Spectacular fresh frame-off restoration in gorgeous colors. Beautiful chrome, paint, and new interior and top. Power windows and top work correctly, loaded with accessories, ready to enjoy.
Sequoia Cream had been on the Buick color chart since 1940, but rarely does it look better than on the sweeping bodywork of this 1948 Buick Super convertible. Long, low, and rakish, it perfectly embodies Buick’s combination of performance and sophistication. This car is a fresh frame-off restoration and the foundation was a clean Super ragtop sourced from the west coast, and it was a complete running, driving car when work started. Full disassembly and several years of work have resulted in one of the most attention-grabbing ‘40s cars we’ve ever seen. The paint is just the right shade of cream, bright but not quite yellow. Bodywork is excellent throughout, with good panel alignment that’s so critical on those sweeping fenders and a deep shine to the final finish. The giant hood, which can be opened from either side, is often problematic to fit properly but this one snugs down easily and fits about as well as can be expected given the design. Obviously on a car like this, one of the biggest expenses is plating, and every piece of chrome and stainless trim on this car has been restored to an very high standard. The cost of the plating alone was more than $20,000, but the final result is worth it because it gleams like jewelry against the cream paint.
The handsome two-tone interior was refinished using correct patterns, and while the materials aren’t quite the same as Buick was using in 1948, it looks great and should last for years to come. Options include a factory Sonomatic AM radio in the dash and a clock in the glove box lid which ticks away reliably. It shows 77,123 miles on the odometer, but we don’t really have any way of knowing whether that’s an accurate reading; we do know, however, that the car has less than 50 miles on it since the restoration was completed. 1948 Buick convertibles also featured power windows as standard equipment, and the hydraulic system has been fully rebuilt so they work properly, zipping up an down without hesitation. Overhead there’s a new tan canvas convertible top, which is also power-actuated and stows itself neatly behind the back seat. The trunk is upholstered in matching brown carpet, which extends even to the spare tire cover.
The 1948 Buick Super continued to use a 248 cubic inch straight-8 engine with overhead valves and 115 horsepower. The engine bay is exceptionally well detailed, with proper Buick Turquoise paint on the block, red Fireball decals on the valve cover, and an oil bath air cleaner for the Stromberg downdraft carburetor. You’ll note an accessory oil filter on the passenger’s side, as well as correct duct work for the heater and defroster units behind the dash. A new wiring harness uses correct cloth-covered wires and cost more than $1600 all by itself! It runs great, starting quickly and easily with the accelerator-mounted starter switch and settling into an easy idle almost instantly. The 248 still used solid lifters in 1948, so there’s a pleasing mechanical sound that’s unique to Buicks and the single exhaust system uses an appropriately quiet muffler to give it just a soft burble out back. On the road, it pulls easily up to 55 MPH and zips through traffic without much effort, and you’ll be glad to have the standard 3-speed manual gearbox rather than the all-new DynaFlow automatic transmission, which was only available in the Roadmaster.
Underneath, you can see that this was definitely a frame-off restoration. Everything has been rebuilt and refinished, including the front suspension, brakes, steering, and even the under-seat heater box. All four shocks have been rebuilt, which is critical to that big Buick ride, and the original rear end carries 4.10 gears that are part of why this car feels so peppy around town. Spectacular chrome wire wheels aren’t quite correct for 1948, but they look beautiful and carry new 235/75/15 wide whitewall radials.
This lovely Super isn’t quite a show car for points judging, but it’s flat-out one of the most beautiful restorations we’ve seen in a long, long time. There’s obviously an astronomical amount of money invested here and the results are simply gorgeous. The fact that it works so well as a car is a testament to the restorer’s talent and we can guarantee that few shows will have many cars that can top this Buick’s eyeball appeal. The very reasonable price is about half of the cost of the restoration, making this something of a bargain as well. If you’re a Buick guy, this is surely a favorite design and if you’re into flashy, nothing from the ‘40s can do it better than this. Call today!
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
