mr W. Page.

So far the car has travelled 21,000 miles through America, England, Germany, France, Poland, Palestine, Australia, and New Zealand, and has only 5000 miles to go to complete its long tour, on which it has been taken by the agents in the various. districts through which it has passed. Despite rough usage in heat and cold, the engine ran beautifully in a 45-mile-an-hour clip out of Asburton.

To all intents and purposes the luxuriously equipped touring model conveyed no other impression than that it had recently been unpacked from its case and had spent a few light months on South Canterbury roads. In the few short months of its life, however, the stock model light six cylinder Buick car which arrived at the Borough Council Chambers shortly before two o’clock on Wednesday afternoon in order to obtain an official memento of its visit to Timaru in the shape of the Town Clerk’s signature in its log book, had travelled far and poked its brightly polished nose into many strange and decidedly interesting corners of the world.

Early in December of last year the car was unpacked from an export case in New York and shipped to England, from where, after touring through the leafy by-ways of the mother country, another voyage was taken, this time to Holland. Through the well roaded canal country a rapid journey was made across Belgium and the poplar bordered roads of France to the Mediterranean Sea, over which, access was gained to Asia Minor. Disembarking at Beyruit, in Syria, a run of 70 miles inland took the Buick to Damascus, the capital of Syria and the meeting place between the East and West, where enormous caravans of camels daily pass to and fro, exchanging the dates and tobacco and spices and carpets of the East for the produce of the looms and workshops of Europe. Penetrating still inland into Asiatic Turkey, the gleam of the domes and minarets of Baghdad were eventually sighted through the groves of the date trees

encircling the town, Basra, on the West bank of the Euphrates, provided an outlet via the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea to India, where after touching at Colombo to tour Ceylon the car was shipped a distance of 3120 miles to Perth.

The Australian portion of the tour was commenced with a drive via Adelaide, a distance of 1400 miles from where it was shipped by the Auckland route to Napier, and driven to Wellington and shipped again to Lyttelton. Three minutes after being landed on the Lyttelton wharf last Sunday the car was in going order for its trip over the Port Hills to Christchurch, where the log, which was written up and officially signed at every point, was again registered. Leaving Christchurch at 10.15 a.m., Dunedin was reached after a wet drive over the latter portion of the journey at 7.30 p.m. A start for Invercargill was made at 1.30 p.m. the next day, Mr Clarke ( representing Cooke Howlison and Coy. of Dunedin) driving. Arriving that night, the next morning was spent in the town, the return trip being made in the afternoon to Dunedin. The return portion of the journey from Dunedin was undertaken by MR S. Cooke jnr., of Messrs Cooke Howlison and Coy., Ltd., who, leaving the southern city at 8.a.m., arrives at Timaru at 1.45 p.m., actual running time after allowing for one hour at Oamaru,an hour at Waimate, and 23 minutes spent in photographing the car at Mt Cargill, being 4 hours 5 minutes, which in Mr Cooke’s own words was “traveling comfortably.”

From Lyttelton the car will cross to Wellington and travel by road to Auckland, and from that point the route will lead to San Francisco via Honolulu. Arriving at the former port, the car will complete the journey across America to the starting point, New York, when it will then have

done over 14,000 miles, up to the present 11,000 having been registered. Throughout the journey the car has been handled exclusively by Buick dealers in the various territories through which it has passed, no drivers or mechanics traveling with it on tour other than those responsible for taking it through their individual territories, and with the exception of tyres being changed no mechanical repair work has been effected.

The car on arrival at the local Buick agency, Bockaert’s garage was running exceptionally well, and showed little trace of the severe test to which it had been subjected. The services of the local dealers, Messrs Culling and Meredith, were placed at the disposal of the driver, who left shortly before three o’clock to take the car across to the North Island agents who will be responsible for its further transit through New Zealand on its round the world trip, a trip which is not only providing a severe mechanical test for the car itself, but also demonstrating beyond doubt the wonderful efficiency of the Buick organisation….

Local motorists will be interested to know that today the Buick round-the-world-car will journey through Dunedin. Messrs Cooke, Howlison and Co. (Ltd.), Buick distributors, who are driving the car on the present lap of its long journey around the globe, have supplied us with information about this unique trip.

When the Buick Motor Company and the General Motors Export Company, working in collaboration on this plan, decided to send a Buick Standard Six touring car around the world, it was with two definite objects in view. The first was to demonstrate the stamina and reliability of the Buick Standard Six model. The second object was to show to the public how extensive is the Buick organisation. This is being accomplished by a novel method of handling the car itself. No single driver or mechanic goes with the car. Instead, it is driven everywhere by Buick distributors and dealers, who in a chain unbroken except by necessary water hauls are taking the car from New York eastward around the globe back to its starting point.

Every mile of land that this car is traveling on its round-the-world trip is covered by Buick owner-service, The route includes England, Holland, Belgium, France, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, India, Ceylon, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States The four longest

laps of the journey unbroken by water haul are the following :-

(1) The 1400 mile stretch ‘between Port Said, Egypt, through Jerusalem, Haifa, Beirut, and Baghdad, down to Basra on the Persian Gulf.

(2) The trans-India trip from Bombay to Calcutta.

(3) The stretch of over 2000 miles across Australia from Perth to Sydney.

(4) The 3000 mile stretch from San Francisco back to New York, the full width of the United States.

The present Buick trip around the world is simply a rather spectacular demonstration of what has been in effect for some time part-namely, the locating and equipping of Buick service stations at strategic points that will ensure Buick owners throughout the world having convenient access to Buick replacements, parts and skilled mechanical assistance.

Messrs Cooke, Howlison and Company’s representative, who is driving the car from Dunedin to Invercargill, is scheduled to leave Dunedin at 1.30 p.m. to-day, arriving at Invercargill early this evening, when the car will be handed over to the Invercargill Buick distributors, and the necessary documents duly signed and witnessed. To-morrow evening the car returns to Dunedin driven by the Invercargill Buick distributors representative, and early on Wednesday morning the Dunedin representative starts the the car on its return trip to Lyttelton and the North Island. As no doubt a number of motorists will wish to inspect this car, Messrs Cooke, Howlison and Company (Ltd.), have arranged for it to be on view at Hanover Street Garage, between the hours of 11 and 12 today.

Early this year mention was made of a novel means of demonstrating the durability of the 1925 Buick car, which took the form of a world tour, the car being driven over the various stages of the route by a chain of service station drivers.

The tour started from London at the beginning of the year, and after successfully traveling through England, Holland, Belgium, France, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, India, and Ceylon the car was shipped to Fremantle.

The trans. route from Western Australia to Adelaide and Melbourne was then negotiated. The Buick next journeyed to Sydney, and then followed a tour through New Zealand.

Today the car will arrive in Dunedin from Christchurch. It will then be taken over by a driver from the local Buick people, and driven to Invercargill. It will then be driven back by an Invercargill agent, and a Dunedin man will take it on to Christchurch.

The car will then be shipped to San Francisco, and be driven across to New York, thus completing a world’s tour under unique driving conditions, as no single driver accompanied the car, Buick service stations along the route supplying a driver to take the car over each successive stage.

Considerable interest has been manifested amongst motorists of the district by the appearance in Invercargill of a Buick Standard Six motor car which arrived in Invercargill recently. The car left New York, and was shipped to Liverpool on December 20, 1924. It has since travelled through England, Holland, France, Port Said to Gaza, Jerusalem, Syria, Mesopotamia, India and Ceylon and Australia.

It has now encircled half the world, and on arrival in Invercargill the Mayor’s seal was made on the log-book, after which it was sent on to Dunedin.

The trip from Gaza to Baghdad, over the Syrian desert has been, so far, the roughest part of the trip, and the run over the Lebanon mountains was extremely difficult. Through all its trials, however, the Buick car has stood up well. The car, when it reached Invercargill, was actually one day ahead of the scheduled time arranged for it months ago.

A most unusual event in connection with the history of the motor vehicle trade in Southland occurred on Monday. A standard model Buick motor car which left New York on the 20th December last on a round the world tour arrived in Invercargill, the most southerly point in its

unique journey after traveling more than half the distance.

To realise the full significance of this feat it must be understood that the tour was planned many months ago in the Buick company’s headquarters in New York. The journey was all mapped out and planned ahead to a detailed schedule, times of arrival and departure in the different towns

and countries being set down in advance and it is pleased to note that the car is a day ahead of the scheduled time in reaching Invercargill.

In order to make the feat a more unusual one, no driver was sent with the vehicle. It is simply handed on from agent to agent right throughout the world. This idea was conceived so as to show the world-wide territory in which Buick agents can be found and the wonderful organisation Buick possesses. Each district agent meets the car on his boundary, drives it through his territory, then hands it on to the next agent and so on.

The car is an ordinary standard Buick light six model selected at random out of many hundreds at the Buick factory. It is equipped with four spare wheels and tyres and eight spare tubes, wire rope, spade, chains and numerous other spares to ensure its completing the long journey without

mishap. The bonnet is locked as well as various small compartments containing the “spares” and the keys are handed on from dealer to dealer with the car. Probably the most interesting part of the car is the “log.” This is a formidable looking document containing practically a resume of the car’s travels. In the log the various drivers of the car state the distance travelled and certify having driven the car from one point to another point. Their signature is witnessed by the Mayor or some other responsible person in the towns visited.

At every 500 or multiple of 500 miles all of the oil and petrol is drained off and fresh supplies are issued. The bearings are also greased and general minor adjustments are made. These of course are usually made in the ordinary course of events with any car and it cannot be said that

the car is specially “tuned up” by each agent who receives it.

Up to the present time the car has travelled through England, then shipped to Holland and delivered to Amsterdam Buick representatives on January 8th. Amsterdam to Brussels, to Paris, to Marseilles. Shipped from Marseilles January 20th, landed Port Said to Gaza, to Jerusalem, then to Syria, Mesopotamia, India, Ceylon. From Ceylon to Perth, then run to Adelaide, to Melbourne, to Sydney, arriving at the latter place on 22nd April. Shipped from Sydney April 24th. Scheduled to arrive at Auckland on April 29th, then Wellington to Christchurch, to Dunedin, to Invercargill. It has now to return again to Auckland then touch Honolulu and back across the States to New York.

On Monday morning, Mr A. Russell the Southland Buick representative, accompanied by Mr A.J. Campbell, photographer, journeyed to Clinton, the boundary of Mr Russell’s territory, to take delivery of the car from the Otago representatives Messrs Cook and Howlison. At Gore, Mr J. S. A. Aitken ( Gore agent), J. Green, jnr., ( Riversdale agent), and E.Lister ( Wyndham agent), joined the party and went to Clinton to await the arrival of the car from Dunedin. Promptly to time, at about 4.30 the Buick arrived at Clinton and Mr Howlison officially handed over the keys and the car to Mr Russell. Mr green then drove the car to Pukerau and Mr Aitken piloted the car for the rest of the journey to Gore. Mr Russell took the wheel from Gore to Invercargill arriving at about 8 o’clock.

The Garrison Band marched in front of the car along Dee and Tay streets to Messrs. Russell and Co.’s garage where a large crowd assembled to see this unusual motor car. Mr Russell in a short speech traced the movements of the car since it left New York and remarked on the

wonderful performance that the Buick had accomplished.

To-day the car was displayed in the firm’s garage and at eleven o’clock the Mayor, Mr A. Bain, signed the necessary affidavit of its having reached Invercargill. Wyndham and Gore were then visited and the car returned north to Dunedin later in the afternoon.

Gore Topics ( From our Lady Correspondent)

The advent of what is termed an “all round the world” car visited Gore yesterday and created a very considerable amount of attention from a large number of not only towns-people but the farming community also. The car appeared to be a standard Buick, and it shows the reliability and good quality generally of this particular make of car when we consider the many thousands of miles it has travelled and to all appearances with little or no damage. Our worthy Major and a large number of ladies and gentlemen who assembled were photographed. The arrival of the much-talked-of Buick was termed by all as not only interesting but instructive also.

At 8 o’clock this evening there will arrive in Invercargill a motor-car which has seen much more of the world than the great majority of those who will no doubt gather in large numbers to view it. This car is one which the Buick Company sent on a world tour from New York on December

20 last year.

It was shipped to England, and driven through the country, subsequently visiting the Continent of Europe, the East, and Australia. From the Commonwealth, its course lay to Auckland, and now, having been taken through both Islands it is in the South.

The car is running to schedule time, the method being that at each town visited the Buick agent takes it on to the next stop, where he relinquishes control to the next man, and so on, so that by now, the car must have passed through the hands of very many drivers indeed.

Mr A. Russell, the Invercargill agent, will take over the car at Clinton today, and is due here at 8 p.m. To-morrow morning, the Mayor, Mr A. Bain, will be asked to enter his name in the log-book that accompanies the Buick, much the same procedure as that followed by a world-walker who recently presented his diary to a local Magistrate, and then will return to Auckland, en route to San Francisco, where the final stage of the journey back to New York City will begin.

Considerable interest is being displayed locally in the visit of the car, especially as it is no special model, but simply a car from stock.

Many and varied are the assignments undertaken by a newspaper man, but a most novel experience was that which fell to the lot of a representative of the Southland Times yesterday to “interview” the Buick Standard Six Touring Car, which is at present engaged in a round-the-world tour, the chief objects of which are to afford evidence of the efficiency of the Buick Corporation’s product in the motor world and of the world-wide nature of the Buick service. Though the car was not able to talk in the ordinary sense like a human being, it was nevertheless able to give ample proof of the pleasure it is deriving from its visits in many lands and the efficiency of the engine as the car sped over the main road from Dunedin to Invercargill was a revelation, especially when it is considered that a major portion of the 10,718 miles indicated on the speedometer when last night’s journey to Invercargill was completed, has been through tropical countries. It is interesting to mention that no single driver or mechanic of the Company is in charge of the car during its long journey round the world, which will embrace England, Holland, France, Belgium, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, India, Ceylon, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. The tour was commenced on December 20 last when the principals placed the car on a vessel in New York for transport across the Atlantic to Manchester where the car started on its long road journey. Up to the present three of the four longest land journeys which the car is to complete in the course of its travels have been satisfactorily carried

out. The first was the 1400-mile stretch from Port Said through Jerusalem, Beirut and Baghdad down to Basra in the Persian Gulf. The journey from Bombay through India to Calcutta was another long stretch, after which followed the 2500-mile journey from Perth to Sydney. The car

was then shipped across from Sydney to Auckland, and it has now traversed the whole of both Islands of the Dominion by way of Gisborne, Napier, and Woodville to Wellington. After being sent across the Strait by steamer to Lyttelton it has, since 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, when it

was taken charge of by Mr G. W. Fairweather on account of the Canterbury agents, been brought through the South Island. Mr Fairweather had a somewhat rough trip through from Christchurch to Dunedin on Sunday, reaching the latter place late in the evening. Yesterday morning a representative of Messrs Cooke Howlison and Co., of Dunedin, assumed charge of the car, and carried on the trip south until they handed over their responsibility last night to Messrs A. Russell and Co., who are the Southland agents for the Buick car. Leaving Dunedin at 1.15 p.m. yesterday, Mr G. Clarke, who was in charge, drove to Milton, where a short stop was made. Milton was left at 3 p.m., and the weather conditions became brighter, the rain on the Taieri Plains having given place to a fine day with an overcast sky. Clinton was reached at 4.23 p.m., where Mr A. Russell and a number of other gentlemen interested met the travelers, and after a brief stop for a cup of tea the journey to Gore was undertaken, the latter town

being reached at 5.50. Then at 6.5 the last stage of the journey to Invercargill commenced and traveling slowly in order to reach town at 8 o’clock the arrangement worked perfectly. At Conon street a large number of people had gathered to welcome the car, while the Battalion Band was also on the scene to play the “visitor” through the city. This was carried out with great gusto, and and all along Tay and Dee streets large numbers thronged the thoroughfares anxious to catch a glimpse of this much-travelled Buick, which is similar to any other Buick car in design except that it carries a set of four spare wheels and extra parts as well as a spade, hatchet, etc., for use in the more remote regions should the emergency arise. This morning the car will be driven around the city and a call will be made on the Mayor (Mr Andrew Bain) at 11 o’clock for the purpose of getting his signature affixed to the elaborate log, which is a most important document, as it shows conclusively that the car is carrying out the full program mapped out for it by the manufacturers.

The return journey to the north will be commenced at about 11.30 to-day, when Mr Russell will take it through Wyndham and Gore back to Dunedin, where it will remain overnight. The following morning Messrs. Cooke Howlison and Co. will again assume control and will conduct the journey to Oamaru, where the Christchurch agents will take the car over and drive it on to Lyttelton. On arrival in Wellington the journey northward o Auckland will be again undertaken by way of Wanganui and New Plymouth. Then the car will be placed on board a boat for Honolulu and after traversing the Hawaiian island it will go on to San Francisco where the long trek across the United States to New York will commence and so complete the encircling of the Globe.

At 1 o’clock today, there will arrive in Wyndham a motor-car which has seen far more of this mundane sphere than the great majority of those in our town who will, no doubt, assemble in large numbers to view it.

This car is one that Buick Co. sent on a world tour from New York on December 20, 1924. It was shipped to England, and driven through the United Kingdom, subsequently visiting the Continent of Europe, the Far East, and Australia. Thence its course lay to Auckland; and now, having been through both Islands of N.Z., it is in Southland.

The car is running to schedule time, the custom being that each town visited the local agent takes it on to next stop, where he relinquishes control to resident rep., and so on; so that, by now, this

much-travelled automobile has passed through many chauffeurs indeed. Naturally, much interest is being evinced locally in the visit of this nomadic Buick, regarding which our Chief Citizen will sign a statutory affidavit.

Posted 08/2002