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1940 & 1941 Buick Brunn Bodied Coachwork


Guest x-100

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  • 2 weeks later...

Joe,

The style number 414933 means it is a model 90L or at least based on one.

Body number 11 means it is the 11th 90L body produced for 1941 out of how many I'd have to look up.

Trim 908 is tan Bedford cord

Paint 560 is carlsbad black there was an optional Dante red wheel but the data plate doesn't tell us one way or another on that.

If it is like 1938 then the serial number tellmus it was flint produced (because it starts with 1) and then the rest is the actual serial number and Dave Corbin will have to tell you when that falls in terms of production date.

Hope that helps.

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Buick made nearly 3,000 series 90 cars for 1941 of which 605 were 90L models. I guess the Brunn cars came off the line early in the run to give time to build the custom bodies. The first Flint serial number of the 1941 run was 13880012. I am not sure what to deduce from that in regard to number quoted above. Info from The Standard Catalog.

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Well thank you all for this information. Offhand, I do not know the difference between a 90L and a 91L. I assume that one is 6 passenger and one is configured for 8 passengers. Does anybody know the difference?

thanks.

Joe, BCA 33493

Correct the 90 and 90L were 8 passenger and the 91 and 91F were 6 passenger.

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Guest DaveCorbin

Let me see if I can add to Brians's observations, all of which are correct.

Buick made the 11th 90L right at the end of October 1940, and by the end of the month had produced a total of 14, of which 2 were LHD export cars. There was 1 RHD cowl job for export in November and 1 domestic cowl job in September, 1 in December and 1 in Jan.1941. This accounts for all the 900 series Buicks produced in 1941 (3 domestic + 1 export).

What we can't be absolutely sure of is when body 11 was produced, because things could get out of sequence especially at Flint for reasons we no longer know.

The frame number given would appear to be a Jan. 1941 week 2 frame number, but because things were also occasionally out of sequence, today we can't be exactly sure. If we had the engine number, I might be able to pin things down a little tighter.

I hope this helps.

Regards, Dave Corbin

Edited by DaveCorbin (see edit history)
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Joe,

I, and others, are still holding out hope that you can convince the owner to bring it to Danvers. It is a car very few have ever seen since its creation. There are photos that indicate tee cars weer shown in public before, but it seems not in the last 20 or more years.

John

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  • 2 weeks later...

The 41 Brunn Bodied Buick on Long Island is painted dark green, however, the firewall is black in conformance with the Buick color code on the firewall tag. So this car is not the one in the post by xp-300. The engine number is

14162913. IF someone can alert Dave Corbin, perhaps he can fill us in on what this number signifies.

Thanks to all who responded.

Joe

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Guest DaveCorbin

Dear Joe:

I think the first digit of the engine number is probably a 9 for a 90 series car, not a 1. The balance of the number 4,162,913 is an engine built in Nov. 1940 around week 2. This clearly is the original engine and matches well with the body #11 at the end of Nov. 1940. It would appear that the frame number (which is assigned at the very first step of Buick's paperwork) was assigned in a large group of frame numbers assigned to 90 series cars and then built right away, ahead of where you would expect if things were done normally. It's also something that someone with "PULL" could get done. (Like Brunn? Someone else like the Buick Marketing guys?) Could happen!!! Not common, but an interesting pointer to credibility of story!!

Regards, Dave Corbin

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I have a 41 Limited, and have always liked the 41 that Brunn proposed with the SWEEP SPEAR, so I this past fall took the photo, enlarged it, made a graft of such, then made a full size pattern. I have it cut out of aluminum sheet, and plan on installing it soon. My limited has been modified, I'm sorry, I beat to a different drum, and do arty things, so hate me if you wish, but such doesn't make me any less of a Buick lover. Born in a dealership in 1937, so no spring chicken. Have owned several Buick's including a new 54 Skylark. Powder Blue, Red inter fender panels.

I have never heard of a Brunn sweep spear car being made, so thought if fun to see how it would look. Having fun, FUN IS GOOD!

Dale in Indy

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  • 2 weeks later...

Based on the discussion above, it seems there are two 1941 Brunn Bodied Buicks based on the limited 90 series cars. In the Buick literature ther are photos of a 1941 limo with body by Brunn that appears to be gray in the exterior body color. We have examined the green one here on Long Island and can find no evidence of the body ever being gray. Also, the body tag indicates the car was originally black and this is the color on the firewall.

Does anyone know the whereabouts of the gray 1941 Brunn Bodied buick limited with the landau irons on the rear?

Joe, BCA 33493

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  • 7 months later...
Guest bill murray

Hi All:

Per John's request, here are the two 1938 Nordberg Buick photos.

I have been informed by the experts here that they are two different cars, something I did not know earlier.

Bill

post-75348-14313884423_thumb.jpg

post-75348-143138844233_thumb.jpg

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Guest bill murray

Hi Brian:

I was afraid this was going to happen and because of that I started the other thread on coachbuilt/modified Buicks. Sorry.

Bill

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2 thoughts. 1. I apologize but I quickly scanned through the pages. Thanks John S for bringing back to life! So forgive me if I passed over it, but is or is not the 40 Townmaster still with us?

#2. After reading Pete Phillips article in the Bugle, although not obviously authentic, I think it would be fun to take one of the unrestored project condition 1941 90's and do a Brunn custom conversion. There is enough correct documentation on the Brunns to pull this off in my opinion.

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  • 1 month later...

I have just found this thread, from some time ago....I am very interested in the Mayfair bodied series 50 shown in TG57's post.

The registration number is very close to my car GW 5696...The GW indicates that it was from the county of Kent, and the numbers are just a few apart. My car was bodied by the Carlton Carriage company, as an 'Albermarle' I have some pictures from an original catalogue from Lendrum and Hartman who were the importers at this time showing the car.

The Mayfair shows some similarities...two doors, soft top, etc, but they look quite different. My car is a '32, but its possible that the chassis remained unconverted for extended periods.

Is this car in the UK now?

Any help is appreciated

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Simon,

I sent you an e-mail from what I know of a '31 Mayfair body in The Netherlands. I am not sure if the owner has seen this photo with the Reg number. for us Americans, I was not even sure that was a prior UK reg. Perhaps you can help the owner track down the origins, as there seems to be little Mayfair information available.

Thanks.

I will get on this right after Easter and when the US tax return date passes.

John

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  • 4 weeks later...
Guest Rob McDonald

Idly curious - did Brunn ever get a chance to build a Buick Landaulet, as shown in the Limited Custom Body catalogue? I've been smitten with this body style, ever since I drooled all over a late '30s Lincoln K, so bodied, at the 1984 Hershey Swap Meet. This beauty also had tinted skylights in the header bar over the windshield. Absolutely stunning. Brunn called this configuration the "Clear-Vision Landaulet" and also offered it on the big Packards.

These were generally shorter wheelbase, "owner-driver" cars, rather than the long, long Town Cars and full limousines.

post-59990-143138943066_thumb.jpg

Edited by Rob McDonald
reconsidered (see edit history)
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2 thoughts. 1. I apologize but I quickly scanned through the pages. Thanks John S for bringing back to life! So forgive me if I passed over it, but is or is not the 40 Townmaster still with us?

#2. After reading Pete Phillips article in the Bugle, although not obviously authentic, I think it would be fun to take one of the unrestored project condition 1941 90's and do a Brunn custom conversion. There is enough correct documentation on the Brunns to pull this off in my opinion.

Yes, the 1940 Buick Townmaster is still with us. I saw it and touched it in 2009, and if I had the money I'd own it now. The owner does not have a computer or use the Internet. The car is original, and as an original car it is beautiful. It does have a 1948 or newer engine, but he has a 1940 engine standing by. Somehow it got out of Buick Division ownership and into private hands, and then progressed into collector hands. The owner has all of the history of how that happened.

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  • 4 months later...

Hello Again.

My last post to this thread was on August 6, 2010. I started the thread on December 29, 2009. It is one of the most successful threads in the AACA forums. A tribute to the pre war Buicks.

I was not able to attend this years BCA National Meet. Did any of the Custom Bodied Buicks make it to the Meet? I heard it was a great gathering.

Hope to find the "Brunn" some day.

Dave Gelinas

BCA 26773

1938 Buick Special Dual Side Mounted Touring Sedan

post-58764-143139152958_thumb.jpg

post-58764-143139152963_thumb.jpg

post-58764-143139152969_thumb.jpg

post-58764-143139152972_thumb.jpg

Edited by xp-300 (see edit history)
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Guest Rob McDonald

What I'd really, really like to see is the Brunn Custom Laundau finally constructed. That's the one with the collapsible roof over the back seat only. Brunn built a fair number of this type - well, maybe a couple dozen - on the big Lincoln chassis, as well as a few Packards. It would make mighty fine a '41 Buick Limited or, heck, a Roadmaster or even a Special. Many New York Checker Cabs in the '30s had Landaulet bodies - all the better for visiting Out-Of-Towners to gawk at the skyscrapers.

Thanks to TG57Roadmaster for the image.

post-59990-143139152977_thumb.jpg

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Rob!

Here is another view ( second photo ) of a 1938 Lincoln Brunn similar to the one you posted in April. This one is with out the "Skylights".

Also a 1938 Packard by Brunn with "Skylights".

Dave Gelinas

BCA 26773

1938 Buick Special Dual Side Mounted Touring Sedan<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

post-58764-143139153257_thumb.jpg

post-58764-143139153261_thumb.jpg

Edited by xp-300 (see edit history)
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Hello to all.

In attempt to redirect this thread to its original intention...that being the 1940 and 1941 Buick Brunns; I have uploaded a photo from my files of the 1941 Buick Limited Brunn Bodied Brougham Town Car's dash. Note the radio's grill and speaker screen. It appears to me to be different than that of a regular 1941 production Buick.

post-58764-143139153901_thumb.jpg

Edited by xp-300 (see edit history)
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In 1999 I was in a town neer Flint and purchased a car from a gentelman with a very large and private collection of cars. He had a factory custom Buick that was built for or ended up with one of the Fisher brothers. It was either a 42 or 47, (sorry, I didn't take any photos or get the details on the car.) were there many custom factory cars? The car looked a very little like the Y Job, has anyone seen it or any other type of similar car? Burnn did build a car with a sweep spear. Several in fact, placed on a Pierce chassis. Brunn built some of the best quaility custom bodies ever. I got to know some of the family before they passed on. I was able to buy some very neat factory items from Marge in Califiornia in the late 80's. Ed

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Guest Rob McDonald

Jeez, I'm repeating myself. So it's started already... One account I read recently, probably apocryphal, is that Mr. Brunn found it annoying that he couldn't see overhead traffic lights when stopped in traffic. Hence, the skylights. I don't know, I think they just looked awesome is why they got built.

Dave, please allow me this one more sidetrack and then we'll stick to the Townmaster from now on.

Late '30s Checker Cab.

post-59990-143139154666_thumb.jpg

Edited by Rob McDonald
missed the caption (see edit history)
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