Vehicle Description
Beautiful restoration of an ultra-solid original car. One of only
670 built. Fantastic color combination. Power steering, power
brakes, Dynaflow, so it's wonderful to drive. Fantastic
performance. Is this the ultimate woody wagon? Experts suggest that
perhaps 20 or 25 1953 Roadmaster woodies remain, but there's no way
to know for sure. What we do know is that this handsome Imperial
Blue Roadmaster wagon is not only one of the prettiest wagons we've
ever features, but also one of the best. Going over it carefully,
we can find no evidence that anything serious has ever been
replaced-the wood appears entirely original, there are no patches
in the floor, no replacement body panels, nothing. So they started
with an extremely good car when it was comprehensively restored
about 15 years ago. It is worth noting that the color was changed
from the original code 52 Verde Green to what appears to be code 53
Imperial Blue. The dramatic contrast between the dark blue paint
and the light wood is simply beautiful, and it surely looks better
today than it did when it was green. Another bonus is that you know
the restoration was thorough, because there's zero evidence of any
green paint on the car. If you're not checking the trim tag, you'd
never know this car hasn't been blue all its life. Someone invested
another serious pile of cash restoring all that brightwork and
today it presents beautifully with no demerits to mention beyond
some light polishing marks that you could erase by hand if you're
really particular. As with the exterior, the interior was changed
from green to blue, another factory-correct combination that works
quite well with the dark Imperial Blue bodywork. Everything that
you can see or touch was restored or replaced during the
restoration, and the rear carpets were just replaced this year so
they're as-new. All the gauges are fully operational except the
clock, which is typical, and we strongly believe the 75,358 miles
showing on the odometer are a correct, authentic reading. The
original signal-seeking Sonomatic AM radio is sadly not
operational, but everything else works like it should: lights,
signals, heater, defroster, and even the emergency brake warning
light glows brightly and I will personally vouch for the heater's
efficacy as we took it for a test drive on a rather brisk December
morning (you can see the ride and drive video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V8sjRVL4y4). There's plenty of
wood highlighting the interior, including the gorgeous tailgate,
which is just a work of art. Lift the floor panel and you'll find a
full-sized spare tire and jack assembly underneath. Buick's all-new
322 cubic inch 'Nailhead' V8 transformed Buick's performance image.
There's massive torque available at any speed and it's impeccably
smooth, so this wagon gathers speed with surprising ease. The
engine is correctly detailed with corporate turquoise engine
enamel, a heavy-duty air cleaner, reproduction decals, and a fresh
reproduction wiring harness. Roadmasters received a Carter 4-barrel
carburetor to give it impressive performance despite its 4200-pound
mass. It fires easily using the accelerator-mounted starter switch,
idles well hot or cold, makes plenty of oil pressure, and seems to
run nice and cool. Power steering and brakes are included, so it's
easy to handle for just about anyone and the 12-volt electrical
system ensures bright lights, quick starts, and easy maintenance in
the future. Don't be afraid of the Dynaflow transmission, either,
because it feels rather remarkable when connected to the torquey
Nailhead. The car simply accelerates-no shifts, no interruptions,
just a smooth flow of torque that moves the car with ease. There
are 3.60 gears in back, so this car will cruise all day at 65 MPH
without any stress, and the aforementioned power brakes are quite
powerful even with this much car and this much power. Please look
carefully at the undercarriage photos and you'll see ultra-clean
original floors, unmarked rockers, and a frame bereft of pitting
strongly suggesting zero winter drives in its past. Steel wheels
with rather rare wire wheelcovers look great, and they're fitted
with L78-15 wide whitewall tires, but imagine just how spectacular
this would look wearing a set of Skylark chrome wire wheels and
some fresh wide whitewall radials! This might just be the ultimate
Buick wagon-it's the fastest, most powerful, most exclusive, and
arguably the most attractive of them all. With a beautiful older
restoration that's completely sorted and a joy to drive, this Model
79R justifies its position at the top of the Buick food chain. Just
a spectacular car that shows very well and drives even better.
Treat yourself to Buick's best and call today! Harwood Motors
recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections of any
car in our inventory prior to purchase.
