conceptcarz.com

1957 Buick Series 40 Special

Throughout its long and illustrious history as the cornerstone division of General Motors, Buick has consistently represented style, advanced engineering, value, and prestige. By July of 1957, Buick had built its nine millionth vehicle and over 407,000 units were produced that year, earning its 4th place in American automobile sales rankings. The Special was a mainstay of the Buick division line-up for many years, offering attractive styling, impressive performance, and the most affordable product in the lineup. It was responsible for much of Buick's success during the 1950s, further bolstered in 1955 with all-new styling, sweepspear moldings, new round ventiports on the front fender, and powered by a 264 cubic-inch V8 with overhead valves and delivering 188 horsepower. New taillights and a slightly forward-thrusting grille greeted buyers in 1956, and all body styles now had round rear wheelhouse cutouts.

1957 Buick Series 40 Special photo
Convertible Coupe
View info and history
The 1957 Buick Special became wider and lower, with red-filled sweepspear traveling along the body side, with a chromed rear fender lower panel, and a centered fuel filler door positioned in the rear bumper. The three ventiports continued to occupy the front fenders, and series script adorned the deck and grille emblems. The 364 cubic-inch V8 with overhead valves used hydraulic valve lifters, a Stromberg two-barrel carburetor, five main bearings, a 9.5:1 compression ratio, and delivered 250 horsepower at 4,400 RPM.

Body styles included a sedan priced at $2,660, a four-door hardtop sedan at $2,780, a two-door sedan at $2,600, and a hardtop coupe at $2,700. The Riviera Station wagon was $3,170 and the station wagon was slightly less expensive at $3,050. The two-door convertible coupe with seating for six was priced at nearly $3,000.

Standard equipment included a glovebox lamp, dual horns, directional signals, dual sunshades, a trip mileage indicator, an outside left-hand rearview mirror, a color-coordinated dash panel, and a Red Liner speedometer. Closed body styles were upholstered in nylon and Cordaveen combinations while the Riviera Estate Station Wagon was done in cloth and Cordaveen upholstery. The convertible received two-tone Cordaveen.

1957 Buick Series 40 Special photo
Hardtop Coupe
Chassis #: D4027598
View info and history
Auction entries : 1
The most popular 1957 Buick Special body style was the two-door hardtop coupe with 64,425 units built, followed by 59,739 of the sedan, and 50,563 of the four-door hardtop. 23,180 examples were two-door sedans and 8,505 were convertibles. The lower-priced station wagon was slightly more popular than the Riviera, with 7,013 of the former and 6,817 of the latter.

Buick Specials for 1958 received a higher level of chrome trim and were devoid of ventiports for the first time since 1948. The 'drawer-pull' style grille was new and comprised of rectangular chrome squares. A Custom interior trim level was offered for an additional cost, adding a plusher experience for the occupants.

1958 was the final year for the Buick Special, replaced the following year by the Buick LeSabre serving as the entry-level model. After a brief retirement, the Special name was revived for the 1961 model year and would remain part of the lineup through 1979. The final generation of the Buick Special was built from 1991 through 1996.


by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2021

Related Reading : Buick Series 40 History

Buick introduced the Series 40 in 1930 as a replacement for the Series 116. The Series 40 rode on a 118-inch wheelbase and powered by a 258 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine which produced 80 horsepower. Braking was through mechanical drums found on all four corners. The suspension was comprised of semi-elliptic springs and Lovejoy hydraulic shock absorbers. During its first year, there were six body....
Continue Reading >>

1957 Buick Series 40 Special Vehicle Profiles

Recent Vehicle Additions

Performance and Specification Comparison

Price Comparison

1957 Series 40 Special
$3,165-$16,800
1957 Buick Series 40 Special Price Range: $2,594 - $3,165

Compare: Lower | Higher | Similar

Other 1957 Buick Models
$3,945 - $4,481

Series 40 Special

Specification Comparison by Year

Year
Production
Wheelbase
Engine
Prices
337,909
121.50 in.
8 cyl., 248.00 CID., 110.00hp
$1,800 - $1,980
164,446
121.50 in.
8 cyl., 248.00 CID., 110.00hp
8 cyl., 320.20 CID., 152.00hp
$2,050 - $2,560
190,884
122.00 in.
8 cyl., 264.00 CID., 143.00hp
$2,265 - $2,265
381,249
122.00 in.
8 cyl., 264.00 CID., 188.00hp
$2,230 - $2,975
334,017
122.00 in.
8 cyl., 322.00 CID., 220.00hp
$2,415 - $2,780
220,242
122.00 in.
8 cyl., 364.00 CID., 250.00hp
$2,594 - $3,165
139,213
122.00 in.
8 cyl., 364.00 CID., 250.00hp
$2,640 - $3,260

Related Automotive News

The new ŠKODA KAROQ: a more striking look with greater aerodynamics

The new ŠKODA KAROQ: a more striking look with greater aerodynamics

More refined ŠKODA design language New, sustainable materials and modern technologies in the interior for increased comfort Full-LED Matrix headlights available as an option for the first time Choice of fi...
Dustin Hoffman's Rain Man Buick Brings Road Drama to Bonhams

Dustin Hoffman's Rain Man Buick Brings Road Drama to Bonhams

EX-MOVIE CAR OFFERED BY ACTOR AT BONHAMS SCOTTSDALE AUCTION The car had a very strong visual presence in the film and was featured throughout. It became a character. Dustin, Tom Cruise, and the 49 Buick. In essence, the car had third billing....
Fast Four-Ward: UK Prices And Specifications Announced For Fourth-Generation Octavia vRS

Fast Four-Ward: UK Prices And Specifications Announced For Fourth-Generation Octavia vRS

All-new sporting flagship of ŠKODA range starts from £31,495 OTR Available in hatch and estate body styles High specification includes Columbus infotainment and full LED Matrix headlights Powerful 2.0 TSI...
Return Of The Icon: Volkswagen Golf GTi Opens For Order Alongside New GTE And 1.0-Litre eTSI

Return Of The Icon: Volkswagen Golf GTi Opens For Order Alongside New GTE And 1.0-Litre eTSI

GTI returns in manual and DSG versions, priced from £33,460 OTR Plug-in GTE achieves a WLTP-certified 176 mpg and 36 gkm CO2 1.0-litre mild hybrid brings further electrification to Golf range Milton Keynes – The new Volkswagen Golf GTI is...

MODEL YEAR 2014: MORE EFFICENT, DOWNSIZED ENGINES AND AN EXTENDED R-LINE RANGE HEAD THE CHANGES

New 1.8-liter turbocharged and direct-injection TSI® engine to feature in Jetta, Beetle, and Passat, replacing the 2.5-liter five cylinder. R-Line® range expands to five models. Jetta SE and SEL models are fitted with new 170-horsepower 1.8-liter...