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One of two identical 1938 Buicks added to the Vatican fleet as part of a four car purchase in 1938. The twin Buicks would serve as transportation for dignitaries on official business through their entire 28 years of service. The license plates of the two cars were sequential, with this one wearing SCV 16.
When the Vatican sold this car in 1966, it was acquired by a movie rental agency in Rome. The car appeared in an Italian film on TV called “Suor Pascalina,” the story of a famous and powerful nun at the personal service of Pope Pius XII. From the film's appearance, The NB Center tracked down the car through the movie production company. After a long negotiation, it was purchased in 1992. Now wearing Italian license plate M40334, the car required restoration work but not a complete restoration. A thorough mechanical overhaul, fresh paint and new interior were carried out while the original chrome and details were maintained. -
Company
General Motors
Make
Buick
Model
Limited, 90L
Body Style
Limousine, 4- door, 8-pass.
Body Manufacture
Fisher Body Co.
Model year
1938
Wheelbase
140 inches
Length
219.5 inches
Engine
inline-eight, OHV, 320.2 cid
Horsepower
141 @ 3600 rpm
Transmission
3-speed manual
Original Base Price
$2,453
Brand Production
168,689 model year
This Car Production
410 -
Buick was always a leader in engineering and in 1938 it again led the automotive industry with the first rear suspension using coil springs instead of leaf springs. Another major change was a redesigned frame on all cars that was stronger and stiffer.
Outwardly, the bodies remained largely unchanged from the previous model year. Styling was revised with a new bolder grille design that was now nearly vertical to allow for a longer hood.
The top of the line Series 90 was offered in three body styles: six-passenger touring sedan, eight-passenger touring sedan and eight-passenger limousine. The limousine was priced at $2,453, more than $1,500 less than the nearest equivalent Cadillac. All series 90 came equipped with the 320 cubic inch overhead valve straight eight engines. Buick exported 12,692 cars out of their total production of 168,689 cars in the 1938 model year. -
To understand the Vatican Limousine Collection of the NB Center you need to understand why the Vatican had American cars in the first place. In 1861, the Kingdom of Italy was created by the unification, both voluntary and forced, of the small countries and city-states that made-up the Italian peninsula. Many of the areas taken by the unification were Papal States, under the direct rule of the pope. The pope and the ruling body of the papacy, called the Holy See, retreated from these seized lands to the Leonine City on the shore of the Tiber river across from central Rome. This became the de facto headquarters of the Papacy and by extension the seat of the Catholic Church.
The new King and parliament of the Kingdom of Italy had no wish to be seen suppressing the Church or the pope, after all, the vast majority of Italians were Catholic. Through an act of the Parliament, called the “Law of Papal Guarantees”, the Kingdom of Italy granted certain powers and sovereign prerogatives to the pope. But, because this law was created by the government of the Kingdom and the pope did not recognize the rights or powers of the Kingdom, the pope did not accept this law. He declared himself a prisoner of the Leonine City, aka the Vatican, unable to leave the grounds for fear the Kingdom of Italy may seize the Vatican as their own. This stalemate, called the “Roman Question”, remained the status quo from 1861 through 1929.
The government of dictator Benito Mussolini finally negotiated an end to the Roman Question through the Lateran Pacts. This agreement, made February 1929, created the independent sovereign State of Vatican City and granted the full legal and political independence of the pope from the nation of Italy.
For the first time since 1861, the pope was free to move about outside the Vatican. Since no pope had left the Vatican since 1861, they never needed a car. While cars did exist inside the Vatican and the pope had even been given cars prior to this time, they never really had any place to go. To mark the occasion of the signing of the pact, the American Graham brothers, owners of the Graham-Paige Motor Company, donated a car to the Vatican for the use of Pope Pius XI. This 1929 Graham Paige 837 Landaulet by LeBaron became the first car for the exclusive use of a pope outside of the Vatican walls.
The car proved very reliable and comfortable. While the pope had other cars at his disposal, the Graham became the chosen vehicle. The car served both Pius XI and Pius XII before it was retired from regular use in 1947. The car can still be seen today in the Vatican museum.
In the years since the Graham entered the papal fleet, the Vatican came to appreciate that American cars were less expensive, easier to maintain and less gaudy than the offerings of most European manufacturers. In 1932, the Vatican began to purchase cars from General Motors. In that year they purchased several Buicks and a couple Cadillacs. This was followed in 1938 with the purchase of two Buicks and two Cadillacs. While other brands were purchased for various duties, all the cars dedicated to transporting dignitaries of all types, except the pope, through the end of World War II, were Buicks or Cadillacs
Immediately after the war, the Vatican placed an order for a custom Cadillac for the exclusive use of Pope Pius XII. This car was delivered in 1947 and soon followed by orders for another Cadillac, Packards and eventually Chryslers. American cars dominated the transport of dignitaries and the pope, at the Vatican until the mid-1960s.Today, the largest collection of Vatican cars outside of the Vatican are in the NB Center collection. From a 1932 Cadillac to a 1965 Checker Marathon, including the Cadillac customized by Derham Body Company for the use of the pope starting in 1947, these cars survive because Nicola Bulgari and the staff of the NB Center set about to locate, save and preserve these artifacts while documenting their history.