1937 Buick Series 80 Roadmaster

Buick plunged into the 1930s by dropping its six-cylinder engines and introducing three new straight-eight engines in 1931. The smallest displaced 220 cubic inches, and the largest measured 344.8 cubic inches. No interchangeable parts were shared between the three. Wheelbase sizes began at 114 inches and grew to 132 inches, with the latter being just two inches shorter than Cadillac's eight-cylinder model (353 CID) and approximately $1,000 less.

The Series 80 Roadmaster of 1937 represented one of BUick's most elite models, resting comfortably on a generous 131-inch wheelbase chassis and offered in an exclusive roster of three body styles. Its straight-eight engine, shared with the Series 90 Limited and Series 60 Century, had overhead valves, a 320.2 cubic-inch displacement, five main bearings, mechanical valve lifters, and a Stromberg carburetor, and produced 130 horsepower at 3,400 RPM. Buick's engines were updated for 1937 with a quieter overhead valve mechanism, a new oil pump, a new cooling system, and modified intake valves.

Positioned above the Series 40 (Special) and Series 60 (Century), and below the Series 90 (Limited), the Roadmaster shared similar updated art deco styling with its siblings, highlighted by a divided grille with horizontal bars and streamlied headlight shells. Its wheelbase was 7 inches shorter than the range-topping Limited and 9 inches longer than the 'entry-level' Series 40.

All of the body styles available on the Roadmaster had four doors and seating for six passengers. The trunk-back sedan was priced at $1,515, the Formal Sedan at $1,640, and the Phaeton at $1,850. The Phaeton was approximately $200 less than the least expensive Limited body style - the trunk-back sedan.

The most popular Roadmaster body style was the trunk-back sedan with 14,637 examples sold, followed by 1,040 of the phaeton and 452 of the formal sedan.

All 1937 Buicks received a three-speed sliding gear transmission with floor shift controls and a single dry plate clutch. Each model had different overall ratios, with the Roadmaster's being 4.22:1. Braking was via four-wheel hydraulic brakes, and the suspension was independent at the front and semi-floating at the rear with semi-elliptic leaf springs.

by Dan Vaughan

Phaeton

The 1937 Buick Roadmaster Series 80 rode on a 131-inch wheelbase, the same platform as the 1936 model year. There were three available body styles, all were open models including the Phaeton, Formal Sedan, and a Trunk Back Sedan. 452 examples of the Formal Sedan were produced, along with 1040 Phaetons and 14,637 Sedans. Power was from an overhead valve eight-cylinder engine that displaced 320.2 cubic-inches and offered 130 horsepower.

This example is a Convertible Phaeton and one of only 27 believed to have survived.

by Dan Vaughan

Limousine by Brewster
Chassis number: 3027807

Brewster body number 9062 was originally ordered for a 1935 Ford chassis. It was to be delivered to Charles Merrill Chapin, for his wife, Esther. Mrs. Chapin found the Brewster's trademark heart-shaped grille obnoxious, and she eventually had the body modified lightly and moved to what she considered a more appropriate chassis, a 1937 Buick.

Mrs. Chapin used her Brewster for decades to attend social events in the Manhattan area. The Buick was later sold by her family in the early 1970s to James Tushinsky, who later passed it to Russ Jackson, who retained the car until his passing in 1993. The Jackson Estate sold it to Rich Ritchie, of Ritchie Buick in California. It was later displayed in the Preservation class at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2008.

The car has been repainted in its original burgundy color, with mahogany trim on the inside. It retains its original intercom and luggage trunk. The eight-cylinder overhead valve engine displaces 320.2 cubic-inches and offers 130 horsepower. There is a three-speed manual transmission and four-wheel hydraulic brakes.

This is one of just two known Brewster-bodied Buicks.

by Dan Vaughan

The Roadmaster's name first appeared on Buick automobiles in 1936, known as the Series 80 Roadmaster and as a celebration of the engineering improvements and advancements in design. The Roadmasters were built on the longest wheelbase Buick had to offer, and from 1946 through 1957 they were the most elegant and prestigious automobiles that Buick sold.

From 1936 through 1948 the Roadmaster appeared in coupe, sedan, convertible, and station wagon body styles. A hardtop coupe was added in 1949 and dubbed the Riviera.

The Roadmaster's named reappeared in 1991 and continued in production until 1996. It served as a replacement for the Electra model line and offered as an Estate Wagon. A sedan was introduced in 1992.

The end of the 1953 Buick Roadmaster station wagon meant the end of the last wood-bodied station wagon to be mass-produced in the United States. In 1996, the end of the Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon meant the end of the full-size family station wagons.

by Dan Vaughan