A large company that makes mobile armor and is based in France evolved out of the original firm that did the convertible conversion on this 1985 Buick Century Limited Convertible. It’s unusual to see a Buick convertible, especially one from the mid-1980s and this example is listed here on eBay in Andover, Minnesota. There is a single $500 bid but the reserve isn’t met.
The company that completed this ragtop conversion wasn’t American Sunroof Company (ASC) as I expected, it was a firm known as Hess & Eisenhardt. H&E was formed in 1942 but its roots go way back to 1876 and a coach-building company named Sayers & Scovill. Two gents named Emil E. Hess and Charles A. Eisenhardt, Sr worked at Sayers & Scoville beginning in 1991 and bought the company in 1942. They started making armored vehicles right after WWII and then bullet-proof limousines followed. With several mergings and buyouts since then, it’s now based in France, a long way from Andover, Minnesota where this Century forehead sunburn machine is.
The fifth-generation Buick Century was made for the 1982 through 1986 model years in the U.S. and they made the usual two-door coupes and four-door sedans and wagons. Convertibles are exceedingly rare as only 124 were said to have been built in 1985 and 1986. Here’s your chance to turn every head at the next Cars & Coffee event. The seller includes a few underside photos, nice work! It appears solid and they say this car just came out of long-term storage.
The seller includes a ton of great photos but there isn’t one with the driver’s door open or one showing the interior from that side, which is very unusual for an eBay auction, especially for a dealership. The seats in this Limited are a step up and are listed as being leather/vinyl in a 1985 Buick Century brochure. They appear a little tired and you can see some damage on the driver’s seat bottom, some stains or cigarette burns (?) on the carpet, and other issues inside. The back seating area looks nice, though, and the trunk has a decent amount of storage space even with the convertible guts being back there.
The engine is Buick’s 3.0-liter OHV V6 with 110 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque. A Turbo-Hydramatic sends power to the front wheels and the seller says this one “will run and lot drive”, which always worries me, but if it’s just out of storage that makes sense. The convertible top needs help, both mechanically and cosmetically (a new one won’t be inexpensive) and I agree with them that this car would be a great restoration project. I’d love to have it for the unusual factor and it’s only twenty minutes away. Have any of you heard of a mid-80s Buick Century convertible?
H&E were involved in making convertible tops for Jaguar many times. They were quite beautiful, this Buick, not so much.
Saw the RSS feed, had visions of a Buick Centurion ‘vert. This one’s a bit underwhelming, when placed side by side.
Luggage 🧳 rack equipped. What a rare automobile.
Is it me? Or does this Buick look like one of those K-Car variants?
I own a 1985 Cutlass Ciera Convertible, built by H & E as this one was…,. Someone stopped me in town recently,to tell me what a nice car it was, saying “ I’ve always liked those KCars”……..hey, this is the attention you get if you are attracted to the unusual and unloved cars out there.
Got the EXACT same comment by someone when I was stopped at a light with my Cosworth Vega.
I seem to remember 2 of these for sale at Country Classic Cars in Staunton, Illinois a few years ago. They were both white with white tops like this one, I’m not sure what they sold for, but I think they went for about $6,500.
At least there are still people out there who know what a K car is! When I bough the Olds, I never once thought it looked like my LeBaron drop top, but now that I look at it, I understand.
Taking another look at the photos, that convertible top looks more like a toupee than a hat LOL.
You mean I can drive mine around wearing my white socks with sandals?
If you look at the youger generation , it is now in fashion to wear socks with sandals and flip flops , they all proudly follow their phone fashion
I love driving and i always have a topless car for the warm days
Those skiny tires and the possible hinge like floor and cowl shake would certainly annoy me greatly , i would need to try it before bidding but living in montreal canada makes that impossible
Too bad it isn’t a coupe with leather, an unusual option. That convertible conversion looks totally out of place.
Been to the dealer a few times for car shows. Location is actually in Blaine, not Andover, which is west of Blaine.
Not in Blaine, but Ham Lake, Mn. Think I got it right now.
Thanks, Jon. I was going by what they listed on the top of the eBay listing.
https://www.route65salesandclassics.com/
They’re located in Ham Lake, MN, maybe eBay didn’t have that as an option.
How can a car be both objectively terrible and excellent at the same time? This car manages that feat! I love it. And hate it…
Another convertible that I had never heard of until now. That makes two (the Shadow) in one day, and both being sold by the same dealership.