1952 Buick Series 50 Super

Buick refined, rather than redesigned, its 1952 models that included the entry-level Special, the mid-sized Super, and the range-topping Roadmaster. The first all-new Post-war bodies had been introduced in 1950, and tastefully updated as the years progressed.

The 1952 Buick Super and the Special both rested on a 121.5-inch wheelbase platform while the Series 70 had a larger 126.25-inch platform. Both the Super and Special were powered by a 363.3 cubic-inch eight-cylinder engine with hydraulic valve lifters, five main bearings, a two-barrel carburetor, and delivered 120 horsepower at 3,600 RPM. The Roadmaster had a 320.2 CID inline-8 with 170 horsepower.

Both the Special and the Super Bodystyle list included a hardtop coupe, convertible, and sedan body styles. The Super and the Roadmaster both had identical body styles including a Station Wagon, constructed at Ionia, Michigan.

The Super was built with the larger General Motors C-Body with a full-flowing fender line, Super script on the rear fenders, three ventiports per fender, and new sweep spear rocker panel trim. New design cues included chromed rear fender fins. The instrument panel in the Super was different than the one in the Special, with a larger center speedometer housing flanked by smaller gauges.

The hardtop coupe had a factory base price of $2,480, the sedan at $2,570, and the station wagon at $3,300. The sedan was the most popular with 71,387 examples built. The station wagon was the most exclusive with 1,641 examples built, significantly more than the 359 built on the Roadmaster line. 6,904 examples of the convertible coupe were built with a factory base price of $2,870.

A three-speed manual transmission was standard and a Dynaflow drive was optional. Optional equipment included an electric clock, remote control rearview mirror, full wheel covers, seat covers, Auto-Jack case, Handy-Spot light, and visor vanity mirror.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2020