1941 Buick Century Sedan - Model 61 🇺🇸

This 1941 Buick Century four-door Sedan was purchased by the Nicola Bulgari Car Collection in 1974, making this the first car in his vast collection. This Century is now part of the collection in the midst of many different Buick versions.

When purchased, the car was completely original, with only 15,000 miles on the odometer. The Buick has been driven sparingly, with mileage now in the 26,000 range. In 2002, the car was subjected to a full cosmetic restoration by the crew at Precision Motor Cars, just in time for presentation in the historic Jack Jones Buick showroom in Bethelem, Pennsylvania.

The color of the original paint was maintained in Permanent Red, like the interior in Gray fabric cloth.

The options on the car are heater and radio, with the antenna on the windshield center post adjusted by turning a button on the inside. The instrument panel is similar to the 1940 model, but the external finish is a two tone “Damascene”, with controls for the heater integrated inside the dash.

Company
General Motors

Wheelbase
126in

Interior trim
Grey cloth

Brakes
front and rear drums

Make
Buick

Length
213.5in

Engine
inline 8 - 320cid

Tires
6.50x15

Model
Century - Model 61

Width
78in

Carburetor
two Carter 590/510 S

Original Price
$1,288

Body style
4-door sedan

Weight
3,700lbs

Horsepower
165hp @ 3800rpm

Production
15,027

Model year
1941

Exterior paint
Permanent Red

Transmission
Synchro-shift 3-speed manual

Buick’s reputation was flying high in 1941, with production, sales and the number of models offered all setting records for the last full model year prior to the shutdown of civilian car production for the duration of World War II. GM’s Buick Division would end the 1941 model year solidly in fourth place, trailing only Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth. General Motors captured three of the top five spots in 1941, with Pontiac holding fifth place. With total model year production amounting to over 370,000 units, Buick had much to celebrate in 1941. The new output record signaled a return to prosperous times, and as sales were calculated, it became clear that the division’s 1941 models were being enthusiastically received by the public. No wonder, Buicks were handsome automobiles and the buying public loved them. Although retaining the basic design of the 1940 model, the new Buicks for 1941 were definitely restyled. The fenders were redesigned to assume a more streamlined shaped that smoothly blended into the doors. The headlights were completely integrated into the fenders, while the front license plate was now fully integrated into the bumper. Running boards disappeared in 1941 in the whole Buick lineup, even if they were still in evidence concealed under the doors. Door hinges disappeared from the outside of the body, to be completely concealed into the door pillars. The new one piece hood could be opened from either side of the car, a Buick trademark that survived well into the fifties.

The Buick line for 1941 consisted of the Special 40, Super 50, Century 60, Roadmaster 70 and Limited 90 series, with the small Special having the greatest success. The Century’s strongest selling point was the ability to reach the magical mark of 100 miles per hour as top speed. The Series was launched in 1935, by combining the light body of the Special models with the powerful engine of the larger series, ensuring a topo speed of one hundred miles per hour. For 1941, the large 320 straight-eight engine was equipped with a new dual carburetor setup named “Compound Carburation”, which was good for 165 horsepower. Consisting in a pair of two-barrel carburetors, this setup worked quite well, and laid the basic groundwork for the modern four-barrel carb, where the extra barrels kick in as needed under hard acceleration, or when pushing a car to top speed. The Buick Fireball 8 engine used the front carburetor as the primary, while the back unit would kick in as needed. A side benefit of this set up was the improved fuel economy: when operating at constant highway speed, a Century would deliver about 21 miles per gallon, while at a steady 50 miles per hour fuel consumption would be in the 30 mpg bracket. Top speed was well over the century mark, as the name implied.

Sales success was great, with 377,000 cars built for the model year, and well over 20,000 Centurys were chosen by customers, making this the third best-selling model in the Buick lineup, behind the Special and the Super, respectively selling 242,000 and 95,000 cars. The black clouds of the Second World War were getting closer, and the buying public knew that car production could stop anytime, so they rushed to the showrooms in order to purchase new cars. And they were right, as February 2, 1942 was the day civilian car production was halted for the war.