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Buick production for 1908 was 8,820 cars, second only to Ford. This success is due to two reasons; the first being Buick's Model 10, the car that made Buick. The second was the merger with Olds, forming General Motors, under the guidance of Durant. Also in 1908 unassembled Buicks were shipped to Canada for assembly and marketed under the name McLaughlin. The early McLaughlin bodies differed greatly from the U.S. Buicks but as time passed they resembled one another more and more. McLaughlin production lasted until WWII, therefore Canadian rodders should find an abundance of Buick-like tin awaiting the chance to be taken out of retirement. The same applies to British rodders, as in 1910 Buick's export theme was carried over to Britain. Thus, Bedford Buicks began selling throughout Britain.
1910 marked the beginning of Durant's wild buying spree of other car makers and Buick's treasury was dipped into whenever extra funds were needed. To add to Buick's troubles the following year, the inexpensive Model 10 was dropped as Buick made the move into the high-priced, big-car range. By 1912 all Buicks had sprouted doors and new, smoother lines consisting of barn-shaped hoods and radiators with front and rear fenders taking on a semi-circular shape. The engines powering Buicks of the teens had their vertical cylinders cast in pairs with non-removable heads, while rocker arm assemblies were fully exposed. For 1914 Buick introduced a new six cylinder to be added to its popular four cylinder line. New this year were the self stater, an electrical system cornerlamps and left hand steering.
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