1941 Limited 90F Inquiry

[Guest BJM]

I do not have the Buick Membership Registry - can anyone tell me if there is a listing for members owned 1941 Limited 90F?

I wondered how many were registered by members.

Alos, does anybody know the difference between a 90F and the 90 or 90L?

[Mark Shaw]

BJM,

According to "The Std. Catalog of American Cars"

The 90 is a 4 door 6 passenger Touring sedan.

The 90L is a 4 door 8 passenger Limo.

The 90F is a 6 passenger family sedan.

The 91 is a 6 passenger 4 door touring sedan.

Six Model 90L Buicks, 16 Model 90 Buicks, & 5 Model 91F Buicks are listed in the BCA Roster for 1941 cars.

[Guest imported_Thriller]

If I recall correctly, the 90F has a divider window between front and rear seating areas. Mark, I believe the Fml abbreviation is for "Formal", as in the 90F is a 4 door, 6 passenger Formal Sedan.

[Guest BJM]

Thanks Mark - I do have the Buick Standard Catalog so I have those numbers but there is no mention of WHAT makes a 90 a F. It could be the divider window addition, because there is a price difference between the 90 and 90F, but they don't specifically say.

The 90F is the lowest production of the series 90's in 1941. I know of a seller in Maine that has one, describes it as a 90Formal, but has no photos of the divider window and does not mention the divider in the description.

[Guest imported_Thriller]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Thriller</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If I recall correctly, </div></div>

Bryan...emphasis on the above.

Actually, owning a '41, I don't know why I didn't check the sales literature earlier...I just now see that the sales brochure lists the 90F as having an "adjustable divider window" - that's all the brochure lists, but it is just a quick sales thing. I'll see if I have some additional literature that may help.

[Guest BJM]

Derek,

In looking at this car, I just can not see the Divider window so I believe it is a series 91 6 passenger car with production of 1223. That woul dmake sense as that is the most plentiful of the 90 series in 1941. Does anybody else see the Dividier?

http://www.goldenrod-garage.com/DETAIL.ASP?DT=1&CI=3&UI=611&MI=1&DH=0

1941 Buick Limited Series 90 six passenger formal sedan, probably just a parts car, not running, with plenty of rust. However, it is a low production model, mostly complete, with the optional dual carb set up. A motivated Buick enthusiast might be able to return it to its' former elegance.$1,795

[Guest ewing]

what would the difference be, between a family sedan and a touring sedan?

[Guest BJM]

I believe 8 passenger versus 6 passenger. Family sedan is 6 passenger? I'm at my part time job going off the cuff, but there are four subseries for the 90 series, 2 have jump seats (8 passenger) and 2 have 6 seats. The rarest of them is the 6 passenger formal 90F with divider at about 280 made. The 91 subseries came in at 1223.

I am looking at a very rare 1941 Cadillac that was a sister car to the Buick 90 series built on the 139 inch wheelbase. About 10 years ago, the Bugle did a comparison article on the Cadillac and Buick 139 inch wheelbase cars.

Similar, so I was thinking about restoring them side by side.

[Guest imported_Thriller]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ewing</div><div class="ubbcode-body">what would the difference be, between a family sedan and a touring sedan? </div></div>

No such thing as family sedan...in the book, there's an abbreviation of Fml, which Mark took to be family, but it's formal. Models are as follows:

90 8 passenger touring sedan

90L 8 passenger limo

91 6 passenger touring sedan

91F 6 passenger formal sedan

Note that the <span style="font-style: italic">Standard Catalog of Buick</span> identifies the 91F incorrectly as a 90F, hence my earlier reference to the 90F (correction according to sales brochure)

I think the 90F was essentially a six passenger limo, with the divider window, but without the additional seats.

Rostecki's is a model 91.

Bryan - I definitely don't see a divider window...I can't say I recall seeing one, but I suspect that the view with the rear door open should reveal it if it was there. I think you are correct in believing it to be a Model 91.

[Guest BJM]

Thanks Derek. I may still go for this one BECAUSE of it's 6 passenger configuration, rarest or not. The jump seats would be rarely used and in the way, even if they do fold up.

On the other hand I am a little worried about whether the front seat is fixed or not as I am 5'4" and would want to be comfortable when driving.

Note the vent looking things on the back of the seat. I wonder if that was for pass through ventilation for rear seat passengers.

Note also the forward facing doors (non suicide). This was uniqie to the Buick series 90 and the Cadillac series I am thinking of. The Cadillac series 75's had suicide doors through 1949.

[Matt Harwood]

Definitely no divider window--you'd see the frame around the permieter of the B-pillar and there would be a crank on the back of the front seat. Limos and formal sedans had divider windows, touring sedans did not. That picture is of the interior of a Model 91 touring sedan. I don't know whether the front seat is fixed, but I suspect that it is.

The vents are for the underseat heater(s) to feed the rear seat passengers.

ALso, the dual carbs were not optional, they were standard on all '41s EXCEPT the Specials, where they were optional. Don't let them jack up the price because they think this is a rare or unique feature.

Hope this helps.

[Guest BJM]

Matt,

I know (optional dual carb). I think that has become an urban myth - optional. Like the Limited had options?

I can't believe they built 1223 of these 6 passenger sedans. That's 102 or so per month, does not include the numbers for Limos, etc. so who was the market for a 139 inch wheelbase 6 passenger car?

Just past the Great Depression when cars generally were large enough in four door guise, you say "No, give me that ultra thirsty, huge thing over there!"

[7buick7]

Hi,

In the 1941 Buick Limited Catalogue, the 6 passenger car was named "<span style="font-style: italic">The Buick Limited Sixter</span>" + "<span style="font-style: italic">It combines room for tall hats and long legs alike with the easy handling of 139-inch wheelbase</span>".

And the last part (and the massive weight) is what it's all about, the car has a very level and steady ride. The feeling today is really something special, and in 1941 this must have been truely extraordinary.

So my guess is that people bought it for the 139 inch wheelbase comfort.

Options? Not many, but the L and F models had a speaking phone option and the rear window wiper option was also not standard with the Limited.

[Guest shorttimer]

We had a 41 90L when I was growing up and there were several other 90 series cars in the area that I had the opportunity to spend some time with as a kid. These really are fun cars to own and drive, and the interchagability with the Cad 72 series makes some parts easier to find than you might imagine for the low production numbers.

If I recall, the front seat does have some degree of travel (mostly forward). My father was maybe 5'-6" and easily drove the car all over the place.

One of the ways to identify the formal (division) cars is to look at the location of the door lock plunger on the rear doors or for the presence of an external keyhole on the passenger rear door. The division cars have lock plungers towards the back of the window frame so that the driver cannot easily reach back and unlock the rear doors. The owner would have a separate key to unlock the rear compartment, thus requiring the keyhole in the rear door. If you look closely at the pictures of this car, you can see the lock plunger towards the front of the window frame.

[Grandpa]

Bryan,

Here is a picture of a restored Limited's interior like the forum subject car.

Grandpa

[Matt Harwood]

Grandpa, is that a six or eight passenger car? Are those dark blue inserts the jump seats? I've never really seen one with jump seats in the flesh.

They sure knew how to make beautiful interiors back then, didn't they?

[Guest BJM]

Oh my that's nice! Thanks Grandpa. Now you got my juices goin for one.

Man those are nice when done right. Those were the days!

[Grandpa]

Bryan,

Here is another picture of the same car.

Grandpa

[Matt Harwood]

How wonderful it must be to stretch out in that back seat. Seeing these photos, I suddenly find myself thinking that a Limited might be a great car to add to the collection. You can't get more car for your dollar than a Buick 90-series!

[serb]

After looking at these older Buicks and owning a 46 four door, it might just be that all of the automobile designers are really Planned Parenthood people. The size of the back seats in the new cars do not lend themselves to anything that the old cars might have condoned.

Stevo