Matt Harwood Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 The CCCA classification committee has just announced that the 1930 Buick Series 60 is now accepted as a CCCA Full Classic. These are the precursors to the Model 90s that would follow and was Buick's biggest, most luxurious car in 1930. Welcome 1930 Series 60 owners and enjoy the 20% bounce in value that your cars just received. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarNucopia Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Thanks for the heads up Matt, great to hear. I had no idea this was open for discussion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den41Buick Posted April 1, 2017 Share Posted April 1, 2017 Mat, How did the 41 71C make out if it was even considered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted April 2, 2017 Author Share Posted April 2, 2017 The 1941 71C has been submitted and rejected multiple times. Our friend Earl Beauchamp was instrumental in getting a lot of Buicks certified and has put in a great deal of effort to get the 71C accepted, and I know he's frustrated with the results. However, that's a slippery slope that the CCCA has chosen not to climb. One, because selecting only one model out of a line that includes other body styles creates a problem with the owners of those other cars. Can you imagine the letters and angry phone calls from owners of 1941 Roadmaster convertible coupes? Standard coupes? There's no interest in fighting that fight, which is quite understandable. Two, a 1941 Buick Roadmaster just isn't the same as a Limited. They were made for different reasons and different clients. Essentially the Limited was an expensive luxury car for rich people, and therefore the market was necessarily small, while the Roadmaster was a mid-priced car that sold in low numbers simply because the convertible sedan body style was dying out and nobody wanted them. If there were demand for 50,000 Roadmaster convertible sedans, then 50,000 would have been built. It still qualifies as a mass-produced car even though few were produced. Three, there's just too much commonality with lesser models. The 71C shares underpinnings with the cheaper 60 Series and bodies with the cheaper yet 50 Series. It's a hard argument to make for its uniqueness. Yes, I, too, believe that the Buick is superior to the Cadillac in many ways, and yes, they used the same body. I have heard all the arguments and I agree with almost all of them. Don't call me a traitor--I own two 1941 Buicks and a 1941 Cadillac and I prefer the Buicks 10 times out of 10. However, the purpose of designating a car as a Full Classic is to recognize that it is something unique to the period in which it was built, a car that represents the very best of the best, whether it by engineering excellence or beauty or simply cost/status. And again, while the Buick has the features of engineering excellence and rarity, the chassis is shared by pedestrian 4-door sedans and even the downmarket Century. I would argue that my 1941 Century is an equally remarkable car with some automotive historical notoriety and rarity, but I do not think it should be a Classic. For many, it's a gray area and in this case it comes down to "A Cadillac is a Cadillac and a Buick is not." Ford Model A Town Cars are rare, designed for wealthy people, expensive then and now, but they aren't Full Classics for the same reasons and they, too, have been submitted multiple times. The 1941 71C issue is probably dead. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den41Buick Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Guess it is time to put a for sale sign on the 71C. Matt, too bad you are too far away for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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