Vehicle Description
1962 Buick Special
In a move reminiscent of Alfred P. Sloan's ill-fated "companion
make" program of the late twenties, GM management decided in 1957
that Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick should each have their own
compact sedan. The three cars were jointly developed - still very
unusual for GM in that era, when each division generally handled
its own engineering and manufacturing - and shared a stretched
version of the new unitized Y-body shell used by the Corvair. When
the new cars debuted in late 1960 for the 1961 model year, they
were swiftly nicknamed "Senior Compacts." Buick's Senior Compact,
which went on sale on October 5, 1960, was dubbed the Buick
Special. Although Buick had dropped the Special nameplate after the
1958 model year, the old Special had been a sales success and new
Buick general manager Ed Rollert may have thought that giving the
new car a familiar name would help put buyers at ease. Some
reassurance was probably necessary because the Special was a major
departure for Buick. Excepting a small number of Opel Olympia
Rekords the division had imported from GM's German subsidiary
between 1958 and 1960, the new Special was the smallest car Buick
had offered in more than two decades.
For consignment, this beautiful Cadet Blue 2 door sedan oozes early
1960's design. A consignor stated mostly original car with a few
touch ups on the paint, an original interior and a mere 47,794
title verified original miles. Imagine yourself cruising down the
road, Wayfarers on, wife in bandanna, a cool breeze licking in from
the vent windows, and not a care in the world. Open up the
carburetor and allow the Turbine Drive transmission to take you
downtown to the fondue party with the hipsters.
Exterior
The mostly original coating of Cadet Blue respray covers the
totally finless metal slabs that retail an array of good condition
brite work. From the 3 front quarter panel quintessential "vents"
to the chrome trimmed horizontally barred grille to the pointed
front fenders to the rear trunk lid tri shield, all presents in
good condition. A slight stinger bulge is noted in the hood, a sign
of things to come for the soon to be restyled Corvette. The use of
a straight line ending in a V curve shows in front and on the rear
quarter panel. Boomerang like shapes throughout, the overall design
is leaving the 50's behind and ushering in the jet age. Styling
cues from the era are present throughout and even the roofline has
a hint of "bubble top" lineage to it. Camaro 5 lug drum brakes were
added up front to accommodate the American Racing Torque Thrust
wheels and in the rear we note redrilled drums to allow for the
white painted steel wheels. Staggered width blackwall rubber wraps
these rims and present with good tread.
Interior
Original smooth light blue vinyl on the bolsters and horizontally
ribbed black cloth with blue, gray and purple in a diamond pattern
cloth envelop the bench seats which are revealed with a swing of
the wide doors. A split bench is seen in the front and in the rear
a full sprawling bench with a central light blue vinyl insert.
Original speckle finished vinyl flooring. The doors carry a light
and dark blue motif, with a zig zag embossing in the light blue.
Bright chrome is on for the cranks and handles and light blue steel
finished the top sill. In front of those seats, a sculpted two tone
blue steel dash hangs bright chrome trim for the heater slides and
brushed aluminum around the knobs in the stand out speedometer pod.
This is a radio delete car and the central panel is present and
accounted for. In front of the driver, a painted blue steering
column spins a white 2 spoke wheel and sports bright chrome for the
gear selector and signal indicator. And behind the passengers, a
gigantic tan lined trunk features enough room to swallow anything
short of a full-size refrigerator.
Drivetrain
A 2-barrel original Rochester carburetor sits proudly atop the
198ci V6. This was the first 6-cylinder produced exclusively for
Buick since 1930. This mill is finished in a pale green hue and
rests in an unrestored but clean engine bay. This V6 is backed by a
2-speed automatic Turbine Drive transmission which sends power to
the rear axle weighing in with a 3.08 ratio.
Undercarriage
A mix of light green painted steel, black suspension and minor
surface rust coat this undercarriage. It remains original and
structurally sound with solid rockers and slight dampness to the
underside of the drivetrain. The Cherrybomb equipped single exhaust
presents as nearly new and drum brakes are all around. As noted
earlier, to accommodate the 5 lug wheels we see front drum brakes
from a Camaro and a redrilled drum set up in the rear. Overall, the
car is nice and presents as an honest original.
Drive-Ability
As expected, with a twist of the key the V6 sprung to life and
settled into a steady purr. We did note upon starting that the
accessory belts squealed a bit but eventually the noise went away.
On our often imitated but never duplicated test track this car
performed well with good acceleration, nimble handling and bias
free braking. All functions were working swimmingly save for the
brake lights that do not illuminate.
An honestly presented "compact" car, mostly original paint, an
original interior and a clean undercarriage make for a great
survivor that can be driven daily without the fear of ruining a
multi-thousand dollar paint job. Why not add this Jetson-esque
styled classic to your garage and enjoy your turn behind the wheel
of the 1962 Motor Trend Car Of The Year
VIN DECODE
AI1583968
A-V6
I-1962
1-Flint, MI Assy Plant
583968-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
06A-1st Week June
STYLE 62 4027-1962 Buick Special 2 Door Sedan
BODY FB9892-Flint Body #
TRIM 011-Blue Cloth & Vinyl Bench
PAINT EE-Cadet Blue
ACC
A6-2 Speed Turbine Drive Automatic
H-Reverse Lights
P2-Unknown
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
