Attention All Buick Lovers! The beautiful one of a kind 1954 Buick Landau Motorama Show Car will be on public display at the Tex-Ark Antique Auto Museum on Saturday, October 11, 2008, 8am to 6pm, and Sunday, October 12, 2008, 8am to 4 pm. The Museum is located at 217 Laurel Street in downtown Texarkana, Arkansas. The display coincides with the 2008 annual Quadrangle Festival of Texarkana. The current owner of this automotive masterpiece is Mr. John M. O'Quinn of Houston, Texas. Charles D. Barnette, Activity Director for The Tex-Ark Antique Auto Museum of Texarkana, Arkansas

I had not heard of this car changing hands since it was purchased by Bill Warner, founder of the Amelia Island Concours d' Elegance back in the fall of 2004. This is very interesting. I had planned to ask Bill if he might consider bringing the car to Flint. Does anyone know this new owner, Mr O'Quinn.
I so want to see that car in person and take a couple thousand pictures. I am saving one of my Roadmaster sedans for to convert into a Landau someday. I think that project is scheduled for around 2045. Right after the conversion of a Roadmaster sedan into an Estate Wagon.

Upon Googling John M O'Quinn, I discover he is a well known Houston Personal Injury Lawyer Firm and has quite a collection of autos including this 1938 Buick Series 80 Opera Brougham that won Most Outstanding GM Car Award at last years Amelia Island event. I must say the man has good taste.



So perhaps someone from the area can talk him into coming to Flint.

Charles, we would enjoy seeing photos of the car displayed at the museum. Please check back to our site here, and we can help post any photos.

Are any members of our forum located close enough to Texarkana to view the display in September?

I'm sure MrEarl is "close enough"...with the distances he drives, this would just be a short jaunt...after all, this is only about 700 miles or so

And.........Mr. O'Guinn is not listed in the 2008 as a BCA member. Probably can't afford the $35

The Houston Chapter is close enough, and it's a pleasant 2 hour North Texas Pines drive up to Texarkana, with roadside antique stands and in-season produce stands.

I am not sure how many members from that part of Texas are Forum regulars, I know Bill Stoneberg checks in sometimes.

Bryan, your wife must have been driving and you took a nap.
Houston to Texarkana is 294 miles by my map program (closer to 5-6 hours) also, there is no interstate from Houston, to Texarkana. For comparison, Chicago to Louisville is 297 miles.... so my old home state of Indiana would fit in the northeast corner of Texas.

Bill Stoneberg has moved from Katy (Houston area) to Austin, from Austin to Texarkana is 5.5 hours of steady interstate driving. I might take a half day and drive up there.

Geesh, I can't keep track of Bill. Barney, my recollection is definitely WAY off. I used to live in Houston Texas for four years (1990 to 1994) and I would just take a leisurely route due north to visit my family in Iowa and Missouri. I agree there is no direct route, and a person needs to be on the lookout for police. But I prefer that over Interstate go-as-fast-you-can.

Thansk for the correction. OK, then 5-6 hours.

I live only 3 hours away from Texarkana. Perhaps I can talk the Bugle editor in going with me in hopes of an article. What do you say, Pete?

Sounds like opportunity for a nice followup to the February issue covering the 1954 Buicks!

Roy, do you need to get a permit from the state to travel that far with Pete?

I'm sure Pete could work the car into an article for the Bugle.

Hear, hear!!! I had not known of the February issue being dedicated to the 54's or else I would have submitted something. I must have missed the announcement? I feel I really let my girls down and would love a second chance. The girls are very upset. Two of them wouldn't crank and another had two flat tires last Sunday when I went to crank them. Since the Feb issue seemed dedicated more toward the Century/Special, perhaps the next could be dedicated to the Roaemaster/Super in which the Landau would fit nicely. So yea, that sounds like a good idea to me Brian.

But I still think someone should invite the gentleman to join the BCA and bring the Landau to Flint in July.

Yep! Let's do it, invite him! Please!

Dear Buick Club Members, I have enjoyed the response to our museum's announcement of the 1954 Buick Landau coming for a two day display in September to Texarkana. It is refreshing to see such interest in this great Motorama masterpiece-Harley Earl would be indeed pleased. As you can imagine our museum is looking forward to the event with great excitement! I will be happy to post pictures of the event on this website, but let me gently remind you that there is no substitute for seeing in "person" the actual car itself. You will be allowed to make as many photos of the car on display as you desire. We are even making arrangements to have a "Motorama Girl" posed to peer out the back of the car from the inside as the female model did in the famous GM factory photo. We particularly would welcome the staff of the Bugle. I will be posting a flyer on this site soon about the event. In closing I would also gently remind you that this opportunity to see this car may only come once in a lifetime! Charles D. Barnette for The Tex-Ark Antique Auto Museum Of Texarkana- P.S. A 1955 Buick and a 1959 Buick helped raise me from childhood to manhood.

Charles, I assume this is the GM factory photo of which you speak. I recently acquired on ebay, here is the sellers 'description'
You are bidding on a original 8x10 black and white photo of what I believe is a 1950s Buick concept car. The back Says Landau and the #X11518-3. To my knowledge I dont think Buick ever made a Landau in the fifties. The very back of the car looks like it has a convertible section. This and other photos I am selling this week came from the estate of a worker in General Motors design department.

I love this car and hope to see it in person some day. Thanks for the info.

here are some photos of it's showing at Amelia Island Concours in 05 or 06 I believe

OK, somebody tell me quick...aside from the obvious difference in the rear bumper, tailights, trunk lid and of course the roof, what is the major difference in the Landau and a standard 4 door sedan?

Three differences readily come to mind: The Landau has a divisional electric window between front and back sections of the car, the Landau has a center armrest in the rear seat which when opened reveals a bar with cocktail shaker and three goblets, and the spare tire is in a compartment behind the swing-down rear bumper! It is Harley Earl work at its finest! Charles D. Barnette

Good ones, but not the very visible one I'm looing for. I had not realized the bumper itself folded down to expose the spare.

note to self-start looking for bumper hinges

Thanks for posting the pictures, the only picture I had previously seen is the black/white photo from GM that does not show that unusual rear modifications.

I also did not know there was a auto museum in Texarkana.
I make at least one annual pilgramage from Texas back to my birthplace in Indiana and only stop in Texarkana for gas and food...... now if I get a list of antique shops, we will stay longer.

Hey Lamar,

Does the wife know you've been doing all this shopping lately? LOL. Your Buick Barn is looking more gorgeous with every acquisition! Please tell us you snagged some other cool items from the ebay GM worker estate sale...this is the stuff I live for; just glad you saw it before I did.

There's a strong resemblence of the '57 Buick in the rear bumper and the Red, White & Blue theme on the hubcaps and trunk emblem. That's what's so cool about Show Cars; the design cues usually found their way to the showroom floor.

TG

Lamar, your question prompted the realization that the Landau has the full, open rear wheel cut-outs that we first saw on the '53 Skylark. In '54, this Buick styling theme could be seen only on 2-door models, appearing for the first time on 4-door cars with the introduction of the 1955 Special and Century 4-door Rivieras. The full rear wheel cut-outs would not appear on the large body Super and Roadmaster 4-door models until 1956.

I have long hoped that this very significant Motorama Buick would receive the attention it deserves. As I've noted on this forum in the past, Buick fans should count themselves most fortunate that so many of the Motorama specials have survived. The one exception is the Wildcat III, which, to my knowledge, has never turned up. I'm grateful that the GM Heritage Collection and the Sloan Museum have been willing to make many of these cars available to our National Meets. Although I had seen the cars a number of times before, it never ceased to move me when I walked into the room displaying the Buick Y-Job and the LeSabre at last summer's Seattle Nationals. As Matt Menges has said, these cars are "the crown jewels of motordom".

I was dismayed a few years back to see the Roadmaster Landau turn up on Ebay. The car looked somewhat neglected, was terribly presented, and attracted little interest. It pleases me to no end that this car is now gaining the recognition it deserves as a true Motorama dream car.

Charles, I'm glad to learn that a 1959 Buick was part of your transition from childhood to manhood. I always knew that real men drive '59 Buicks!

By the way, I've wanted to let you know that I've appreciated the information that you, along with David Temple, have provided on the Cadillac-LaSalle Club site regarding the General Motors Motoramas. There are few more fascinating automotive subjects. I believe that I had expressed to you at some point that I hope that more and better photos of the 1959 Motoramas might someday turn up. If you ever locate any, we would be most interested to see them.

I believe that you had shared photos at the Cadillac site of the Eldorado Brougham Motorama car (from 1956?) a year or so ago. Am I correct in thinking that this car was also displayed at the Texarkana museum? I saved these photos from that display.

We have a winner, take your pick of any teddy bear from any row you like.
Yes Brian that is the answer I was looking for.I posed the same question to Rita and her immediate response was "There's a key hole on the back door, but there's also something different about the sweepspear....Ohhhh it has the full wheel cutouts like the two doors." "That's my girl" I replied!!!
Another different design feature is the added "tier" (for lack of a better word) along the beltline from about the middle of the back door to the standard "fin" at the rear. Also the location of the door handles which are typically along the chrome strip below the window. I see I will need to work on my metal fabrication skills prior to getting started on converting one of my 4 doors to a Landau.

Yes Brian you are correct that in 2006 our Museum in Texarkana had the great privilege of displaying the 1956 Eldorado Brougham Town Car by Cadillac which was a star of the 1956 Motoramas. Now when the 1954 Buick Landau arrives we can proudly boast that two Motorama greats have graced us with their presence. Thank you for the personal compliments. David Temple, noted author of GM's Motoramas, will be on hand this time for a book signing during the Landau's appearance. He is the Motorama expert, and the one who has inspired me to pursue displaying these vehicles. He does not live too far from Texarkana. As far as the 59 Buick, my father told me one morning while taking me to school (fifth grade)that he would pick me up after school in a new car. I could not wait until school was over to see the car. When the last bell finally rang, I took off running as fast as I could; and when I rounded the corner I could see my dad in a brand new white 1959 4 door Invicta Buick with brown and white interior. The fins and chrome made up what I thought was the most beautiful car in the world! My brothers and I would tell my dad we wanted to hear the "wildcats" in the motor which was my dad's cue to rev up the engine. Those were the days! Charles

Charles, thanks so much for sharing those great memories of the '59 Buick Invicta! More than that, thanks for your effort to display these great Motorama masterpieces.

For those of you who have not seen or purchased David Temple's book, it's one of the best and most beautifully illustrated volumes on Motorama history.

Attached is the corrected Museum's flyer for the Landau