It may not look like much here, but this old Buick was quite the car when new. The straight-eight engine was good, but there were lots of other interesting features that made this car special. There was a freewheeling system that made it possible to shift without the clutch and even a lever to adjust the suspension settings. Some cars were optioned out with things like tilt steering columns and roll down windscreens. I’m not sure which options this one has, but I do spot a rumble seat and a little door to stash your golf clubs! Details like that make this project worth a serious look. Find it here on eBay out of Midland, Texas. Thanks goes to Matt K for the tip!
By the time this car was built, Buick was only offering an eight cylinder engine across their lineup. They had also dropped the price and were testing out new technology like the freewheeling and suspension adjustment systems. Later cars didn’t come with these features so this one should catch the attention of any pre-war Buick fans. The seller claims that the engine runs in this one and that the car can be driven.
Here’s a shot of the rumble seat. Well, at least the trunk lid where on resides. You can tell it has one because of the little step on the fender. Wouldn’t it be great if sports cars had features like this Buick today? Just think if you could pull a little seat out of the trunk when you needed to haul junior and two of his friends to t-ball practice. Or what about a little cubby where you could stick your gold clubs? I’ve seen these little doors on higher end European cars and I love the idea. Surely every guy who drove one of these also made it out to the links on occasion. Right?
Interest in pre-war cars is waning so hopefully features like this will spark an interest in younger generations. If you’ve read Ken Purdy’s The Kings of the Road you will notice that collectors in the sixties thought that the only cars worth restoring were pre-war cars. Today, people seem to like the stuff from the 60s and 70s the best. That trend is going continue forward as the years pass, but I still think any generation of car can be appreciated if people are educated about them. Hopefully this old Buick gets picked up by someone with the means and enthusiasm necessary to get it back to its former glory.
I used to own a ’32 Buick sedan. For their time, they were quite advanced. Even the cheapest models had roller tappet camshafts and full pressure lubrication. The freewheeling setup was called “Wizard Control”, and was operated by engine vacuum. This coupe is a 50 series, the lowest priced series from that year. Even at that, it was a very nice car with a lot of features usually found on more expensive models.
Nice car, but there are others in this price range in that condition. It’s reaching the price of this one.
http://classiccarslist.com/buick/75736-1932-buick-business-coupe-well-preserved.html
absolutely worth restoring back to stock. rather than looking at it as an old car or a street rod project, consider it a part of Americas’ Automotive Culture, or a work of American Art. If I had the funds I would be on this like white on rice. Very seldom, even at Buick Nationals, will you see a car like this. Most of the “upscale” cars unlike this one are restored. Many people think of the Dusenbergs and Aurburns and Packards as the “real” Classics.
The welder/ fabricator in me wants to replicate that wood frame in 1″ HSS steel tubing that would not only make this body stronger but it would last many more years than wood and when the car was finished you wouldn’t even know it’s there.
It’s that first picture that has me wishing. Oh if that old ’32 Buick could talk about all the people it’s hauled and places it’s been over its lifetime.
I’ve been a barn find reader for a long time I never thought one of my own cars would end up on y’all site