Classic Firetruck

We need some fire security in all of our garages… Why not go with a classic!

Classic Firetruck

The ’49 Buick Roadmaster is considered by many to be the ultimate example of the “Art Deco” era with its overabundance of chrome and those magnificent four portholes on each front fender to emulate the power and speed of a WWII fighter plane along with its sparkling chrome “sweepspear” slicing down the sides, and a “bombsight” mounted on the hood. This is a big 2 ton car, and riding in it was like “a mattress on wheels”, as quoted by a past era reviewer. Unfortunately these big boats were scrapped by the thousands in the late fifties and sixties due to their sluggish performance and huge thirst for gas and left us with a relatively scarce automobile today, especially since collectors bought up any they could find after Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman’s “Rainman” movie glorified the ’49 convertible. Although this was the Roadmoaster used in the movie! :)

Design & Styling

The “Rain Man” Car

Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick’s longest wheelbase and shared its basic structure with senior Oldsmobiles. Between 1946 and 1957, the Roadmaster was Buick’s premium and best appointed model, and was offered in sedan, coupe, convertible and station wagon bodystyles between 1936 and 1948.
In 1949 a hardtop coupe, designated “Riviera” joined the model line up.

The 1948 and 1949 Buick Roadmaster introduced a couple of new features designed to help Buick distinguish itself from the competition. The big news during these early postwar years was the 1948 introduction of Dynaflow, the industry’s first passenger car torque converter transmission. Optional at first only on the Roadmaster, it was popular from the start, despite the considerable slippage that occurred during acceleration (prompting some people to call it “Dyna-slush”). By 1949, Dynaflow was standard equipment in the Roadmaster, optional at extra cost in the Super series. A slight increase in the compression ratio raised the horsepower to 150, in order to help compensate for performance lost via the torque converter.

Roadmaster and Super models were completely restyled that year, for the first time since before the war. The Roadmaster’s wheelbase was cut from 129 to 126 inches, and overall length was correspondingly reduced, but these were still big, heavy cars — 65 pounds heavier, in fact, than their 1948 counterparts.

Interior


Technical Specs

Technical Specifications

The ’49 Coupe was an important car on many fronts for Buick. As a mid-year debut, it represented post-war progress for the company and introduced key signatures that would set Buick’s styling theme for years. These included the portholes or “ventiports” and the striking “sweep spear,” the chrome accent line that ran the length of the car, kicking up sharply over the rear wheel housings. Of equal significance is the fact that this was GMs first pillarless hardtop, combining the style of a convertible with the security and weather protection of a sedan.

  • Year:
    1965

  • Color:
    Black

  • Engine

  • Type:
    1965 Citroen 2CV

  • 0-60 mph:
    40 mph

  • Top Speed:
    63 mph

  • Transmission
    4 Speed

  • Body/Chassis
    dual H-frame platform

Cool Facts

Despite their popularity with the public, the 1949 Buicks received their share of criticism. Two characteristics drew most of the fire: the sluggish performance of the Dynaflow automatic, which tended to leave the Buick driver behind the pack when the traffic light turned green, and the ultra-soft suspension, which provided a billowy ride but did dreadful things to the car’s handling qualities. Motor Trend commented that “it heels over in turns like a marshmallow.”