1939' Buick Special

Magnificent Buick 40 series Special. Built in Ontario by General Motors’ Canadian coachbuilding subsidiary McLaughlin, exclusively for GM’s export division. Buicks were favourites of the British Royal family - King George VI and Mrs Simpson owned one each while the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were also Buick fans, taking delivery of new models in 1936, ’38 and ’39. All were built by McLaughlin, all purchased from West End Buick dealers Lendrum and Hartman, the last arriving in Europe just as war was declared. The car you see here, was also purchased new from Lendrum and Hartman and arrived in London earlier in 1939 and it is certainly imposing. It boasts the signature twin, wing-mounted spare wheels and forward-opening rear doors and was extremely advanced mechanically for its time, powered by a 4-litre overhead valve straight eight with a three speed column change. It doesn’t rattle and shake, it rides and handles very well indeed on a correct set of cross-ply white wall tyres, and is fast enough to keep up with modern traffic. It also stops very well, which these days is probably a more important consideration. This car has been very well cared for throughout its life, and although the paintwork is not original, the interior looks as if it is. All the little details, like the switches and controls, the air vents, all the door locks and all the gauges work perfectly. Nothing appears to have been broken or lost. In all, it is a beautifully original specimen which comes complete with a valuable registration number which I don’t propose to separate from the car. Usable immediately for shows, weddings, or just to drive about in a style not available everyday.