1939 Buick Series 40 Special

Buick, one of the oldest automotive brands in the world, was founded in 1897 by David Dunbar Buick, and it soon employed William Durant as its general manager. Within the General Motors hierarchy - during the 1930s - Buick was positioned above Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac, and below LaSalle and the prestigious Cadillac range. Within the Buick model lineup, the Special which started life as the Series 40 was considered the entry-level product, although it was usually better equipped than any top-of-the-line Chevrolet. Beginning in 1936, the Series 40 was renamed as the Special and underwent several changes and improvements throughout each passing model year.

Changes to the 1938 Buicks included the availability of an Automatic Safety semi-automatic transmission, and the use of coil springs for its rear suspension. The following year, the range was restyled with an enclosed waterfall grille and more fully enveloped fenders. Headlamps continued to be mounted on pods, but within a few years, Harley Earl's influence would see its way into the lineup including the fully integrated fenders and lamps. Body styles included a two- and four-door Touring Sedan, business coupe, sport phaeton, convertible coupe, and sport coupe. Prices ranged from $950 for the sport coupe and rose to $1,400 for the Sport Phaeton.

The 1939 Buick Special was very popular, with 109,213 examples of the four-door touring sedan built. 27,218 examples were two-door touring sedans and 14,582 were business coupes. 10,043 were Sport Coupes priced at $950 and 4,569 of the $1,075 convertible coupe. The four-door, five-passenger Trunkback Sport Phaeton proved to be very exclusive, priced at $1,400, with 724 examples built. It had four-doors, a full folding soft top, roll-up windows, and removable pillars.

Powering the Series 40 was an overhead-valve inline-8 cylinder Dynaflash engine displacing 248 cubic-inches with five main bearings and mechanical valve lifters. With the help of a single Carter duplex downdraft carburetor, it delivered 107 horsepower at 3,400 RPM and 126 lb-ft of torque at 1,000 RPM. It used an innovative oil-temperature system that cooled the oil at high engine speeds and warmed it in cold weather. The engine was backed by a column shifted three-speed sliding gear transmission with a single dry plate clutch. Hydraulic brakes and pressed steel wheels were at all four corners.

The Buick Special rested on a 120-inch wheelbase with independent front suspension with coil springs and a semi-floating live rear axle.

Interior changes for 1939 included prominent gauges being positioned in front of the driver except for the clock on the glovebox door. Turn signals were mounted on the shifter stalk and there was a column-mounted 'Handi-Shift' gear change level. Optional equipment included a leather interior, Sonomatic pushbutton radio, Sunshine turret roof, fender-mounted parking lights, fender skirts, and dual sidemounts.

Approximately eighty-percent of all 1939 Buicks were Model 40 Specials.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2020