Buick Roadmaster
The Buick Roadmaster is an automobile built by Buick in three distinct periods: 1936 through 1942; 1946 through 1958; and 1991 through 1996. Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick's longest non-limousine wheelbase and shared their basic structure with the entry-level Cadillac Series 65, the upscale Buick Limited, and, after 1940, the Oldsmobile 98. Between 1946 and 1957, the Roadmaster served as Buick's flagship.
After being resurrected in 1991, the Roadmaster became the marque's largest vehicle, measuring longer with a greater wheelbase than the C-body Buick Park Avenue. This generation was the first in Roadmaster history to be built on the General Motors B-body platform rather than the C-body, which up to 1984 had been reserved for GM's largest and most opulent models that were not Cadillacs.
A Buick Roadmaster Estate station wagon was introduced in 1947 and was manufactured in several generations through 1996. The final run of 1991-1996 Roadmasters shared powertrains and platforms with the Chevrolet Caprice, Cadillac Fleetwood, and Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser.
1931–1933
The 1932 Series 80 was the first Buick with the OHV Buick Straight-8 engine developing at 2,800 rpm. It was positioned as an upper category trim package and shared with the Series 90. The Series 80 was a new approach for Buick by marketing a luxury sedan with an eight-cylinder engine - that became expected from luxury brands - comparably as the Oldsmobile L-Series on the GM C platform. The 1932 models introduced a new high-performance engine developing. In 1933, the styling of all Buicks was updated with a new, corporate "streamlined" appearance shared with all GM cars for that year as influenced by GM's Art and Color Studio headed by Harley Earl.The 1933 models were the first year all GM vehicles were installed with optional vent windows that were initially called "No Draft Individually Controlled Ventilation" that was later renamed "Ventiplanes" for which a patent application was filed on November 28, 1932. The patent was assigned to the Ternstedt Manufacturing Company, a GM subsidiary making components for Fisher Body.
At the end of 1933, the 80 series was discontinued after 24,117 units were produced. In 1936, the model changed its name to "Series 80 Roadmaster".
Body style choices were limited to a two-door coupe or four-door sedan in 1931 capable of seating five- or seven-passengers, then replacing the coupe with a Victoria five-passenger coupe in 1932. The 1933 model year saw convertibles for both the coupe and four-door sedan convertible reviving the "phaeton" nameplate again, and additional manufacturing locations opened across the country under the Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division. The equipment levels and refinement of materials used were on par with the top-level Limited and was a contender with the Packard Eight.
1936–1937
The origins of the Roadmaster name date to 1936, when Buick added names to its entire model lineup to celebrate the engineering improvements and design advancements over their 1935 models. Buick's Series 40 was named the Special, the Series 50 became the Super, the Series 60 was named the Century and the Series 90 — Buick's largest and most luxurious vehicle — was named the Limited. The Series 50 was retired, but new for the model year was the Series 80 Roadmaster. The 1936 Buick sales brochure describes, "It literally named itself the first time a test model leveled out on the open highway." The terminology "Series 60" and "Series 70" were shared with Cadillac, while "Series 60", "Series 70", "Series 80", and "Series 90" were shared with Oldsmobile.The Roadmaster was introduced in a year when Buick's overhead valve straight-eight engines were heavily revised. Buick reduced the number of engines from four sizes to two: a, version for the Special, and a, at 3100 r.p.m engine for the other series. Buick also adopted an all-steel "turret top" and hydraulic brakes. Coil springs were used in the front.
The Roadmaster sedan weighed 4,098 pounds, about 88 pounds more than Cadillac's new Series 60. The sedan sold for $1,255, $440 less than the least expensive Cadillac. The only other body style was a four-door convertible phaeton, priced at $1,565 , at a time when a Cadillac in the same body style sold was priced from $2,745. Buick sales went from just over 48,000 to nearly 158,000, with the new Series 80 Roadmaster contributing 16,049 units to that total.
Buick was the only GM car, along with the Chevrolet Standard, to retain the basic 1934 styling for 1935, thus the 1936 re-style brought Buick up with the rest of the GM marques. For the 1937 model year, Buick moved to newly re-styled bodies along with all other GM cars. The Roadmaster gained a divided grille with horizontal bars. The center section of the grille was painted to match the body of the car. Fenders became squared off and the headlight shells were streamlined. Overall height was reduced by while keeping the same interior space.
A new carburetor and revised camshaft raised the engine rating to. The engine also received a new intake manifold, oil pump, cooling system, and a quieter overhead valve mechanism.
A Formal Sedan, featuring a roll-down glass partition between the front and rear compartments, was added to the Roadmaster line for US$1,641, of which 452 were sold. The price of the sedan was raised to US$1,518, and that of the phaeton to US$1,856. Overall Roadmaster sales increased to 16,129.
1938–1939
Styling changes for 1938 were modest, with a longer hood extending to a now nearly vertical grill, taller bumper guards, and redesigned hubcaps. Changes were made to both engine and chassis. The ride was improved by replacing the rear leaf springs with coil springs and incorporating double-acting shock absorbers four times the size of others. The frame X-member was changed from I-beam to channel construction, and all wood structural elements were replaced with steel. The engine combustion chambers were redesigned and new "turbulator" pistons raised the compression ratio from 5.9 to 6.5:1, resulting in an increase to.The four-door convertible phaeton changed from the built-in trunk design to a "fastback" rear appearance. The Limited continued to be offered, and a new fastback sedan was added to the line with 466 being sold. The Roadmaster sedan price was increased to US$1,645. The overall automobile market decreased for the year, but Buick's share increased even with Roadmaster sales falling to 5,568 and now making up 3.3% of Buick's total output from its previous 7.3%.
Styling for 1939 featured a new two-piece “waterfall” grille with thin vertical bars. The hood was narrower, the front door pillars were narrower, and the hubcaps were larger. The window area increased substantially with the rear window changing to a one-piece design. All the significant gauges were relocated directly in front of the driver, and the gear shift was changed to a steering column mount. The four-door phaeton could now be ordered with the built-in trunk appearance or as a fastback, but only three of the latter were sold. Although prices were reduced to US$1,545, sales only rose to 6,097, with Roadmaster's share of Buick's total sales falling to 2.9%.
1940–1941
In 1940, the Series 80 was renamed Buick Limited. The Roadmaster name was transferred to the new Series 70, which was introduced simultaneously as a brand new Series 50 Super. The Roadmaster featured a cutting-edge "torpedo" C-body. The new C-body that the 1940 Buick Roadmaster shared with the Super, the Cadillac Series 62, the Oldsmobile Series 90, and the Pontiac Torpedo featured shoulder and hip room that was over wider, the elimination of running boards and exterior styling that was streamlined and 2-3" lower. When combined with a column-mounted shift lever the cars offered room for six-passengers.The 1940 Roadmaster had a shorter wheelbase, weighed less, and was less expensive than the previous year's model. The formal and fastback sedans were discontinued. A two-door coupe body style was newly introduced, and 3,991 units were sold. The coach-building firm of Brunn designed several custom-bodied Buicks for the Series 70, 80, and 90. Only one Roadmaster example is known to have been produced in 1940, an open-front town car, that was dubbed "Townmaster". Overall sales more than tripled to 18,345.
Styling updates for 1941 were modest, but there were mechanical changes. The compression ratio was raised from 6.6:1 to 7.0:1, the "turbulator" pistons were redesigned, smaller spark plugs were new, and "Compound Carburetion" was introduced. This Compound Carburetion was the forerunner of the modern four-barrel carburetor and consisted of twin two-barrel carburetors. One unit operated all of the time, while the other operated only under hard acceleration. The new engine was rated at. This made it have five more horsepower than a senior Packard, 15 more than any Cadillac, and 25 more than the largest Chryslers, it was the most powerful engine available that year on an American car.
A new body style for this year was a two-door convertible, which sold 1,845 units. There was also a Brunn-designed convertible, but no orders materialized because of the $3,500 price. Overall, Roadmaster sales were 15,372.
1942, 1946–1948
The 1942 Roadmaster was longer, lower, wider, and roomier than before, due in part to a longer wheelbase. There was also a new vertical-bar grille and "Airfoil" fenders that swept back to the rear fenders, which in subsequent generations became the chromed "Sweepspear". Both features became a Buick icon exhibited in one way or another for years to come, and were influenced by the concept car called the Buick Y-Job. The four-door phaeton was discontinued. Coupes adopted the Sedanet fastback style that was introduced in 1941 on the Century and Special. The new one-piece hood was double-hinged so that either side of the engine compartment could be opened, while in later updates, the hood would open at the front and extend up and towards the passenger compartment.At the beginning of 1942, new automobiles were available only to those in occupations deemed essential to the war effort. By mid-January, cars with no exterior chrome trim apart from the bumpers were being produced. By February passenger car production was shut down completely. Despite the abbreviated model year, a total of about 8,400 were sold.
When postwar automobile production resumed in the 1946 model year, chrome was more sparingly applied, swept-back fenders were fitted to sedans and coupes, and a war-inspired "bombsight" hood ornament was adopted. The instrument panel was two-toned with woodgrain facings except on convertibles, which used body-colored panels. Series identification was found on cloisonne emblems centered in the bumper guard front and rear.
Compound Carburetion was discontinued, and the compression ratio was reduced to 6.60:1. The 1946 Roadmaster's horsepower rating went from 165 to 144. The torque rating was not affected. Nevertheless, The Roadmaster's I-8 still produced more horsepower than a top-of-the-line Chrysler's. Due to wartime inflation, prices were substantially higher than pre-war models. The most significant change was in sales proportions. Roadmaster increased its share of Buick sales from 4% in 1941 to 20% in 1946, with a total of about 31,400 sold.
For the 1947 model year, a new stamped grille with a separate upper bar was used. The Roadmaster name appeared in red-filled script on a chrome button within the bumper guard crossbars, front, and rear. All new was an Estate wagon body style. It sold 300 units and became the top line in the station wagon market.
The 1948 models featured a series script on the front fenders, and the white Tenite steering wheel used previously was replaced with a black version. This also matched the change from a two-tone woodgrain instrument panel to a two-tone gray instrument panel, with silver-finished instruments. A new optional custom trim option was offered: cloth upholstery with leather bolsters, robe cord cover, and lower door panels trimmed in leatherette. Convertibles included power operation for windows, seats, and the top.
The Dynaflow was introduced, the first passenger car torque converter transmission. Optional on Roadmaster in its first year, it became standard equipment for 1949. Overall sales were just under 80,000 in both 1947 and 1948, over four times greater than in any prewar year.