This is one of the nicest ’30s vintages cars I have come across on Barn Finds. Built in the days when a Buick was a Buick, and the name meant something, this fantastic looking coupe has a bit of a surprise under the hood. Located in Monticello, Indiana, this 1935 Buick Victoria Coupe Model Sixty-Eight (how’s that for a mouthful!) is available here on eBay for a BIN price of $22,350. There is a “make an offer” option too.

OK, before the Mularkey starts flying around about this Buick being a sedan and not a coupe, take note. Buick named it, not me, I’m just the reporter. This brief description of a ’35 Buick series Sixty from conceptcarz.com is succinct: “1935 was the last year that Buick used a total wood frame body and mechanical brakes. All body styles on the Series 60 remained unchanged. The wheelbase measured 128 inches. The body styles included a Club Sedan, Convertible Coupe, Sport Coupe, Sedan, Victoria Coupe, and a Convertible Phaeton. The engine was an overhead valve eight-cylinder engine displacing 278.1 cubic-inches and offering 100 horsepower”.

Well, all of that has changed. This Buick Victoria is in possession of a Chevrolet 350 CI V8 engine backed up by a Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission though there is no accompanying image. Additionally, the seller states disk brakes, power steering, and air conditioning have been added, and a front suspension that was poached from a ’69 Chevy Nova. The seller further adds, “The vehicle runs great and is mainly used for weekend drives”.

The exterior of this coupe looks great! The seller mentions that a pole barn is where this Buick calls home, hardly ideal whether the car is covered or not. It would seem that arrangement has not been long term as this car shows too well with its deep black finish and strong chrome. The modern wire wheels are a tip of the hat to the past and they appear to be corrosion-free.  Someone needs to spring this baby and find it a new home with proper storage.

The interior is in keeping with the exterior, it’s quite nice but I’m not certain that the front seat covers/upholstery are keeping with an originality theme. The material pattern does not look like standard fare for the ’30s. The headliner, what can be spied, seems to be in great nick too. Don’t know about Rover however, he looks a bit chuffed about something.

The only interior gripe I can manage is with the cheesy looking Buick steering wheel, some relic from the ’70s or ’80s. I get the need for the modern GM steering column but a better, more fitting wheel would have been an easy and inexpensive upgrade. Of course, reviewing the instrument panel, all is forgiven, as beautiful, appropriate analog gauges are in place – perfect. Additionally, note the shift selector, it indicates a four-speed O/D automatic transmission, probably a 200-4R or a 700R4 is in place. Sellers really do themselves a disservice by not disclosing the mechanical details!

The two things that jump out about this Buick are the wooden frame and the mechanical brake reference. I imagine the brakes are no longer an issue since a disc brake conversion as occurred. As for the frame, is it possible to graft an X-body front end to it or has something more extensive occurred on the underside? We’ll never know without inquiry or inspection. If anything, this Buick seems under-described as there may be more going here than meets the eye via this listing. I can’t comment on the validity of the asking price as I just don’t know what’s reasonable considering the mods, but a beautiful ’30s coupe with modern-day road manners sounds like a great start for a very enjoyable cruiser, don’t you think?