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
Auto Services in California
Auto Repair & Service, Glass-Auto, Plate, Window, Etc, Windshield Repair Address: 1602 W Adams Blvd, Universal-City Phone: (323) 731-3728
Auto Repair & Service, Towing, Automotive Roadside Service Address: 4291 Santa Rosa Ave, Duncans-Mills Phone: (707) 571-8866
Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Automobile Parts & Supplies Address: 903 Kansas Ave, Ceres Phone: (209) 872-8017
Auto Repair & Service, Brake Repair Address: 7904 Engineer Rd, National-City Phone: (858) 565-2666
Auto Repair & Service Address: 1386 White Oaks Rd, Redwood-Estates Phone: (408) 559-0301
Auto Repair & Service, Auto Transmission, Brake Repair Address: 1112 Erickson Rd, Clayton Phone: (925) 421-2912
Auto blog
Wed, 27 Mar 2013
Following the introduction of the updated 2014 Buick LaCrosse and Regal, the oldest vehicle in Buick's lineup will be the Verano, which was just introduced last year. Having such a fresh product mix bodes well for Buick as it tries to create a new image in the US, and after checking out the amount of luxury being stuffed into the new LaCrosse for 2014, GM's awkwardly positioned brand may finally have the ability to stand out.
Granted, the model unveiled was the all-new, top-of-the-line Ultra Luxury Interior Package, but this package brings top-notch leather and soft suede covering everything above the beltline as well as real ash wood accent trim throughout the cabin. While there was no mention of price, we don't expect this model to come cheap in terms of what we expect from Buick, although it will likely be competitively priced with similarly equipped rivals like the Acura TL or Lexus ES. Adding even more to the LaCrosse's interior, dual eight-inch displays make up the gauge cluster and center stack, and the number of buttons on the center stack have been greatly reduced, creating a cleaner look for the instrument panel.
Another big change is the next-generation of Buick's IntelliLink infotainment system that brings with it all of the recent enhancements of the Cadillac CUE and Chevrolet MyLink systems. Differentiating itself from other GM infotainment systems, the new Buick IntelliLink stands out by allowing users to customize the apps they can add and not just being limited to what GM sees fit.
Wed, 12 Nov 2014
General Motors is laying off about 510 workers from two factories beginning in January, and it could be months before the automaker needs some of that latent capacity to come back on line. A combination of poor sales and high dealer inventories are prompting the cutbacks, according to Automotive News.
The largest changes come at GM's Lansing Grand River plant, where the Cadillac ATS and CTS are made. An entire shift of about 350 workers is being laid off, but the automaker hopes to find positions for some of them at other nearby factories. The decision leaves just a single shift building vehicles there. According to Automotive News, the move is partially spurred by Johan de Nysschen's plan to make Cadillac a more exclusive brand.
The lost shift will likely return for production of the next-generation Chevrolet Camaro at the plant, according to the report, but GM isn't saying when that will be. A previous announcement from the Canadian Auto Workers union indicated that the Oshawa, Ontario, factory would lose the coupe in late 2015 or early 2016.
Sun, 03 Aug 2014
The Buick Regal is based on the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, a pair of sedans from General Motors' European and British outfits. In fact, over 46,000 Regals from model years 2010 and 2011 were screwed together on the same lines as the Insignia twins, before GM's Oshawa, Ontario factory took over production fully. Considering this closeness, rumors that claim the next-generation Regal - due for 2017 - could move back to Europe aren't terribly surprising. Here's why, according to Automotive News.
Oshawa is home to three other vehicles, aside from the Regal - the Chevrolet Camaro, Impala rental queen and the Cadillac XTS. We already know next-gen Camaro production is headed to Lansing, MI, and that the fleet-only Impala will (finally!) die in 2016. As for the XTS, as AN explains it, sales are so slow that GM will either kill it or just shuffle its production volume elsewhere.
Taken along with the fact that Unifor, the Canadian labor union repping workers at the Oshawa factory, claim GM hasn't made any guarantees about future production at the nearly 60-year-old factory, it seems fairly clear that the Regal's current factory is going to be put out to pasture.
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