1934 Series 40 Roadster

[50jetback]

A friend sent me details of this 1934 Series 40 Roadster which is advertised in Hemmings

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/buick/unspecified/331531.html

Interesting to see someone has gone to the trouble of " building " a body style which was abandoned by Buick in 1932 in favour of the convertible coupe with the luxury of roll up windows and quarter vents/windows.

I have always preferred the more rakish roadster style and luckily General Motors Australia, being a bit behind the times persisted with the roadster until 1935. A total of 45 Roadsters were manufactured in 1934 and only 5 in 1935.

I have attached advertising material for the 1934 model and will also post photos of two of the 4 known remaining 1934 Roadsters.

One of these cars has now been sold to an enthusiast in New Zealand so they are getting a bit thin on the ground. No 1935 models are known to exist, maybe some future " barn " discoveries will produce more.

[50jetback]

1934 Buick which is now in New Zealand

[50jetback]

1934 Buick Roadster which is now in New Zealand ( always helps to add the attachment )

[50jetback]

Another photo of the same car.

[50jetback]

And a photo of 1934 Buick Roadster body number 26 currently under restoration and hopefully finished to attend the 2008 Australian Buick Clubs National Meet to be held in Queensland in October 2008.

[50jetback]

Okay, just checking to see if you were looking at the photos!!

This is the photo of 1934 Buick roadster body number 26 currently under restoration.

Incidently, I know the Queensland Buick Club are keen to have see overseas Buick enthusiasts attend the National Meet and pre and post tours, air fares are really economical USA to Queensland so maybe some of you should look at dropping down and paying a visit. I'm sure we could find plenty of Buick seats for you to ride on.

[Buicksplus]

Thanks for those wonderful pictures, Jetblack. We all know 33-35 Buicks are beautiful, but those roadsters are the cream of that crop. Too bad so very few were built, but at least a few have survived thanks to our down under enthusiasts. I didn't even know they existed.....

Bill

[Rooster]

Another rare roadster body style was built in 1929 on the 116" standard chassis by General Motors Australia ( Holden) in very limited numbers and only a handful exist today. There was a very nice one at the Australian National earlier this year ( did you take a photo Stu ? )

One of our Western Australian founding members has one in bits ready for restoration.

They are a sweet looking motor car.

Ken

1929 Tourer model 25 ( Holden body )

[50jetback]

All the references I have seen for US production don't list a series 116 Roadster in 1929, they seem to have only been available in the series 121, again making these 116 series Roadsters unique to Australia.

Australian references indicate only 5 were built but it is generally accepted production numbers must have been higher than this. In the 2006 Australian Buick Clubs Register a total of 7 1929 Standard ( 29-24 ) Roadsters are listed, 4 of which are restored. It seems pretty unlikely that all 5 produced in 1929 have survived and managed to have a couple of pups along the way!!!!

There are also some 1929 29-44X Roadsters here but all seem to have been imported complete and in RHD from the USA.

I have attached a photo of a 29-24 General Motors Australia ( Holden ) Roadster.

[TG57Roadmaster]

You folks Down Under are lucky indeed to have such beauties; the black roadster in the old ad speaks a thousand words. It's almost worth a trip to other side of the planet just to see one.

What never ceases to amaze is the effusive drivel that goes hand-in-hand with "Classic Car Dealer's" attempts to foist "One-Off Custom Ownership Opportunities" on an unsuspecting public. Okay, I'm guilty (here) of a bit o' drivel, but compare the right 3/4 rear shot of the Red Car to the beauty of line on the real '34 Roadster posted above.

The "Masterfully-Executed All-Steel Bodywork" doesn't even fit around the doors, looking increasingly lousier as you go back. Honestly, the toolbox I made (and still have) in 8th grade shop class exhibits better attention to detail. And once you've parted with your $58,900, the Red Car can only be shown in the BCA Modified Division. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but since it doesn't have the requisite 350 small-block & Mustang front end, even the Rod Crowd would turn their noses up. Doubtless the "Midwestern Packard Man" needed to recoup some of his losses; he shoulda thrown the wads of cash at a car with a Cormorant.

A pig in a poke is, and always will be, a pig in a poke.

Tom Gibson