1938 Buick Series 40 Touring Sedan

Description

The most popular Buick in 1938 was this Special Model 40 touring sedan, and this lovely example shows you why. Arguably the most beautifully styled Buick of the 1930s with plenty of room for the family and straight-8 power, it's a wonderful tour car that's always ready to go.

Carlsbad Black was a popular color in 1938 and this great-looking 4-door wears it well. Fitted to a 122-inch wheelbase, it's roomy and well-proportioned and that long hood isn't just for style's sake. The smooth front end was an evolution of the 1937 redesign, with fewer grille bars and an overall less cluttered look. The wonderful restoration has preserved all the details that make these cars so attractive and the quality of the work is all out of proportion to its affordable price. All four doors fit well, the butterfly-style hood latches easily and sits flush, and there's a quality look in the way it all comes together. Flowing fenders are the epitome of '30s fat-fendered cool with enough aerodynamic styling to make it look sleek. You'll note that all the chrome has been refinished, an expensive proposition by itself, and things such as the rubber running boards and deck lid-mounted turn signals are in excellent condition. Never mind the price, nobody was skimping on this restoration!

The handsome cloth interior is a big part of why the Special was so popular. Dressed like a far more expensive car, the affordable 4-door is a full-sized luxury machine in every sense of the word. There's room for six and the wide bench seats are comfortable enough for all-day touring. Matching door panels and correct carpets give it a highly finished feeling inside and the beautifully woodgrained dash and garnish moldings have been expertly restored. A big banjo-style wheel with horn ring is the perfect helm for a car such as this and all the gauges were restored before being slipped back into the dash. An AM radio was optional, as were the heater and defroster, so this is a nicely optioned Special that includes all of them. Shifting was still on the floor in 1938 and it's the familiar 3-speed setup so you'll feel at ease within moments of firing it up. There's also a sizable trunk out back which has been fully outfitted with original-style mats and carpets to give it a luxurious look, as well as a full-sized spare tire.

Buick's famous "Dyna-Flash" straight-8 displaced 248 cubic inches and made 107 horsepower in 1938, and with smart gearing in the transmission and rear end, it's quick enough to keep up with modern traffic. The long engine fills the engine bay and wears dark green engine enamel that's pretty close to the original hue. Reproduction decals make the valve cover really pop, and it still inhales through the original carburetor and oil bath air cleaner. Depress the throttle to the floor and the engine spins to life easily and idles so smoothly and quietly that Buick engineers had to build in a safety system to keep you from trying to re-start it after it's already running. The 3-speed transmission shifts easily and with 4.40 gears out back, the little eight feels zippy around town. Buick's suspension was quite modern for the era, offering coil springs all around as well as an independent front end and powerful manual drum brakes so it's quite competent out on the road. Flashy bright red wheels with contrasting silver pinstripes, correct hubcaps, and shiny trim rings make the 6.50-16 Firestone blackwalls look dressy.

Buicks were always superior road cars and this Special sedan offers a lot of virtues and no vices for the hobbyist looking a high-quality, affordable, and very road-worthy old car. Call today!