1940 Buick Super Convertible Coupe - Model 56C 🇺🇸

This Super convertible coupe finished in Yosemite Gray with khaki canvas top was discovered in a garage in Coplay, Pennsylvania, just a few miles from The NB Center in Allentown. When it was first uncovered in 2004 the car was sitting on jack stands, covered in a layer of dirt and filth but it was a wonderful time capsule. The car had been lovingly parked after just 25,000 miles of use by the original owner.

The car was finally purchased from the estate of the original owner’s son in 2014. This was the only family car the seller ever knew when growing up.

The car was given a very thorough cleaning and mechanical freshening, but no restoration at all. Many of the original delivery tags that adorned parts of the car when new

 are still there.  After the cleaning and mechanical refresh, the car drives like no restored car could.

Company
General Motors

Make
Buick

Model
Super, 50-56C

Body Style
Convertible Coupe, 2- door,  6-pass.

Body Manufacture
Fisher Body Co.

Model year
1940

Wheelbase
121 inches

Length
204  inches

Engine
inline-eight, OHV, 248 cid

Horsepower
107 @ 3400 rpm

Transmission
3-speed manual on the column

Original Base Price
$1,211

Brand Production
283,404 model year

This Car Production
4,764

The Great Depression hit the automobile industry hard. Many manufacturers went out of business and others merged to stay in business. Buick was not immune to the pressures of the Depression, seeing production drop from a high of 266,753 cars in calendar year 1926 to a low of 40,620 in 1933. A shake up in Buick management and a new push to innovate helped turn things around and sales increased every year after 1933 reaching a new high number of 310,995 calendar year production in 1940.

The Buick lineup for 1940, consisted of six different series, from the entry level Special to the luxurious Limited, with prices ranging from $895 to $2,199. This was an unusually broad price range with something for nearly every budget.  Buick’s lowest priced car was just $236 more expensive than a Chevrolet of the same body type. While the top level car was nearly $1,000 less than an equivalent Cadillac.  It is no wonder that Buick had a great sales success in 1940.

The all new for 1940 Buick Super series 50 utilized the chassis and running gear of the entry level Special with sleek new bodies and more luxurious details.  A new grille and front fenders, sealed beam headlights mounted nearly flush in the fenders, the elimination of running boards and streamlined bodies made the new Buick appear much more modern than 1939 models, even if the mechanicals were very similar.

4,764 Super convertible coupes were sold 1940 at a base price of $1,211. Heater, radio and spotlight were the only options fitted at the factory.