Thriller

Two places I can think of to check would be the Buick Heritage Alliance and GM of Canada archives. The archivist wouldn't have specifics, but they may be able to supply some information. A lot of the early records are at Queen's University in Kingston, ON. Dave Corbin has visited there and would be able to give a better idea of what they have there. Have you tried online searches? There are a couple of sites working toward scanning a variety of old literature, but I can't speak to how much McLaughlin information they would have. Good luck.

Don, Spreadsheets may not be allowable file types, so it may not attach. I'd like to see your work - you can send me an e-mail by clicking through "Thriller".

Interesting historical nugget there, but I'm sure some folks would set aside history and remove it from the car....

Roger - I think it is a little from column A and a little from column B. For daily drivers, particularly since we have some significant winter up here, I prefer new vehicles. I've been burned on used vehicles before and when I buy new I get a known quantity, a dealer behind me, and a warranty. I don't mind worrying about things a bit more for my old cars, but my wife doesn't have the know how to deal with an issue (phone call to roadside service or CAA / AAA is in the cards then), so we feel more comfortable with new. Now the next one would likely be a replacement for the Rainier, so most logically an Enclave, but I'd also like to have a fun car with decent fuel economy so I don't have to get the truck's mileage and ease of city parking. That's me, so I do think there is a mix here of folks who would buy new as well as used. Without any two doors for how many years now, those who are looking for used don't have the product to choose from either. Would the last generation Riviera be the last two door Buick? If that is correct, it is '99 (or was that 2000?), so a 10 year old car.

I got this from a local acquaintance who is trying to identify the car for a friend, whose father is one of the children in the photo. This was taken in Manitoba in 1914. There is thought that it could be a 1909 McLaughlin, so that's how I wound up with it...if it is the case, it is 20 years older than any actual car I have. Anyway, in spite of the children obscuring much of it, if anyone can point out some features to identify the car that would be great. It is definitely right hand drive, which would pretty much have to be at that point. Are the lamps of any use for identification? The car looks taller to me than any of the photos of early cars in the Standard Catalog of Buick.

Hmmm...two tone LaCrosse at split at the body line...interesting? Part of the video Kevin linked had a glimpse - it may have been the way the light was striking it that made the upper look lighter than the lower colour.

Thanks for the heads up Pete...unfortunately I was expecting mine in January anyway.

That would imply they use bright colours as well.... I've seen a few ads for the Enclave, but they've slowed down recently, since they'd rather sell the Chevy Traverse on the same platform instead for less money. I've always been bitter about that...bad enough the Enclave sharing with the GM and Saturn versions, without diluting the platform with a Chev.

That's pretty nice. The wood looks good and solid with a rear window. I'm sure it will go for a lot more than what it is now. I'd love to have that, if for no other reason than to compare with my '54 all steel Estate Wagon. There's a week left, so another draw or two of the old lotteries to happen before then.

Hardly my thread...I just got the ball rolling. I was surprised in a sense because I hadn't heard anything about it. Of course, it will save a few dollars in not having to maintain another set of badges. I wonder how it will play out in Quebec...I guess we'll see.

Jake - I'd hardly call it my thread...I just started it. I recall a lot of folks (at least initially) preferred the name Allure to LaCrosse. Again, I wonder how it will play out in Quebec. I was just surprised I guess since I hadn't heard nor seen anything about it. Not that I follow automotive news all that closely.

Did you check the BCA Judging Manual - http://www.buickclub.org/BCA%20JUDGING%20MANUAL/BCAjudgingrev2.pdf? Of course, I don't see anything different there than you describe. At AutoColorLibrary - Color Chip Selection, it shows 4909 as Regency Blue.

Ewing on the forum here installed the leather upholstery in his '47 with patience. I think he got it from Hampton Coach, but I'm not absolutely certain. Either way, it is confirmation that it can be done. I can't speak to Kanter's or any of the other kits personally. The upholstery I've had done was through a local upholsterer and had them source the material.

Well, it seems the Buick Allure (Canadian LaCrosse) is gone. I've been seeing ads on TV, but I frequently enough watch US TV, so didn't pay much attention, but yesterday I noticed Buick.ca at the end of the ad. I went to the site and, lo and behold, there is the LaCrosse. So it makes me wonder a few things. Did GM brass decide that not enough Allures were being sold in Quebec to justify a different name plate? Did they think that the launch and subsequent coverage of the new LaCrosse would confuse Canadian buyers if they kept the Allure name? I know it was an interesting thing in the first place to have the Allure in Canada, but was a bit surprised to just sort of find out about it this way. Personally, I prefer the Allure name over LaCrosse, regardless of the slang issue in Quebec.

Why read buickrestorer.com when you can listen live? :rolleyes: Or even pay? Or.... Good luck with the project Mike. You are already making more progress than I am on the '29...time to change that methinks now that we have some snow on the ground.

Lockport...got an e-mail from a fellow who knows Wayne...he has a '52 Roadmaster convertible and found mine online.

Indeed. Good eyes.

Whimper...I like the looks too, but prefer the '70 with the 455 and being the last of the Wildcats.

The Cadillac SRX has more than 2 doors? The Chrysler Sebring convertible? Lexus has two convertibles, and, while it may not have pricing info, the LFA with a 552 hp V10. Chev also has the Corvette and a Cobalt coupe. That's without going to the others like Kia and the European brands. There are domestic 2 doors. They may not be what one wants or in the price range they want, but they are out there. I don't refuse to buy a four door...3 children from 9 to 13. However, I'd like an interesting four door and I'd like the alternative to purchase a "me" car. For the amount I drive the kids around in the truck, a 2 door that was fun and had better fuel economy than the truck would get some consideration from me. Actually, I'm starting to look at that a bit and the most likely right now is just a summer car in the last gen Riviera. Edit: I see in re-reading that you meant 2 door coupe by 2 door and separated out the convertibles. Based on what others are saying though, a convertible is an alternative and possible for the youth market. Of course, it makes one wonder why it seems so bad to have a coupe and convertible in the same line.

Agreed - a parade car would likely have been used for local dignitaries or the like. I just started searching for photos of the royal visit and found these.

She's still the queen...50 years later and supposed to be coming back to Canada soon. Royal cars are an interesting topic in and of themselves. Included in the 1959 visit, she went to all provinces and officially opened the St. Lawrence Seaway with President Eisenhower. Apparently the National Film Board has a 21 minute show of the visit to this part of the world - Royal Visit '59: Central Canada (1959) - that could possibly show the Cadillac. Here's a photo of a car used in BC: I keep forgetting that by Central Canada they don't mean the geographic centre (just a little ways east of Winnipeg). The NFB film that would cover it would be Film Collection - National Film Board of Canada, but the title isn't available through the online store. There's a photo at the bottom of this page, but not very big - Prof6061. Aha! Found it. Drm_59Queen

Mark, It is getting late for me and if I have any photos, they are on the other computer. I'll try to look tomorrow night. Of course, my car is a Canadian version, so there may be slight differences. I think I have a couple of engine bay shots from before the restoration.

I made truck payments of nearly $1100...for 48 months...at either 0 or 0.9% interest. The Rainier payments are in the $700 range...again for 48 months and the same interest rate. Just another month or two of payments to go. When 0% interest is offered, I don't mind making payments and keeping the money in my accounts earning interest. My '62 Special was a compact car back then. Now it would be somewhere between mid-size and full-size...my how times have changed.

According to the Standard Catalog of Buick, the engine number given falls in with the 1940 numbers, but for everything other than Special (i.e. not the 248). They Style number though starts with '41, so wouldn't that peg it as a '41? I presume that the style # for a '40 starts with 40-. It may well have had an engine swap then (my '41 has a '47 248).

I didn't grow up with Buicks :eek: That being said, after dealing with a Javelin AMX in university, I found Ellie and the rest, as they say, is history. There is something about Buicks that attracts me, some years / models more than others. Jake - there was a really nice '76 Riv west of here. I saw it a number of years back when I went with Ewing to check out '58 parts cars. That was an interesting trip. srnad8 - are you looking for something you can jump in and drive, or interested in a project? I have a '56 Special sedan that I'm trying to get rid of (out of space and lowest on totem pole). I also have a '52 Roadmaster, but The Boss has thus far not agreed to let me sell it. I wouldn't mind having a Gremlin either, particularly a Gremlin X. AMC made a lot of neat cars. You don't have to like the style of all of them to admit that they at least did some designing outside the box. My current low level desire is for something a bit newer, preferably with the 3.8, that I can use as a summer driver. The truck is a bit of a beast in the city and I wouldn't mind getting some better fuel economy, particularly when I'm not hauling nor towing. Today I was working on winterizing, so I fired up Buicks from the 50s, 60s, and '70s. The representative of the '40s was pretty much done back when I moved it out to the country previously. Now it is time to grab a brew or pour a glass of wine and settle in to watch the Grey Cup. Go 'Riders!