Condition:
Used |
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): 44948I70
Year: 1948
Mileage: 58,400
Make: Buick
Model: Roadmaster
Options: Leather Seats, Convertible
Trim: 2-door convertible
Number of Cylinders: 8
Drive Type: Automatic
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1948 Rare Restored Buick Roadmaster Convertible Period Correct Restoration with Proper Interior One of only 11,503 Convertibles Made
The last '48 Roadmaster Convertible with the same color combinations and options sold for almost $130k (including premium and tax) at a Gooding & Company auction in Scottsdale.
Easily capable of cruising at modern highway speeds, with a comfortable ride and surprisingly good brakes, you can drive it anywhere. This beauty has been driven less than 100 miles since being fully restored earlier this year. Everything works perfectly including the power top, power windows, power seat, radio, electric horns, clock (which rarely work in these cars), mechanical horn, exterior lights, interior lights, signals, crank rear windows, and any other option you can think of.
Original Fireball DynaFlow 320 Cubic Inch Straight-8 144 -- 150 HP (it depends on who you ask at GM) Automatic Transmission -- first torque converter equipped transmission on an American built car, originally a $244 option Convertible -- Power Top Power Windows Power Seat 58,400 Original Miles Best Color Combination or Cream and Red
Although they probably didn't know it at the time, Buick's 1942 redesign of their entire lineup would make post-war Buicks some of the most fashionable cars on the road. With other automakers scrambling to update older designs, the 1942 refresh brought sweeping fenders, longer wheelbases, and the trademark toothy Buick grille that would be an icon for more than a decade. In 1948, Buick also introduced the Dynaflash automatic transmission on the top-of-the-line Roadmaster, and it proved so popular that they had to double production at the factory. In 1949, there would be yet another restyle, making the 1948 Buicks the pinnacle of early post-war design and styling.
This 1948 Roadmaster convertible has been in the same family since being restored earlier this year. Showing just 58,224 original miles, she runs beautifully with a recently rebuilt engine and transmission. The cream color paint is factory correct which is the most sought after color and suits the big flashy convertible. The car spent its entire life in the southwest and has never been rusty with zero signs of patching or filler used anywhere in the body. Panel alignment is perfect, although Buick's trademark side-opening hood was notoriously difficult to fit and even the factory only did a fair job of it. The paint and chrome is excellent with no flaws. The chrome and trim is 100% original and was refinished as needed. Decals and logos are fully preserved, and the legendary Buick "bombsight" hood ornament is extremely nice. All the lenses are intact and great original condition.
Red interior, and lots of it, is the interior of choice in the post-war Roadmaster convertibles. Authentic materials, patterns, and colors were used to create a proper Buick interior in fact the seats might be the original material. Lovely button-tufted door panels are befitting Buick's most expensive model (except for the station wagon), and the seats are fitted with proper pleats. Fresh carpets were also installed throughout to give this Buick a fresh look. The gauges are all original and all functional including the Sonomatic AM radio and glovebox-mounted clock. The Sonomatic Radio is the only noticeable flaw on the vehicle as the radio buttons were reassembled out of order (the buttons say "CUBICK" instead of "BUICK"). Overhead, the tan canvas convertible top and boot cover are new and factory correct material and color. The vacuum-actuated mechanism works flawlessly as it should. Both front windows and power seat are also hydraulically operated and 100% functional.
Starting a Buick of this vintage is easy: simply turn on the key and step on the accelerator pedal. The big 320 cubic inch OHV straight-eight fires quickly and settles into a smooth idle with a pleasant mechanical whir coming from under the hood. The oil bath air filter has been converted to take a dry paper filter but still has a factory appearance. The exhaust makes a low subtle rumble which is the unmistakable sound of eight cylinders running in perfect harmony. Engine and transmission were both rebuilt during the recent restoration and everything under the hood has been finished to factory correct colors, logos, and decals. A transmission cooler was added as the only visible known non-factory addition to this car which is well hidden. The generator puts out plenty of amperage, and steering is light although there was no power assist in 1948. Insert bearings were used in 1948 for the first time, increasing reliability and improving high-speed durability, making this a Buick that will cruise effortlessly at modern highway speeds. The transmission works as advertised, with a seamless flow of power and no perceptible gear changes, which always feels unusual to those of us accustomed to typical automatics where you can discern the shift points.
The brakes are firm and confidence-inspiring, even at high speeds, and the ride is typical Buick luxurious. However, it is unflappable on the open road and swallows large bumps without disturbing the passengers in a way that only large luxury cars are able to do. Four new wide whitewall tires have been mounted to the original steel wheels fitted with the original hubcaps.
Mechanically excellent and still quite handsome, this Roadmaster convertible is a no-compromises collector car. It will easily float along at 70 MPH with a comfortable ride and surprisingly good brakes, so you can drive it anywhere. Parts are plentiful, service is easy, and the Buick 320 cubic inch engine is one of the most reliable machines to ever come out of Flint. Perfect specimens are trading hands for over $125,000 at auction, so this one also represents something of a bargain for a fully-sorted rust-free Roadmaster convertible.
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Buick Roadmaster for Sale
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Auto blog
Wed, 12 Nov 2014
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Tue, 17 Aug 2010
2010 Buick Enclave - Click above for high-res image gallery The summer of 2010's recall hit parade continues unabated today, with General Motors having just announced that it is asking 243,403 owners of its 2009-2010 Lambda crossovers to bring their three-row haulers in for inspection. The culprit? Second-row seat belts in select Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook CUVs have "failed to perform properly in a crash." According to GM, a second-row seat-side trim piece is to blame, as it can impede the upward rotation of the buckle after the seat is folded flat. As a result, if the buckle makes contact with the seat frame, cosmetic damage can occur, potentially requiring additional force to operate the buckle properly. So far, no great shakes, but in the process of applying that additional force, the occupant may push the buckle cover down to the strap, potentially revealing and depressing the red release button. As a result of this, the belt may not latch, or in certain cases, it may actually appear to be latched when, in fact, it isn't.
Mon, 26 Nov 2012
Inside Line reports Buick is planning to bring back some of the more storied names from the company's past, including the Grand National, GNX and the T-Type. Those cars rose to prominence in the 1970s and '80s to become performance legends of their day. The new models will reportedly make use of the rear-wheel drive platform that currently underpins the Cadillac ATS and all would arrive as sedans - according to an unnamed source familiar with the initiative. Odds are the T-Type and the Grand National would share a driveline, with honest money being on a new twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6 as the engine of choice. Word has it the mill will be good for anywhere from 350 to 400 horsepower. That leaves only the GNX. Inside Line seems to think that machine could get down the road with some help from the all-new GM LT1 small-block V8. The engineers behind the ATS platform have already told us the engine bay is large enough for to accommodate the big eight pot, and since GM is most certainly working on an ATS-V, a slightly less powerful, less luxurious Buick iteration makes some kind of sense. We can't wait to see these things in the light of day.
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