1937 Buick Series 40 Special

The styling of the Buick Special Series 40 was modified for 1937 with several noticeable changes, mostly to the front. The 1936 Series 40 had a single grille with vertical bars; the 1937 model had horizontal bars and a divider down the center. The center section of the grille was painted to match the color of the body. The fenders were revised and given squared-off ends. Though not very visible, the height was lowered by nearly 2 inches, with the interior room remaining nearly the same due to the floors being lowered as well.

There were eight body styles to select from, including the convertible phaeton, sport coupe, business coupe and convertible coupe. There was also a two- and four-door touring sedan available with an optional rear trunk. The most popular Series 40 bodystyle - also Buicks most popular vehicle for 1937 - was the four-door Touring Sedan with the trunk. Pricing for this vehicle was $1020. This placed in competition with the Packard 120C, Oldsmobile L-37, and the Pontiac Deluxe Series 26.

Powering the Series 40 was an inline overhead-valve Eight-cylinder engine that offered 100 horsepower. It had a three-speed sliding gear transmission with floor shift controls and a single dry plate clutch and shaft drive. The car rode on pressed steel wheels and braking was handled by four-wheel hydraulic drums. Options included a heater, defroster, dual side-mounted tires, white sidewall tires, and a grille guard. A dash installed radio with a built-in speaker could also be added for an additional fee.

The Series 40 had a wheelbase that measured 122 inches, up from 118 inches the prior year.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2011