LeSabre T-Type Limo

[Guest LeSabre Nut]

A while back I found a picture of two LeSabre T-Type limos. I actually saw one on the Tri-State Tollway in Chicago years ago. I have searched the internet and cannot find anything on them. Does anyone have any info on them? Does anyone know where one is? It looks really cool. My son thinks it would be a great way to go to school. Thanks for the help. Click on Attachments for a picture.

[BUICK RACER]

A couple of years ago there was one for sale in the Youngstown OH area, lost track of it. Had come from a funeral home in NY, we believe it was the one we rode in for my granpa's funeral, was silver, 1989 I think.

[NTX5467]

One of our chapter members has a LeSabre Limo that is an '88, I believe. Just a normal LeSabre that's lengthened for an additional front seat behind the original front seat. His limo is white with blue cloth interior. It was purchased from a Dallas used limo company that deals in used funeral home vehicles, for example.

We started referring to it as the "corporate limo". It has been on some of our chapter's out of town trips and has carried some of our chapter members' wives on shopping trips on these out of town trips too. Quite nice for that!

I suspect that as LeSabre T-types were black, someone got innovative or there was a shortage of sedans when they needed the cars to build the Limos from. Might have had something to do with the longer doors on the coupes too?

There is a Professional Car Society national car club that I believe has a website. "Professional cars" would typically be limos, hearses, flower cars, and maybe even police cars (although there are separate clubs for them).

Hope this helps,

NTX5467

[Barney Eaton]

Just for clarification....a LeSabre T-type would be a coupe. The Electra was available in the 4 door.

A LeSabre T-type limo would have a stretched coupe body. Seem ok to me but I would think they would stretch either a LeSabre or Electra 4 door.

[Guest]

The Boston to Flint Caravan was greeted by Finger Lakes Chapter member Wray Kniffen and his 1975 (two body generations before LeSabre T-type model at the start of this thread) LeSabre Model 4BP69 Limo upon our arrival at our overnight stopover at the Super 8 in Henrietta, NY. A photo of Wray standing by his LeSabre Limo in the pouring rain is attached. This car was registered and in attendance at the 1998 BCA National Meet hosted by the Minuteman Chapter, BCA in Danvers, MA.

I have had some other Buick Professional Vehicle exposure this past year.

My mother's last two rides in April 2002 were in our local funeral director's 1991-96 generation Buick Roadmaster hearse. Around 20 Buick Centurys from all over New England and one Buick LeSabre with the Mother Superior from the order of Sisters my aunt belongs to served as honorary pall bearers. On the day my mother passed away suddenly at home, she drove my 1997 Park Avenue Ultra home from the airport on her return home from FL and put it away since she disliked the car. She then took her 1988 Park Avenue (which she loved) out to do her errands and put it away before her cardiac arrest. I was in route from FL with my stepfather, driving his non-GM minivan, when this happened.

In June of 2002, my mother's cousin passed away in the Albany, NY area. The funeral director there has a 1987-90 generation Buick Park Avenue hearse. It had the flush headlights like mother's 88 so it could not be a 85 or 86 which had recessed headlights like mother's previous 85 Electra 380.

[Matt Harwood]

Barney, look at the first post in this thread and check the picture... I think that definitely looks like a cut-up coupe to me, especially the second door and the weird B-pillar shape. They didn't want to invest in new glass, apparently.

Still, why not use the sedan instead of the coupe as a foundation? Mechanically, I bet they're identical, though the coupe had arguably the more attractive rear window and trunk profile.

[Barney Eaton]

I was not smart enough to notice there was pictures attached before posting the first note. Now that I have seen them they border on weird.

The logic of using a coupe rear is to have the seat recessed between the sides, like the old real limos. But that second door treatment leaves lots of questions. First it appears longer that the front door so what is the advantage of using a front door that was obviously lengthened? Second if doing all that work, why not make the glass rectangular to fit the opening instead of the slope like the windshield. Third they just blanked out the outside mirror location.

The overall work looks well done, they just had no follow-through on good design.

I have copied and saved the picture to study when I can't sleep. Thanks for sharing it with us

[66400]

I believe they utilized a front door from a 4dr car, while the next door in line is a coupe door. Henry.

[Guest]

I rode in one back in the day in Chicago. It was burgandy, but otherwise looked just like the ones in the picture.

Don't remember the inside though. I was drunk. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />