1940 Buick Century convertible sedan (61C)

[Matt Harwood]

I haven't anticipated the arrival of many cars like I have this one. It's one of my personal favorites for obvious reasons, and now that it has arrived, I've spent a few days getting to know it better. The result? I love it.

It appears to have either an older restoration that was recently freshened with new paint, interior, and top, or it's a shockingly solid original car with recent paint, interior, and top. Even though it shows signs of use, the engine is just too clean to be original in my opinion, and the cloth wiring is older, but in excellent condition, so it's surely newer than 1940, too. The body is completely rust-free, including the rust-prone tool tray in the trunk and the floors at the base of the A-pillars. I can see no evidence of patches in this area, so I surmise that it has never been a rusty car, because you just can't make repairs in those areas and render them completely invisible. I would guess that it was painted within the past ten years, a frame-on paint job where all the trim came off but the car wasn't totally disassembled. The body tag says it was originally Black, but the current Royal Maroon looks fabulous and I can see no evidence of the original color, so when it was repainted the first time many years ago, the job was extremely thorough. And again, this lends credence to the belief that this is an older restoration that was recently and extensively freshened. The chrome is a combination of restored and original stuff--the bumpers are obviously newer, the grilles are much, much too nice to be 1940 chrome, but things like the Century hood handles and vents are surely original. It also wears a set of fully operational Trippe Speedlights up front that are like flamethrowers given the limitations of a 6-volt electrical system.

The burgundy leather interior was probably done at about the same time as the paint job, within the past 10 years or so. It shows minimal wear, with the only notable scuffs being on the driver's side seat frame where you'd climb in. The door panels, carpets, and seat cushions show minor signs of use, but it remains in excellent condition throughout. The gauges appear to be original, as does the horn button, but the steering wheel itself has obviously been re-cast. All the gauges work except the fuel gauge, which I believe has a problem with the sender, as it jiggles when you turn on the ignition, but always registers empty. The original Sonomatic radio is also fully functional, although the clock--as expected--does not work. The gorgeous tan canvas top is perhaps newer than the rest simply because it fits so well and shows no stretching and sagging, and if I had to guess, I'd say it has never been down. There's a matching boot in the neatly finished trunk that has clearly never been used. I would have taken some photos with the top down, but it's at least a 2-man job to get it back up again and I don't like to store cars with the tops down.

The way it drives suggest that someone cared about making it right for touring. Buick's big 320 cubic inch straight-eight is everything you'd hope: smooth, powerful, torquey, and with just enough of a voice to let you know there are eight cylinders at work under the hood. I can only hope my own '41 Century runs and drives this well when it's done, and there's no denying that this car is FAST. Yes, it's all relative, but it runs away from traffic at stoplights and hammers up to 65 MPH without breaking a sweat. I drove it quite a bit the other day, up to and including about 15 minutes idling in a drive-through line during a 90+ degree day, and it never went above 180 on the gauge. The suspension is supple, perhaps a tad too soft for my tastes, but there's no arguing with the boulevard-smooth ride quality, and the brakes do an admirable job with a firm pedal. Shift action is easy, the clutch is light with good take-up, and, well, like I said, someone put this one right so they could enjoy it on the road. It wears slightly oversized whitewall tires on wheels with correct hand-painted striping, trim rings, and original hubcaps.

A fantastic, highly capable car that looks as great as it runs. Not too nice, but needing nothing, THIS is a car that should go on every tour you can find, and will lead the pack in terms of comfort, reliability, and speed. Asking $49,900 and we're always open to reasonable offers. Thanks!