1941 Buick Super Sport Coupe 🇮🇹

Our journey through Buick history is enriched by an encounter with this exceptional tribute: a Buick Super 2-door Sport Coupe. The two-tone paintwork was one of the style notes of the 1941 Buick: the range offered a choice of 19 different combinations and incurred no added cost compared to monocolor. This Buick shows the attractive  “Monterey Blue/Pearl Grey” color combination, paint code 576. The 2-door Coupe version, like this Buick Super, is remarkable for its “Turret-Top” body cast in one piece without any welded parts.

Our example was restored with the maximum competence, to bring into the present the exact sensation of a Buick Super 2-door Sport Coupe fresh from the factory. The work, ongoing since 1974 (!) was finished in 2005 in a complete “frame-off” involving specialists in the States and Italy. In the USA, the chrome and the dashboard were completely redone and the interior upholstery was remade in the original “Grey Bedford Cord” cloth. The restoration of the chassis and bodywork was entrusted to experts in Italy.

The original engine was replaced with one of the same era, accurately assembled in every detail in the USA thanks to the work of the specialist Keith Flickinger. A notable feature of this engine is the “Compound Carburation” power system (fitted on all the ’41 Buicks apart from the Special) with two Stromberg carburetors. In normal conditions a single carburetor “works”, and when fully accelerating the second one comes into play to increase performance. The exhaust manifold is divided into two elements to improve efficiency.

The best way to understand the philosophy behind the construction of a 1940s Buick  is simply to get behind the wheel, to fully appreciate the quality and the pleasure of driving.

Company
General Motors

Wheelbase
121in

Interior trim
Grey Bedford Cord

Brakes
front and rear drums

Make
Buick

Length
208.5in

Engine
inline 8 - 248cid

Tires
6.50x16

Model
Super Sport Coupe Model 56S

Width
78.5in

Carburetor
2 Stromberg AAV-16

Original Price
$1,113

Body style
2-door Coupe

Weight
3670lbs

Horsepower
125hp @ 3800rpm

Production
19,603

Model year
1941

Exterior paint
Monterey Blue/Pearl Grey

Transmission

3-speed manual

In the forties the identity of a marque was almost like a religious belief. Through its famous slogan “When better automobiles are built, Buick will build them”, Buick Motor Division pronounced its status as a manufacturer devoted to the highest quality for its vehicles, a declaration of responsibility towards its customers. Well-made, elegant cars, exactly like the ’41 Buick Super model photographed in these pages.

In 1941 the illustrious Flint plant in Michigan was offering a range of 26 different models, divided into five series (Special Series 40, Super Series 50, Century Series 60, Roadmaster Series 70 and Limited Series 90). Prices ranged from 735 dollars for the Special Business Coupe to 2,465 for the Limited 4-door Limousine, amounts which placed Buick in the medium high-end of the market.

In ’41 the refined quality of the high-end Buick models managed to equal (if not surpass) those of the luxurious Cadillac, thus creating a situation of competition within General Motors. Buick was the car chosen by free-lance professionals, successful retailers and upper management.

Following tradition, the ’41 model Buick was all about quality: it had a reliable engine, a “Fireball” 8 cylinder inline OHV, available in two different versions depending on the chosen model. The 248 cid version (115/125 hp) was fitted in the Special and Super series, while the 320 cid (165 hp) was reserved for the more imposing Century, Roadmaster and Limited. This engine boasted 15 hp more than the 346 cid V8 Cadillac of the same period, as well as being the most powerful engine available on the market. Buick offered a synchronized 3-gear manual transmission that worked with the precision of a Swiss watch. And let’s not forget the robust chassis with central “X” structure, built with attention to detail and front and rear stabilizing bars, coil spring suspension on all four wheels and a totally sealed transmission shaft to eliminate noise and possible vibration.

The body style, designed with care by the staff at the GM style center, led by Harley Earl, respected the identity of the Marque while still keeping up with the times. In ’41 the design of the front offered a wider grille and headlights inserted in the fender lines, there were no more running boards on the sides and the front had a two-way hood that could be opened from either left or right, as needed.

The total production for 1941 was 374,196 units, which at that time took the Buick Motor Division to the fourth place in the table of U.S. car manufacturers.