When it was released, our featured 1940 Buick Special would have represented the marque’s entry-level vehicle in Buick’s full-sized vehicle range. You will find this 1940 Buick Special listed for sale here on Craigslist. It is located north-west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is listed with a clear title. The price on this Buick has been set at $7,500 OBO.
The first thing that I noticed when I saw this Buick was the condition. I’m not sure exactly where this car has spent the last 40+ years, but the conditions must have been favorable, as there are no obvious rust issues. The seller states that the car is solid, and apart from the fact that the front bumper will require a trip to the chrome-plater. the exterior of the car looks really good. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if a wash and polish brought the car back to near-new condition.
This is the only shot that we get of the interior, and the news here isn’t as positive as for the exterior. I would hazard a guess that some animal has been using the driver’s seat as a bed for an extended period of time. I can also see some cracking of the wheel rim, but it doesn’t look to be too severe. As for the rest of the interior? Not sure about that.
Under the hood is the standard 248ci straight-eight engine that pumped out 107hp and was backed by a manual transmission. The car currently doesn’t run, but there is no indication as to whether the engine turns freely. One thing that I did notice is what looks to be a modern fuel filter, so maybe someone has made some sort of attempt to kick the car into life. The seller states that the odometer is showing 3,600 miles, but he is unsure whether these are genuine miles. Whether it is conceivable that the mileage is genuine would depend on how long the car has actually been sitting. It would be nice to be able to clarify these points.
On the surface, this Buick Special shows some great potential as a project car. Lack of knowledge about the actual condition of the drive-train and the condition of the interior temper my enthusiasm a bit, but the body looks to be in good condition. It’s worth considering the fact that nice examples of the 1940 Special are realizing prices of $20,000 or more. If this is original, and if it doesn’t take too much work or money to revive it, then this could be a viable project car.
One way to confirm lower milage is to pull the plugs and scope the cylinder walls if there is strong evidence of cross hatching it would indicate an engine that has not been run much. No cross hatching and signs of vertical scratching would mean high milage. The car it’s self is a great looking car. I’d do a simpathetic restoration repairing only what is needed and polishing that paint. Chroming that front bumper, some new tires. Redoing the seats and cleaning the rest of the interior. Very classie car.
Maybe the owner didn’t come back from dubya dubya two and like too many cars during the Viet Nam conflict, it sat because the folks didn’t have the heart to use it or clear it out.
This is not a Special; it’s a Super. The Special still used the earlier style body in 1940. The new-for-1940 Super shared this torpedo style body with the Roadmaster but used the smaller 248 engine.
Love this car… if I was in the market for one I’d be getting in touch with the seller right now.