1936 Buick Roadmaster Sedan
• One of 1,841 Roadmaster examples made in 1936
• Repainted in its original Chateau Green (code 372) and with a new, brown leather interior
• 320 CID ‘Fireball’ straight eight-cylinder engine
• Three-speed sliding gear manual transmission and 4.22 gearing
• 131-inch wheelbase
• Hydraulic drum brakes at all four wheels
• New wide whitewall tires
Pre-World War II Buicks occupied an interesting place in the General Motor’s hierarchy. During the 1930s, Buick became known as “the Doctor’s Car” – not as showy or ostentatious as a Cadillac but understated yet better than an Oldsmobile.
This Roadmaster, second in size only to the company’s Limited models, has been repainted in its original Chateau Green (code 372). It is only one of 1,841 Roadmaster examples made in 1936. The paint and trim are in excellent order. The chrome bumpers are in good, original condition and fit tightly to the body. The engine bay is tidy and in the trunk is a full-size spare tire and wheel.
This car rolls on American Classic whitewall radials, size 800R14 at all four corners. Each one is mounted to a red wheel with a metal center cap. The wheels are in good, original order while the tires are new. This car has hydraulic drum brakes at all four wheels a first for 1936. This car rides on a 131-inch wheelbase.
Under the vee’d hood is Buick’s venerable 320 CID ‘Fireball’ straight eight-cylinder engine. Backing this motor is a three-speed sliding gear manual transmission and a 4.22:1 rear end.
Inside, a new brown leather interior nicely complements the exterior. The front and rear bench seats look fantastic, and in the rear is a fold-down center armrest. The carpet is in good, original order, as is the three-spoke banjo steering wheel. The black dashboard is also in good, original order. The back seat is quite spacious and there are a footrest on the floor and a coat or blanket bar on the back side of the front seatback. There is an underdash heater and a clock in the glove compartment door.
The origins of the Roadmaster name date to 1936 when Buick added names to its entire model lineup to celebrate the engineering improvements and design advancements over their 1935 models. Buick’s Series 40 was named the Special, the Series 50 became the Super, the Series 60 was named the Century and the Series 90 — Buick’s largest and most luxurious vehicle — was named the Limited. The Series 50 was retired, but new for the model year was the Series 80 Roadmaster. The 1936 Buick sales brochure describes “It literally named itself the first time a test model leveled out on the open highway.” The terminology “Series 60” and “Series 70” were shared with Cadillac, while “Series 60,” “Series 70,” “Series 80” and “Series 90” were shared with Oldsmobile.
The Roadmaster was introduced in a year when Buick’s overhead valve straight-eight engines were heavily revised. Buick reduced the number of engines from four sizes to two: a 233-cubic-inch, 93-horsepower version for the Special, and a 320.2-cubic inch, 120-horsepower engine for the other series. Buick also adopted an all-steel “turret top” and hydraulic brakes. Coil springs were used in the front.
Buick sales went from just over 48,000 to nearly 158,000, with the new Series 80 Roadmaster contributing 16,049 units to that total. Buick was the only GM car, along with the Chevrolet Standard, to retain the basic 1934 styling for 1935, thus the 1936 re-style brought Buick up with the rest of the GM marques.
Competition to this Buick in 1936 included were Cadillac’s Series 60, LaSalle’s Series 36-50, Chrysler’s Airflow Series C9, Packard’s 1400 Series and Oldsmobile’s L36 8 Series.
If you’re looking for a pre-World War II sedan that exudes luxury and confidence, stop by Mission Classics today and see this Buick Roadmaster for yourself.
VIN: 2952264
This car is currently located at our facility in Brooksville, Florida. Current mileage on the odometer s