1956 Buick Series 70 Roadmaster

The Roadmaster reigned as the top-of-the-line Buick for 1956, perched on a 127-inch wheelbase, it featured an overall length of 213.6 inches and weighed in at 4,395 pounds. It wore familiar Buick design icons, including a broad grille and full-width bumper with large 'Dagmars', a winged circular grille emblem, and a gunsight hood ornament cut into the contour of the hood. The twin headlamps each feature gunsights above them on the front fenders and 'Buick' block letters are affixed to the leading edge of the hood. There was a quartet of portholes on the front fenders accented by a chrome sweep that arched around the rear wheel-opening, a two-tone color scheme, and a wrap-around windshield with bright trim highlights. In the back, the tail features small, rounded fins with rearward-leaning tail lamps, simulated trunk straps and chrome dual exhaust outlets cut into the full-width rear bumper.

The fully cutout rear wheels were reminiscent of the 1953 Skylark. In keeping with modern styling trends, the Roadmaster wore even more chrome, a feature that helped distinguish it from its Buick siblings, along with limited edition paint treatment and an exclusive selection of fabric and trims. These were the largest, most luxurious, and fastest Buicks yet produced.

Under the bonnet is a special high-performance 322 cubic-inch 'Nailhead' V8 that it shared with the Century and Super. With a 4-inch bore and 3.2-inch stroke, the engine developed 255 HP at 4,400 RPM, with 341 lb-ft of torque at 3,200 with a 9.5:1 compression ratio and 4-barrel carburetor.

Standard Roadmaster equipment included Deluxe wheel covers, Variable-Pitch Dynaflow transmission, power steering, power brakes, windshield washers, foam-cushioned seats, foam-backed carpets, an electric clock, parking brake signal release light, perimeter heating system, and glare-proof rearview mirror.

Buick built 572,024 vehicles for the 1956 model year, but just 4,354 of the Roadmaster convertible priced at a range-topping $3,700. Other body styles on the Roadmaster Series included a sedan priced at $3,500, a two-door Riviera hardtop coupe at $3,590, and a four-door Riviera hardtop at $3,700 The four-door Riviera hardtop was the most popular with 24,770 examples built, followed by 12,490 of the two-door Riviera hardtop, and 11,804 of the sedan. The combined 53,418 examples built of the Roadmaster accounted for approximately 9-percent of Buick's total 1956 production. Buick ranked third in 1956 industry sales, with approximately 9-percent of the market share and total production of 535,364 units. Although impressive, it was less than the 781,296 units produced the previous year, an all-time Buick record and one that earned Buick in third place.

1956 was the final year of the General Motors C-Body styling that was introduced in 1954 and shared with Cadillac and the Oldsmobile 98. The length was as much as 5.5-inches longer and the wheelbase over 9-inches longer than the 1953 models. Styling cues included the 'Dagmar bumpers', dual 'bullet' taillamps, and a panoramic windshield with vertical side pillars. The styling introduced in 1957 included an even larger panoramic windshield with reverse slanted pillars, a lower body stance, a red-filled Sweepspear bodyside, and a chromed rear fender lower panel. Prices rose by approximately $400, and the 364 cubic-inch, overhead valve V8 engine with 10.0:1 compression now produced 300 horsepower.

1956 Buick Model Lineup
The Buick Special and the Buick Century rested on a 122-inch wheelbase, and the engine in the Century was shared with the Roadmaster and Super. The Roadmaster shared its 127-inch wheelbase with the Super. The 322 cubic-inch engine was installed in all 1956 Buicks, delivering enough horsepower to give the entire range a top speed of at least 110 mph. The Special (Series 40) had 8.9:1 compression and delivered 220 horsepower, while the rest of the line used a 9.5:1 compression version that produced 255 horsepower. The Special and the Century came standard with a three-speed manual transmission, while the Roadmaster and Super came standard with a Dynaflow Drive automatic.

Power steering was standard on the Roadmaster and Super, and a $108 option on the other models. The Special, Super, and Century had Custom Cordaveen interior while the Roadmaster had Custom Nylon and cord combinations, and leather in the convertible. Two-door Roadmaster models had bright front seat cushion bands. The two-door hardtop and convertible body styles had power windows and seat adjuster as standard equipment.

Optional equipment on the 1956 Buick models included a rear seat speaker, tissue dispenser, seat belts, Sonomatic radio, Selectronic radio, electric antenna, visor vanity mirror, Spotlite, cushion topper, exhaust pipe trim, DorGard, and air conditioning.

While most automakers only offered a convertible body style in the most upmarket series, Buick was a notable exception, offering convertibles in all series from 1951 through 1957.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2021