Jump to content

1940 & 1941 Buick Brunn Bodied Coachwork


Guest x-100

Recommended Posts

Quote... "Dave, please allow me this one more sidetrack and then we'll stick to the Townmaster from now on." Not to worry Rob, the beauty of the forum is participation and information. Just pardon me if you can, for being "Hung Up" on the "Brunns".

Edited by xp-300 (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Rob McDonald

DAVE, if I'd been around to elbow my grandfather, Clayton L. Jackson, around the new car showrooms in the late '30s, he'd have at least tried the big Buicks. Not a Brunn-bodied custom, mind you, although I would have treasured those fabulous brochures if they'd been available. Clayton had an independent streak to him, though, resulting in fine choices like Reo, Whippet, and Hudson, including a run of Terraplanes. He was forced into a Pontiac for his last car, in 1956, because Hudson was effectively gone and Nash was by then a joke.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello to all.

I thought I'd post a photo of the 1941 Buick Limited Brunn Bodies Brougham Town Car. It is another angle of the one I posted on January 6, 2010.

It is the "Brunn" owned by Colonel LeRoy Burdeau of Chicago and Palm Beach Florida, as mentioned in my post of 1-6-10. Thanks to Dynaflash8 who sent me this photo several years ago and posted the same in another thread on 2-27-12.

post-58764-143139156113_thumb.jpg

Edited by xp-300 (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I have found "The Brunn"; identified its owner and the cars location.

On December 29, 2009 I started this thread with the hope of locating the 1941 Buick Brunn Bodied Brougham Town Car. Although the thread did not help in finding "The Brunn", it did produce over 16,000 views and over 120 posts.

Many individuals provided input on "The Brunn", many photos, much information, and the extension of the thread to other custom bodied Buicks.

In my view a very successful thread from an excellent forum. It provided to all of us the opportunity to share information, forge new friendships in the forum, and yes provided us all with a bit of entertainment.

For that I am proud to be a member of the AACA.

As a courtesy to the owner I shall not disclose his name or the location of "The Brunn". The person is a very private collector with many other highly sought after cars. I'm certain all of us can understand the wishes for privacy.

Thank you all.

See you in other threads.

post-58764-143139179165_thumb.jpg

Edited by xp-300 (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
Guest Rob McDonald

DAVE, I can't keep these Brunns out of my brain. Here's another Packard Touring Cabriolet, sold in 2008 at a price many of us could afford. If we weren't married. Search by Sales - Auction Results | RM AUCTIONS | Classic Car Auctions Company (If it doesn't come up automatically, enter "1938" "Packard" "Landaulet" "Sold".)

Although I apologize for continuing to muddy the Buickness of this thread, I find the photos of this car fascinating because they show how much of the body was unique to just a handful of Packards and Lincolns. Again, it's a lost opportunity that no one appears to have rolled a Model 90 Buick bare chassis into Mr. Brunn's shop in Buffalo, with a catalogue open to the page below.

A "tribute" car could be fashioned from that lovely original '39 Limited currently posted in Buick - Buy/Sell. A jaunty convertible rear compartment would overcome the funeral attitude of this oh-so-sombre Buick. One could track down the Packard Twelve from that RM auction and use it for parts!

Hey, I'm a dreamer.

Edited by Rob McDonald
fantastic tangent (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...
Hi-

The doorshot in item # 128 looks like the car that Hyman has for sale now , I think it is the one that RM Auctions or Auctions America had down in Ft. Lauerdale auctions in March 2013. Hope this Helps

Al Storrs

It is. I used the photo to show the Buick logo. Hyman wants $42,500 for the Limited.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi-

The doorshot in item # 128 looks like the car that Hyman has for sale now , I think it is the one that RM Auctions or Auctions America had down in Ft. Lauerdale auctions in March 2013. Hope this Helps

Al Storrs

It sold on Sunday March 24, 2013 for $26,950 down from $28,600 at auction in Scotsdale in 2010.

Hyman is now asking $42,500.

post-58764-143141867566_thumb.jpg

Edited by xp-300 (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest RyanFrances

Was there a 41' Buick Limited built by Brunn which had quarter windows in place of Landau Irons?

The design was one of several proposals to Brunn but I have seen no evidence of the design coming to

be, other than catalogue illustrations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ryan,

Welcome to this forum. Way back on this thread, I think it showed the history. It indicated only a few were built and there were about 4 others designed, and s you indicated only in the catalogues.

John

Here is some information that I posted on this thread for John. I believe it would be good to repeat it here.

"

The following was sent to me by John Scheib also know as jscheib in this thread.

The information he has provided is excellent and adds new information to The Brunn Thread.

Please read on with enjoyment. John did a fine job on research which included information from the AACA Library

TRACING THE DESIGN AND CREATION OF BRUNN BODIED CUSTOM BUICKS – 1940-1941

In 1940 Buick, anxious to provide a line-up of quality specialty cars, arranged to work with Brunn Coach Builders in Buffalo, NY. . Several references are used to list the source materials.

These are:

Dunham and Gustin, indicated by footnote 1

Earl Beauchamp, indicated by footnote 2

Terry Boyce, indicated by footnote 3

CAR 1 – 1940 -The first car produced was a 1940 – Buick commissioned Brunn to build a Townmaster on a 1940 Roadmaster chassis (reported as 126” wheelbase*3). It was painted Brewster Green with a Black top. Note that Standard Catalog of Buick (1903-1990), First Edition also indicated that two series of Limited were produced in 1940 with 133” wheelbase.

In the Antique Automobile*2 of May-June 1971, Earl Dunaway Beauchamp, Jr indicates that the original 1940 Townmaster was placed in “Brass Hat” service of Buick’s advertising executive, Arthur Kudner. It later was mounted on a 1941 Limited chassis (139” wheelbase) and refitted with some 1941 sheet metal and then returned to New York*1*2. It was later sold to Robert Blair, Buick’s NY Regional Manager.

There is an article by Terry Boyce*3 in Special Interest Autos, June 1979 called “Full-Dress Buick, The one and only Townmaster Lives” shows the car as it existed in 1976 (missing the fender skirts and lower side molding) after being hidden since near its construction. It was purchased in 1975 by a collector in Indianapolis and shown briefly in that area. When the Dunham/Gustin book was published in 2002, it was reported this car was owned by Dan Slowik of Westchester, IL.

I believe this car was last known owned by Sidney Aberman

CAR 2 - Also in 1940, Buick also had Brunn design and build on a 1940 Roadmaster chassis a convertible coupe with a sweepspear for Henry H. Bassett of Buick. It was painted Silver Grey with a red sweepspear and trim (including the cowl and grill insert.

It seems this car has not survived.

1941

In the early stages for the 1941 Model Year, Buick asked Brunn to prepare some preliminary renderings for as many as seven (7) different designs for custom built Buicks. From the seven renderings Buick selected four designs to incorporate into their 1941 catalog. The seven designs were:

1 – All Weather Cabriolet – open over driver, rear was “semi-collapsible touring” cabriolet

2 – All Weather Brougham – open over driver, seems ordinary rear with rear quarter (third) window

3 – Convertible Phaeton – with sweepspear

4 – Convertible Phaeton – without sweepspear

5 - Clear Vision Brougham – Open over driver, continuous windows at rear side, special framing, two-tone paint

6 – Formal Sedan – No 3rd window on sides, no trim at fender skirts

7 – Touring Cabriolet – Solid over driver and rear door– rear convertible, over passenger

The four designed for the catalog, with different names were (Durham and Gustin’s book used different names):

Type A – Cabriolet Sedan – Of the 7 Brunn designs, this seems to be most like No. 1

Type B - Three window town car – Of the 7, this seems most like No. 6 (this seems in conflict with the Dunham/Gustin book)

Type C – Landau sedan – Of the 7, this seems most like No. 7

Type D – Four door convertible – Of the 7, this seems most like No. 4

These are the four listed in Dunham and Gustin’s book (which do not seem to match the catalog)

I – Custom Town Car - based on Model 1 above, open over driver solid rear without Landau bars.

II – Custom Phaeton – based on Model 4 above

III – Custom Landau – based on Model 7 above, solid over driver, conv. Over passengers

IV – Custom Brougham – based on Model 1 above, but open over driver solid rear with Landau bars

Durham and Gustin report that in 1941 three Custom Buicks were built be Brunn.

CAR 3 - The first of the Brunn built bodies being not one of the proposed designs but a Convertible Coupe built on a Roadmaster chassis, for the 1941 New York Auto Show, October 1940. This was painted a rich Cinnamon Brown with Yellow trim (including the sweepspear of V shaped side panel. The history after the display is unclear, but it has been reported that one of the convertibles was consumed by a fire along a highway in North Dakota in the late 1950s*3. Boyce also indicates that two convertibles were built on 1941 Roadmaster chassis, but this may have been mistaken for the one 1940 Roadmaster convertible.

CAR 4 - The next (apparently the first for public sale) was an “All Weather Cabriolet” (named by Durham and Gustin), (Type A from the catalog) with Landau bar but deleted the spears on the wheel covers (or by Buick brochure Custom Brougham) for Colonel LeRoy Burdeau of Chicago and Palm Beach. This car had the trim on the rear wheel skirts deleted. Painted grey (apparently light grey) with black leather top.

It is believed this car was last owned by Marv Tamaroff of Michigan.

CAR 5 - The third (and reported last) was a Custom Landau (Type C from the catalog) built for the McCormick family of Chicago. It was painted a medium grey with painted black top with open rear. Boyce refers to this as a “semi-collapsible touring cabriolet”.

The present owner of this car is unknown, but it is believed to have survived.

CONCLUSIONS

It was reported that a Convertible Sedan (or Phaeton) appeared in the late 1940s around Baltimore. Could this have been the “Shirley Temple” car by Bohman & Schwartz and not one of the Brunn Body Buicks.

Also of note in the brochure there are two sketches of features at the rear window, but none of the cars noted have this third side window.

My conclusion, if Brunn had actually built more of the cars, the owner could probably have selected any of the features combined (within reason) especially since Buick backed out of the marketing (thanks to Cadillac) and likely relinquished some control over any likely selection by the buyer of certain design features.

The comments on the latest internet thread suggest that Mr. Brunn indicated that “more” cars were built, but at present there is no evidence.

An interesting side note in Mr. Boyce’s article was that Hermann C. Brunn indicated that with other manufacturers they had to rework many body panels but when Buick shipped a body for custom work, the unmodified panels (such as doors) could be used as they were delivered (a statement to Buick quality at that time).

by John Scheib"

Edited by xp-300 (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Rob McDonald
CAR 5 - The third (and reported last) was a Custom Landau (Type C from the catalog) built for the McCormick family of Chicago. It was painted a medium grey with painted black top with open rear. Boyce refers to this as a “semi-collapsible touring cabriolet”. The present owner of this car is unknown, but it is believed to have survived.

From here on, I shall live in the excruciating hope that this car will be found, photographed, and posted on this very thread. I now have a reason to get up in the morning.

Edited by Rob McDonald (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest RyanFrances

Thanks for sharing that great information.

It was an interesting couple of years at Buick, would have loved to see

more cars built though. I guess it makes the surviving Brunns more unique.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I thought I would bring this thread to the top to try something. There are quite a number of people on the forum interested in Coach Built Buicks. And I think many are BCA Members. I am not sure how many are going to South Bend, but I am proposing we try to arrange to meet sometime toward the end of the week (when the population may be larger) to perhaps chat about these cars. I would like to see some sort of recognition of these cars by the BCA, which would perhaps urge more of he cars to appear at Buick events. I would be glad to try to arrange something even if only a brief chat at a bar, or just a hallway. John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought I would bring this thread to the top to try something. There are quite a number of people on the forum interested in Coach Built Buicks. And I think many are BCA Members. I am not sure how many are going to South Bend, but I am proposing we try to arrange to meet sometime toward the end of the week (when the population may be larger) to perhaps chat about these cars. I would like to see some sort of recognition of these cars by the BCA, which would perhaps urge more of he cars to appear at Buick events. I would be glad to try to arrange something even if only a brief chat at a bar, or just a hallway. John

Great idea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dale, Saturday will work for me, but only after I finish judging, so time may be limited, as that is something that can not be predicted. So, we might best exchange cell phone numbers. Let's see how many others are interested. John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Trying to get this back to the top to see if we can raise more interest. So far it is Dave, Dale and myself and it looks like Sat will be the day. Lets try to do something either about 830 Am- to 9 AM or after judging (2-3 PM if we are lucky). Contact me by cell phone 860.558.6764. I will gather up my Brunn and other coachbuilt Buicks stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Rob McDonald

Wish I could be there and wish that we could all hop into Dale's hotrod Limited and have John navigate us over to see the McCormick Custom Landau. Alas, none of this shall be and the mystery is preserved.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am attempting to have at least the passenger side SWEEP SPEAR on.......Brunn clone style.

I don't know about HOT ROD, it's only 400 HP. The issue with it lacking TIRE BURNING performance is the 2.73 rear gear. Man would I love to have a 3.70, and with it coupled to the 700R low first couple gears, it would be a tire burner. Cheap me, don't want to spend the $1,000.00 for the gear.

My limited rides on all Vette aluminum suspension, 17" rims, 30" tall tires.

Ultra Leather interior, 6 mod colors, with sweep spear inspired leather headliner, so peek at that if you see it parked.

Love my driver Limited, Dad in heaven is looking down a SMILING, he was the proudest Buick guy I ever met.

My car is a driver, gets dirty, but is in great mechanical shape, it could go cross country everyday.

It's been on the road since 1997.

It does LOVE 80 MPH

I plan on bringing my two Buick hand built models. One is the 1945 parade float featuring the new 46 Buick, and one just finished, over 200 hours, my Art Deco semi-truck car hauler.

Pictures to be posted tomorrow.

Dale in Indy SORRY TO RAMBLE.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

On the Fernandez & Darrin designed sedanca de ville, I recall sitting at a car show and hearing a man about 40 telling a friend that his family once owned that car back East and that as lads, they replaced the grille with a Rolls Royce grille, and had fun driving it around with one of them dressed as a chauffeur. Has anyone else heard that story and know if it has been printed anywhere? I would like to find out when that was, what they bought it for and what they eventually sold it for (maybe with the Buick grille back on it?). I personally think town cars really would have been politically incorrect after WWII when they were being depicted in cartoons as cars owned by crass industrialists...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Thought I would bring this back to the top.

It has been awhile since the last post and with the new update to the forums, I thought some

would like to read the thread again and see some of the great photos that have been posted.

It was the first thread I started in the Buick forums and one that I'm proud of.

My original intention to the thread was to find the owner of the 1941 Buick Limited Brunn Bodied Brougham.

In time I was able to locate the car and it's owner.

It's my hope that some day this Buick will reappear at some Buick Shows.

Maybe the 2016 Nationals???

The 41 Limited is not that far from Allenstown, Pa

post-101291-0-95808000-1432859454_thumb.

Edited by xp-300 (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...