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Of the 47,991 Super sedans produced in 1948, 5,456 were for export. This is one of those export cars but it was not manufactured in Flint, Michigan. This particular car was assembled in a Swiss factory in Bienne which built export cars for General Motors from 1935 to 1975.
It is unclear where this car was first delivered in Europe, but it spent 50 years motoring around the continent. In 1998 the car was purchased by the NB Center from a Dutch dealer. When it arrived in Rome, it was completely disassembled for a frame-off restoration. Replacement parts and specialty component restoration, such as chrome, was handled in the United States. All the body work, mechanical work, upholstery and of course, reassembly, was done in Italy.
The car was returned to its full glory in 2000. -
Company
General Motors
Make
Buick
Model
Super, 51
Body Style
Sedan, 4 - door, 6-pass.
Body Manufacture
Fisher Body
Model year
1948
Wheelbase
124 inches
Length
212.5 inches
Engine
inline-8, OHV, 248 cid
Horsepower
115 @ 3600 rpm
Transmission
3-speed manual, column shift
Original Base Price
$2,087
Brand Production
229,718 model year
This Car Production
47,991 -
The 1948 Buicks were little more than place holders until the first all new cars of the post-war era were set to roll out in the 1949 model year. Being little more than warmed over 1947 cars, meaning they were derivative of the pre-war 1942 cars, meant the design was getting stale. Buick was not investing in much refresh for this model year because they knew the new cars were coming.
The most popular model from Buick in 1948 was the Super and the most popular body style of all was the Sedan. Other than new badging to identify the car as a Super, externally it looked like the 1947 car. Inside the sedan got carpeting in the rear seat as standard with carpet inserts in the mat for the front passengers. An all new instrument panel set in a dashboard, now painted grey, gave the driver something fresh to look at.
Buick managed to produce 213, 599 cars for the model year, a steep 22% reduction from the previous year. This landed them in 6th place in the industry, a drop from 4th place.
Harlow Curtis, president of Buick since 1933, exited the division in 1948 to accept the position of executive vice-president of General Motors. He was succeeded by his comptroller, Ivan L. Wiles who would oversee Buick’s huge growth in the years to come.