for sale 1941 Buick Roadmaster 71C Phaeton

[Matt Harwood]

 

You already know I'm in love with this car. It is the endgame for a guy like me, the best pre-war Buick to own (OK, that's a little biased, but only a little) and if you want a tour car that does everything well, this is it. Comfortable, fast, reliable, stylish, and thanks to the efforts of our friend Earl Beauchamp it's now a CCCA Full Classic. Awesome color combination of Monterey Blue over a red interior (it was originally Touquet Beige, which is pretty blah--this is so much better). It has the look and feel of a car that has always been loved and well-maintained, but never taken apart and fully restored all at once. Obviously it was repainted, and they did a fantastic job of it--I can find no traces of that original beige paint in any of the nooks and crannies so it was quite thorough. It was probably back in the '80s and I bet it's lacquer or enamel, because there's some checking here and there. Nothing is coming apart or flaking, and we were able to bring out a fantastic shine with a light buff. My advice would be to leave it alone and enjoy it as-is because it's just about like my Limited--low maintenance and you'll never worry about bugs or weather. That's very liberating when you own an old car. There's no sign of bodywork or rust repair, and the only rust issue on the whole car is a section in the rocker just under the passenger's rear door, but you need to be under the car to see it; it is neither structural nor visible. The chrome is fantastic and has surely been restored more recently, including the pot metal which shows almost no pitting or other issues that are common to these cars. The stainless trim along the rockers and doors is  quite good and all the lenses are bright and clear. It's a great-looking car in just the right condition to drive and enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

The red leather interior is probably more recent than the paint and it remains a first-class place to spend some time. The pleated seats are correct for an open car (closed cars with leather would have no pleats) and the door panels are correctly trimmed with three chrome strips at the bottom. The door hardware is nicely restored with correct escutcheon plates and both the door sill plates and window sills are in very good condition. The seats are firm and comfortable and the front seat offers a reasonable amount of adjustment for even tall drivers. The plastics, including the steering wheel and gauge faces, are just too nice to be original and they're the right shade of cream--not too yellow. Yes, there's a little bit of spalling and one crack in the wheel, but again, I'd leave it alone because it won't get any worse if you take care of it. All the gauges are fully operational, as is the clock, and a fresh bushing kit was just installed in the shifter so it's tight and rattle-free. All four windows roll up smoothly and we fixed all the courtesy lights (oddly, there's no switch for the left rear door, but all three other doors do activate the lights). The radio is offline, which isn't a surprise, but the defroster and underseat heater are working properly. Seat belts were added not too long ago and the job was professionally done, and there's a lot of insulation under the carpets so it stays cool and comfortable even on hot days (notably cooler than my Limited in the driver's seat). The back seat is downright cavernous and there's a recent tan canvas convertible top that folds surprisingly easily into a very compact stack and hides under a brand new boot. The trunk is also neatly finished with a correct shelf and zero rust in the tool tray area, which is the first place these cars start to go wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm thrilled with the way this Roadmaster drives. The 320 cubic inch straight-8 was rebuilt not too long ago and features a pair of Carter carbs rebuilt by Doug Seybold and tuned by yours truly. It starts instantly and idles smoothly, hot or cold. On the road it's almost silent and completely smooth--seriously, you can't feel or hear it and have to shift by the sound of the gears. My Limited isn't anywhere close to this smooth and quiet. It's pretty impressive, and I attribute that to the Carters, which seem to work better on these engines once you get them tuned properly. It's quite correctly detailed under the hood with Dante Red engine enamel, reproduction decals, and factory-style hose clamps. The wiring harness appears to be newer as well, and it runs nice and cool, never going above 180 no matter how hot it gets (I had it idling in the parking lot on an 80+ degree day and it never whimpered). There's a new stainless exhaust system that sounds great and no evidence of exhaust leaks or cracked manifolds--woo-hoo! The floors are clean, the brakes are very strong, and it feels like it has 3.60 gears in back, because it will run well past 60 MPH without breaking a sweat--as I said, I only wish my Limited felt this good on the road. I'm not in love with the fat 225/75/15 Diamondback wide whitewall radials, but I can't argue with how they ride and handle.

 

 

 

 

Yes, I'm a little biased because these are obviously my favorite cars. Nevertheless, the highest praise I can give a car is that I would keep it for myself, and had I not burned my savings to the ground a year ago with The Car Which Shall Not Be Named, this Buick would now be part of my permanent collection. I would paint the wheels red and get some skinnier radials on it, drive it until those tires wore out, then do it all over again. It's a brilliant road car, a very rare machine (only 312 Roadmaster 71C Phaetons were built), and more than a match for just about any other pre-war car on any tour or outing. It looks like it should cost much more than $54,900, and the slower, more common Cadillacs routinely bring about $20,000 more. This is a really good car for the guy who understands that great cars aren't necessarily perfect cars. Thanks for looking!

 

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[neil morse]

6 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

(oddly, there's no switch for the left rear door, but all three other doors do activate the lights)

 

Matt, I believe all 4-doors were set up this way back then.  My Super 4-door is the same way, and I had a '48 Chrysler 4-door that was the same.  I think it had to do with discouraging rear seat passengers from entering or exiting the car from the left side (exposing them to traffic), but it's hard to see how the fact that the interior lights didn't go on when you opened the door would really discourage people.  Maybe a form of reminder?  Who knows?

 

Beautiful Roadmaster -- good luck with the sale.

[Matt Harwood]

 

[ericmac]

Absolutely stunning car!

[58L-Y8]

Handsome Roadmaster in an elegant color combination. 

 

Not to hi-jack your advertisement, but in the 1960's there was a television show with two sinister ladies who drove a '41 Buick convertible sedan they named 'Robespierre'.  Does anyone else recall that and what the name of the show was? 

[Den41Buick]

Look forward to Hershey 

[Den41Buick]

btt

[Matt Harwood]

Price is now $54,900 and no reasonable offer will be refused. A fantastic Full Classic Buick ready to tour and enjoy, and one of the better-driving '41s I've ever enjoyed. How is this car still sitting here?!?

[bdc]

Matt, my problem with your ads are not enough pictures and not enough description on the vehicle....nahh just kidding😄, I'm very impressed with your ads, matter of fact next vehicle I'm selling I'm sure considering you 👍🏼

[Walt G]

The Buick Roadmaster of this era is a fantastic road car to drive and ride in besides being really well styled. I looked for some time about a decade plus ago to find a Roadmaster conv. sedan and wound up with a 1940 ( same body panels as the car Matt has for sale) it is a delight , as a friend who was a service writer as well as a great mechanic stated after I let him drive mine " wow, very very powerful car".  As Matt states the car is a full classic with CCCA and as well is unusual to see anyplace any time. when was the last time you saw one in person? With the largest Buick engine it is a modern road car to cruise along at any speed for hours.

[Packard1899]

Nice colors. 

[Den41Buick]

Btt