1938 Buick Roadmaster 4-door convertible phaeton one owner family for over 30 yr

1938 Buick Roadmaster

Where should we start the description of such a fabulous find as this 1938 Buick Roadmaster convertible sedan Phaeton that has been in the same family for well over 30 years!

First of all Buick had a very simple pecking order for its four levels of the Buick hierarchy in 1938. What Buick did is they made a large wheel base car, small wheel base car, large Buick engine and a small Buick engine. Then Buick mixed and matched to create the four levels.

The lowest level being the Special with the small body and small engine. The Century had the small body and the big engine. The Super had the big body and the small engine. The crown jewel of the Buick lineup was the Roadmaster that had the large body, ong wheel base and the big engine.

The recognized prestige of the Buick Roadmaster in 1938 was apparent when many chose a Roadmasters over a Cadillac.

Within the Buick Roadmaster lineup the most prestigious of all was the four-door convertible (also known as the Phaeton). It was an extremely large touring car that could cruise highway speeds of 85 mph all day long. It had tons of room in the inside for both the driver and front passenger and plenty of comfy room in the rear for the family.

Some interesting facts about 1938 Buicks is that the legendary straight eight overhead valve Buick engine called the Dynaflash featured tubular pistons, hese pistons increased the horse power of the engine without increasing the displacement. While the Buick Specials and Supers only had 107 horse power the 1938 Buick Roadmaster had 141 horse power at 3600 rpms. That may not sound like a lot today but it was a high horse powered car in 1938 and also doesn't speak to the torque of these engines which legend has it, hey could pull a small freight train.

The 1938 Buicks had major engineering changes in three areas; the suspension, he engine and the transmissions. All of the things that Buick became well known for from 1938 went into the 1950s also the Roadmaster had four coil springs for suspension.

Yes it gave up the leaf springs and went to coil springs in the rear. This is what gave it the fabulous ride qualities — even better then the large size Cadillacs.

The difference in displacement between the small Buick engine which was 248 c.i. and the large engine that was 320 c.i. was really a big deal. The wheel base on the Roadmaster in 1938 grew from the previous year by two inches to 133 inches and that was a relatively large wheel base for any car of the period and again with the fully sprung axles in the front and the rear, he ride was known to be legendary. Roadmaster cars were known to be tested to do at least 112 mph when very few cars in 1938 could even think about doing a 100 mph.

The technical term for the Buick Roadmaster four door convertible is a Roadmaster convertible phaeton model 80C. It is said that there was only 350 produced.

The reason we have provided you with all this history on this particular model is because it is so significant when it comes to classic pre-war cars.

The car has been in the same family for over 35 years. The father is now deceased and is now with the son.

It has always been garaged and always babied. The paint does have flaking and chipping paint (see photos that the private seller has provided). However the paint is presentable as a driver. It could be spruced up with very little investment to make it a highly attractive driver. It would be a number one candidate for a Pebble Beach restoration.

The following is a description by the private seller as supplied to MissChiTown in the owner's own words.

A Buick authority has told the current owner that this car is a numbers matching car.

The paint and interior of this car were probably done quite some time ago. It may have been restored back in the 1970s or 1980s prior to owner's father acquisition of the car.

The previous owner, he seller's father, assed away about seven years ago and the car sat for about ten years. The current owner hired a professional to sort out the car and get it running. The gas tank was cleaned out, ew wheel cylinders and rebuilt master.

The clock and radio are probably not working.

The windshield is vacuum operated.

Seller was told that 350 were produced the Buick authority indicated that only 60 are shown to still be in existence.

The owner believes that the car is 1938 buick Roadmaster Model 80 C Convertible Phaeton.

The story of the seller's father and this car in the owner's own words:

In 1938, sixteen year old boy fell in love with the 1938 Buick Roadmaster 4-door convertible phaeton. In 1985 that boy now a grown man was visiting his daughter four states away where he found the car in this auction for sale. A deposit was quickly made and with his son they returned to DRIVE the 1938 Buick back home approximately 750 miles.

Dad drove the 1938 Buick on back roads and would not drive over 50 mph because he was not familiar with the history of the car. Brother followed behind Dad in a brand new Electra 225.

The car was used in many parades through out the years and was prominently displayed at the family Buick dealership.

As Dad got older he enjoyed having us kids chauffeur him and Mom around town. Seven years ago, ad became ill and passed away.

The car was stored without moving for the past ten years or so. The decision was made to sell the car and a friend expressed a desire to drive the car so a new battery was purchased. The car would crank but not start so it was taken to a local repair shop. New plugs were installed, he points were cleaned, new fuel filter was installed along with new fuel. At this time four new wheel brake cylinders were installed and the master cylinder was rebuilt. The car starts, rives and stops as it should now.

The paint has some chips and flakes in spots but the car looks good. The top goes up and down. All in all it seems to be a complete car.

The number on the title matches the combination of the number on the frame and on the engine when these two are combined.

If you enjoy being the center of attraction at a car show or you like to have a highly dependable car that can cruise along at highway speeds in totally comfort and can traverse rough roads smoothly look closely at this car. Whether a long tour or a short jaunt around the square, here is nothing better then a 1938 Buick Roadmaster 4-door convertible phaeton. Remember when touring with family or friends you have all the comforts of a closed car with rollup windows and a heater for chilly weather or for a nice day you can put the top down and the family can enjoy the open air.

As you can tell MissChiTown is totally enthused with this model. You may see 1938 Buicks from time to time as Supers but rarely, f ever, o you see a 1938 Roadmaster 4-door convertible phaeton. One thing for sure, t is highly unlikely that you will attend any car show in the United States and find another Buick 4-door convertible phaeton. Just to add the cherry to the top of this equation, span>this car does have the very rare side mounted tires to add to the sophisticated looks.

We say that without a doubt that you can bid with confidence on this car and thank yourself that you did.

Click on the arrow in the picture below to see video that includes more photos.

Double click on the arrow below to go to full screen.

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VEHICLE IS OFFERED FOR SALE BY A

PRIVATE SELLER

All information and photos have been provided by the private seller of this vehicle.

PAYMENT

Seller requires winning bidder to contact 847-774-4857 within 24 hours of auction end to acknowledge purchase and make arrangements for pickup or shipping.

A 10% non-refundable deposit (minimum of $1,200.00) is required within 24-hours of close of auction.

Full payment is required within five business days of end of auction.

SHIPPING

Transportation costs are the responsibility of the winning bidder.

We are happy to contact an insured, nclosed carrier to provide a shipping quote but ultimately the shipping is the buyer's choice and responsibility.

If you provide your zip code we can calculate mileage for you.

Vehicle must me picked up within 14 days of payment, nless other arrangements have been made.

TERMS OF SALE

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Please base your bid on the pictures and description provided by the private seller.

All vehicles are sold "as is"and as shown on Ebay with no warranties expressed or implied by seller or MissChiTown, LC.

DO NOT CONSIDER A WINNING BID AS A RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL TO DECIDE IF YOU WANT TO BUY THE VEHICLE.

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