We travel to the heart of Taranaki to check out a brace of delightful Buick sedans
As America emerged from the austerity of World War II there was a massive increase in the buying of consumer goods. Televisions, washing machines, cake mixers and who knows what else were bought in the millions. Those who could afford to do so escaped to the new suburbs and surrounded themselves with labour-saving devices. A lack of public transport in suburbia meant the husband needed a car to get to work, and the wife needed a car for her family chores. In 1950, three out of five US families owned at least one car, and many had two.
The car-hungry years of the immediate post-war period saw a time when there was more demand for new cars than the American manufacturers could possibly satisfy. As soon as peace came they converted their war-time assembly lines back to civilian production, and carried on where they’d left off in 1942. The 1946 models were little changed from 1942, and Buick was no exception. There were a few changes for 1947 and even fewer in 1948 as Buick geared up for its first true post war model.
Buick History
Buick’s calendar year production for 1948 was over 275,000 cars, which accounted for just seven per cent of US production for the year, and saw Buick hold fourth place behind the ‘big three’ of Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth. For the 1948 model year, the production total was 229,718, comprising 36,187 Specials, 112,441 Supers and 81,090 Roadmasters. Of those, 47,042 Roadmasters were sedans, just 527 of them in right hand drive.
The year was a big one for Buick – its five millionth car rolled off the assembly line in September, and its famous Dynaflow automatic transmission was announced.
By 1952, calendar year production was down to just over 320,000 from more than 400,000 the previous year. The Government had restricted vehicle production to 80 per cent of its 1950 levels because of the Korean War. A major strike by Buick’s workers and an extended shutdown to get ready for the all-new 1953 models were also responsible for the downturn.
Model year production for 1952 was 303,745 cars – 120,898 Specials, 136,404 Supers and 46,443 Roadmasters. Of the Supers, 71,387 were sedans, and 93,492 of total Buick production was of the new Riviera hardtop coupés. Nearly 275,000 (85 per cent) of the model year production were fitted with Dynaflow transmissions, and power steering was offered for the first time.
Throughout these years the engines remained much the same, with two versions of the Fireball straight eight. Specials and Supers were equipped with a 4064cc unit that produced 82kW at 3600rpm in the Special and 86kW at the same revs in the Super. The Roadmaster’s 5247cc version produced 107kW at 3600rpm with a manual gearbox, or 112kW at the same speed if mated to a Dynaflow. By 1951 Dynaflow was standard on Roadmasters. The Special/ Super engine had been enlarged to 4315cc in 1949, and power was up to 92.5kW, still at 3600rpm. The straight eights were phased out at the end of 1952 in favour of Buick’s new generation of overhead valve V8s.
It wasn’t just the engines that differentiated the Roadmaster from its lesser siblings. Its wheelbase was 3277mm, compared to the Special’s 3073mm and the Super’s 3150mm. Buicks gained their famous trademark portholes on each front mudguard in 1949, and the Roadmaster had four to the other models’ three.
Buicks were big, well-made cars that appealed to professional people who thought Cadillacs were too ostentatious. They were expensive – the price of a Buick equalled one Ford plus one Chevrolet. Buick told the world, “When better automobiles are built, Buick will build them.”
Buying a Buick
Russell Lambert started his motoring career on motorcycles, as a lot of young men did back in the ’50s, before graduating to an Essex. This was followed by a 1937 Pontiac. He wanted a 1939 Buick like one of his friends owned, but the friend suggested he should save a bit more money and buy a late ’40s model instead. Russell thought it was good advice, so he sold the Pontiac and started saving, running around in the meantime in a cheap 1929 Chrysler that had been cut down to a truck.
Finally, the time arrived to go Buick shopping, and one was advertised for sale in Upper Hutt. On his way to look at it Russell saw a black 1948 Roadmaster in a car yard in Levin. The salesman said the car was more or less sold to a jeweller in Blenheim, and was booked to be shipped to Picton. Russell would have to make up his mind that day whether he wanted the car. He looked at the one in Upper Hutt before returning to Levin to buy the Roadmaster. That was in 1959, and he still owns the car. It cost him £950 (NZ$1900 at the time), the same price as a brand new Vauxhall.
The Buick’s odometer read 70,000 miles (112,654km) then. It now reads about 220,000 miles (354,406km), so the car has been well used, although you wouldn’t think so to look at it and ride in it. Not all those miles have been easy, either. The car has towed a caravan (built by Russell) to all parts of New Zealand on family holidays, and has towed some heavy loads at times. Probably its hardest job was towing a friend’s 1951/’52 Buick Sedanette on a trailer from Mangapehi, east of Te Kuiti, to Taranaki.
It was required to handle all the tasks expected of a family car, and did so without protest. Nowadays it’s used less frequently, but still covers around 4000 kilometres per year, mostly on Vintage Car Club rallies and similar events.
Through it all, the Buick has been totally reliable. Russell has always carried out all maintenance on the car himself, from the most minor jobs to an engine recondition. In the early 1960s he successfully tendered for four crates of surplus Buick spares being sold off by the New Zealand Railways Road Services, which used to have a fleet of Roadmasters for transporting dignitaries and well-heeled overseas tourists around New Zealand. When they pensioned off the Buicks they bought Cadillacs, and a former Road Services driver told Russell the Cadillacs were no match for the Buicks.
Russell’s purchase meant he had more than enough parts to keep his Roadmaster running. It needed a valve grind, but he decided to use some of the parts to fully recondition the engine. He did all the work himself, apart from machining. That was 223,300km ago, and the engine has needed no work since then. In typical Buick fashion, it runs very smoothly and quietly with a subdued growl that is unique to straight eight engines.
Family Runabout
Some years later Russell bought a white 1947 Buick in poor condition and tidied it up. It became the family runabout and Russell’s work car. His son, Chris, remembers learning to drive in the white car.
At some time in the mid ’70s Russell went on a South Island tour with a fellow Buick enthusiast, and bought a black 1952 Buick Super in Omarama. He paid $2000 for the Super and sold the white car for $1500. How times have changed! The Super became the daily car and work hack. Russell has been a saw-miller all his life, and the Super was used to cart chainsaws, tools, fuel, and firewood. It was always carefully maintained but it definitely wasn’t babied.
Thirty years later the Super is still Russell’s runabout. Yes, he will ‘borrow’ his wife, Dawn’s, 1996 BMW 3 Series if it’s available, but the Buick is a familiar sight around his home town of Inglewood as Russell runs his errands. This car also averages around 4000 kilometres per year. Although Dawn prefers her BMW she drives the Buicks from time to time, usually to get them to shows or when they are used as wedding cars. Not surprisingly they are in hot demand for weddings, but Russell restricts this use to friends and family. He commented that they are on the second generation of marriages now.
Buicks seem to have become something of a tradition in the extended Lambert family. Russell’s Australian son-in-law has nearly completed the restoration of a 1955 Buick convertible. The Aussie contingent regularly crosses the Tasman to take part in rallies, and the whole family will head off to events in the two Buicks. They have attended the 1992 Pan Pacific Rally at Palmerston North, the VCC 50th Anniversary Rally in Christchurch, the Sun Alliance Rally in Hamilton in 2000, the Buick Centennial Rally in Napier in 2003 and the VCC Diamond Jubilee Rally in Invercargill in 2006.
Buicks on the Road
Russell generously offered me the chance to drive his black beauties, an offer that I now regret having declined. However, I was looking forward to going for a ride in each one to see if there were any major differences. There is a huge amount of room in these cars and they are imposing on the road. Both engines are fired into life by turning the key and pressing the accelerator to activate the vacuum operated starter switch – a Buick feature for a number of years. Settling into the Super first as Chris drove, it behaved as I expected, going about its business quietly and unobtrusively. These are not cars for hurrying along; that’s not what they’re about. They engender a totally relaxed way of travelling that has been largely forgotten.
Somehow, the Roadmaster is a whole different experience. While the Super is smooth, the Roadmaster is silent and silky. Stately is the word that comes to mind. Although neither car is fast their performance is deceptive. In years gone by, Russell used to cruise at around 120kph on the open road in the Roadmaster, and he always enjoyed the way the big Buick could hold its own on hills against more modern cars. It will take the Mount Messenger hill (south of Te Kuiti) in top gear, where some corners have a modern car down to second gear.
In fact, the Roadmaster’s gearbox is almost superfluous – Russell used second gear to move off from a standstill and the car will happily travel at 5kph in top gear, and this is with the differential ratio changed from the standard 4.1:1 gearing to 3.6:1.
The Roadmaster was originally equipped with huge 8.20×15 cross-ply tyres. Russell says they made the car a bit of a handful, and he could never get 30,000 kilometres from a set of tyres. Both his Buicks have been running on 225/75×15 radials for some years now, and he says they sharpen up the steering considerably. Not only are the cars more pleasant to drive, but the Roadmaster’s radials have travelled 65,000km so far and look to have at least another 15 to 20,000km left in them. This is very impressive considering the size and weight of the car.
The Roadmaster has been painted twice in Russell’s time. The paint was crazed when he bought the car, so he prepared it to be painted by the local spray painter. Thirty years ago he decided it needed freshening up, so once again he dismantled the car and prepared it for painting. In due course the car and its panels returned from the painters and were set out carefully in Russell’s shed. As he was re-assembling it he had a few problems one night that resulted in some chipped paint and colourful language. Unbeknown to him, every word had been overheard – he learned next day that an escaped convict had been hiding in the loft overnight!
A few parts have been re-chromed, the carpet has been replaced and the seats were re-upholstered some years ago. Russell estimates he has spent around $2000 on the car over the years. The Super has also been painted, but Russell carried out the whole job himself. Again, the maintenance costs have been very low, thanks to his considerable abilities. He says there is no part of a Buick that he hasn’t either repaired or carefully inspected to ensure it is serviceable.
Russell is a quietly-spoken, unassuming man who is very knowledgeable, and it was a pleasure to spend an afternoon in his company, talking about old cars. To own one old Buick for almost 50 years is remarkable. To have owned another for over 30 years may be unique. Fortunately, the appreciation of these old cars has been passed on to the next generation of Lamberts. It is unlikely that either of them will be daily cars when ownership also passes on, but there is no doubt that the Buicks will be kept and cherished.
1948 Buick Roadmaster and 1952 Buick Super
Engine Straight eight, cast iron
Capacity 5247cc (Roadmaster); 4315cc (Super)
Bore/stroke 87.4×109.5mm (Roadmaster) 81×104.9mm (Super)
Comp ratio 6.6:1
Max power 107kW at 3600rpm (Roadmaster) 92.5kW at 3600rpm (Super)
Fuel system Carter 2bbl carburettor (Roadmaster) Stromberg 2bbl carburettor (Super)
Transmission Three speed manual, column shift
Body/chassis Four door, separate chassis
Suspension F/R Coil springs with lever dampers
Steering Worm and nut
Brakes Drum/ drum
Tyres 8.20×15 (original, Roadmaster) 7.60×15 (original, Super)
Dimensions:
Wheelbase 3277mm (Roadmaster); 3150mm (Super)
O/all length 5515mm (Roadmaster); 5339mm (Super)
Width 2007mm (Roadmaster); 2032mm (Super)
Height 1665mm (Roadmaster); 1646mm (Super)
Track F/R 1502mm/1580mm (Roadmaster) 1501mm/1580mm (Super)
Weight 1891kg (Roadmaster); 1739kg (Super)
Performance
Top Speed approx 160kph (Roadmaster) approx 150kph (Super)
0-100kph 18–sec (Roadmaster); 20–sec (Super)
Economy 15l/100km
Words: Gordon Campbell Photos: Adam Croy
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