1934 Buick Convertible Phaeton - Model 98C 🇺🇸

This rare Buick Convertible Phaeton Model 98C is one of the six known to be still in existence. The car you can admire here was found in Illinois and joined the Nicola Bulgari Car Collection in 2001, immediately proving to be refined and precise in handling, the result of a previous restoration. Nonetheless the car was given a total professional makeover, completed in October 2015. The restoration covered each and every detail.

Having a built-in trunk, it sports elongated chrome lights and a steel luggage rack in the same shade of blue, typical of classy automobiles from the thirties. The Glacier Blue color of the paintwork (original paint reference #352), together with the top in Light Gray canvas, makes this a particularly interesting example for the world of auto collectors. So interesting, in fact, that the English company Brooklin, famous for specializing in collector’s scale models, brought out a limited series of this car in 1:43 scale, based on the model belonging to the Nicola Bulgari Car Collection, reproduced in exact detail and colors.

Company
General Motors

Wheelbase
136in

Interior trim
Gray leather

Brakes
front and rear drums

Make
Buick

Length
216in

Engine
inline 8 - 344.8cid

Tires
7.50x16

Model
Series 90 Limited - Model 98C

Width
78in

Carburetor
1 Marvel ED3S 2-barrel

Original Price
$2,145

Body style
Convertible phaeton 5-passenger

Weight
4691lbs

Horsepower
116hp @ 3200rpm

Production
138

Model year
1934

Exterior paint
Glacier Blue/Light Gray top

Transmission
3-speed manual

In October 1933 Harlow “Red” Curtice had just taken over as head of the Buick division, which had suffered a slump in sales that year. Curtice came up with the solution of introducing a more economical Buick, such as the Series 40. In the meantime, the top range models were not deprived of their luxury. Among the most important innovations of the year was the adoption of the new independent front suspension called “Knee Action”. Curtice’s rejuvenation plan proved successful as the 40 thousand units in 1933 rose to over 70 thousand for the 1934 model year.

The 1934 line was composed of the entry-level Series 40 (117 inch wheelbase), the intermediate Series 50 (119 inch), the grander Series 60 (128 inch), and finally the most luxurious Series 90 (136 inch). Naturally for each series there were different body styles ranging from the economical two-door Club Sedan to the Convertible with 4 doors (the latter only present in Series 60 and 90).

Various Buicks featured a built-in trunk, which was very fashionable at the time. Furthermore, all the ‘34 Buicks had, for the first time, the starter connected to the accelerator pedal. An interesting addition for that year was an octane selector positioned on the dash; a switch allowing the selection of a different spark timing for the use of standard or premium gas.

In the Series 90, some body versions came from the abandoned Series 80, discontinued in 1933, and had a safety windshield and servo-assisted Bendix brakes. It had a peak engine: a 344.8 cubic inch eight cylinder inline capable of 116 horsepower. This was combined with a Syncromesh three-gear manual transmission, which for 1934 was made easier to use with a shorter distance between one gear and the next.

The interiors of the major series could be requested in fine velvet mohair or in leather.

The top-of-the-line most luxurious models in the Series 90 were the Limousine (Model 90L) and the Convertible Phaeton (Model 98C). In 1934 this exclusive cabriolet was the Marque’s jewel in the crown, both imposing and elegant. Sold at 2,145 dollars – when a Ford with the same body cost $600 at most – the Buick Phaeton was a car for the elite few. Out of more than 70,000 total units built by Buick for 1934, fewer than 5,000 belonged to Series 90. The Convertible Phaeton 98C model has always been extremely rare given that only 138 specimens were ever built. Today there are only six in existence!