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This Lancaster Grey Convertible coupe was purchased at the Amelia Island auction in 2012. Years prior to the purchase, it received a meticulous restoration using only new old stock parts. The restorer even went so far as to sew the red leather interior using surviving rolls of original Buick material. The restoration has mellowed over time but the car still looks nearly show ready.
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Company
General Motors
Make
Buick
Model
Roadmaster, 76C
Body Style
Convertible Coupe, 2 - door, 6-pass.
Body Manufacture
Fisher Body
Model year
1941
Wheelbase
126 inches
Length
215 inches
Engine
inline-eight, OHV, 320.2 cid
Horsepower
165 @ 3800 rpm
Transmission
3-speed manual on the column
Original Base Price
$1,775
Brand Production
377,428 model year
This Car Production
1,845 -
Buick, and in fact all of General Motors brands, had embraced the new “Torpedo” styling for their cars by 1941. This new style language resulted in greater integration of the body features, cleaner and more flowing body lines. Headlights and tail lights became more integrated into the body shell instead of stuck to it like some afterthought. Fenders flowed into doors. Running boards began to disappear as the cars also got lower, negating the need for the step they provided. Even the door hinges were now hidden.
The updates didn’t stop with just the styling. While the chassis and engines remained largely the same as 1940, Buick introduced some enhancements to performance. The compression ratio was raised from 6.6:1 to 7:1, thanks to a new piston design. Most importantly, a new type of carburetion was adopted as standard on the Limited, Roadmaster and Century and as an option on the lesser models . It was called “Compound Carburetion” and employed a special intake manifold with two carburetors and a progressive linkage arrangement for their operation. During normal driving, just the front carburetor would operate. When the driver pressed the accelerator pedal beyond a fixed point, the rear carburetor would activate, giving an extra performance boost. These performance modifications increased the horsepower to 165, making this the most powerful production engine in the United States, beating Cadillac by 15 horsepower, Packard by 5 and Chrysler by 25.
Dealers were very happy with the new cars. But, they were not without some problems. The high compression ratio caused detonation under load, and the small spark plugs were prone to fouling. The Compound Carburetion increased the already high fuel consumption, and many owners decided to block off the second carburetor. Despite these issues, the cars sold incredibly well.
The convertible coupe with a base price of $1,775 was the second most expensive Roadmaster offering, behind the convertible phaeton. Despite the relatively high price, 1845 cars were produced and sold.