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Woody Survivor: 1952 Buick Roadmaster Estate

Buick Roadmaster’s are great looking cars that in my opinion couldn’t get any better looking in the styling department, until the Estate came to fruition. Stylish, with a lovely wood grain, and a subtle dark green, this wagon is a true work of art. Parked 27 years ago, and thought to have 108,000 original miles, this wagon is a clean specimen that the seller recently got running. Considered a Barn find, it is more than clear that this beauty was tucked away in a dry environment. In grand condition, but still a project, this Buick is offered for $29,900. Take a look at it here hearselimo.com, out of Atlanta, Georgia. Thanks to Barn Finds reader “Mike” for this beauty of a submission!

What a breath taking view. The beautiful dash and steering wheel shine like new and certainly offer the driver a magnificent view. Although nearly “perfect” there are a few minor things to point out within the interior of this Estate. The seats reflect very minor wear for their age, and the stitching on the seats has started to break where the upholstery could be carefully removed and restitched. There are a few minor blemishes on the dash and on the door panels, but nothing that would stand out with a quick glance.

The only other damage to note inside of this Estate is that the overhead light suffered a bulb replacement mishap many years ago. The seller mentions that the owner tried to replace the bulb in 1953 with little success. The headliner looks to be frayed and the light appears to be dangling by a wire or two. Also there is a small split in the headliner, but the headliner as a whole is very clean. The interior view of this Estate must have been fascinating to those young enough, and lucky enough, to have ridden in such a cool car. The exposed wood is beautiful, and there are no signs of water damage or rot.

Just as nice as the interior, the exterior offers nice paint, flaw free wood, and reasonably shiny bright work.  Even such items as the glass and lenses are free of cracking, and delamination. With very careful consideration, this Buick looks as if it could be up on its “feet” again in no time. The straight 8 engine was recently revived by the seller after “15 minutes” and a fresh battery.  A beauty like this must be aching to run after so many years of careful care. Also with the way the Woody market is, this may be a reasonable “starter” woody for someone that just has to experience a “woody” automobile. Extremely clean, and appearing like a dream come true, Have you ever had the pleasure of seeing or riding in one of these fine machines?

Comments

  1. Avatar normadesmond

    Yes, it’s gorgeous.
    I’m smiling, thinking how today’s cars are so quiet.

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  2. Avatar Fred W.

    These woodies are usually found either in deplorable rotted condition or Barrett Jackson condition, never anywhere in between. Nice to see one like this in a semi preserved state.

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  3. Avatar redwagon

    It’s really quiet when it just sits there.

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  4. Avatar whippeteer

    It looks like it’s probably had some wood restoration/replacement in the rear. The panel in the rear doesn’t match the other wood trim.

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  5. Avatar Peter S.R. Member

    What’s up with the side trim spear ?

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  6. Avatar Steve

    I can’t imagine that those are the stock seat covers. I would assume a cheap recover some time in the past. A car as opulent as a Roadmaster would surely have had much more substantial seat covers than this!

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    • Avatar Dave Wright

      Woodies were designed and promoted as estate (ranch) vehicles. The interiors were not opulent but more utilitarian. They were more often driven by a ranch hand or housewife moving people and groceries around as opposed to an executive.

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    • Avatar Jim Clark

      I had a friend who owned a 1950 Roadmaster unrestored Survivor, which I drove a couple times. These seats look like the leather that was the original upholstery.

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  7. Avatar RNR

    I thought Buick woodies were found in ravines, not barns.

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  8. Avatar newfieldscarnut

    A real Woody has a wooden headliner … my 47 Super Woody has a lot more wood everywhere .

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  9. Avatar Dave

    Wagons are great even the Ford Flex.

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  10. Avatar Gay Car Nut

    Beautiful looking car. I’ve always loved 1949, 1951, and 1952 Buicks. I’ve always found them more attractive than today’s cars. This would make an awesome restoration, or even a worthy restomod.

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  11. Avatar Joe Whiting

    What a car. My folks had a 52 in off white when I was growing up. Sweet !

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  12. Avatar W9BAG

    This reminds me of the car featured in the movie “Julie/Julia”, a movie featuring a woman that wants to regain her individuality, by cooking the entire first edition of Julia Child’s first cook book within 1 year. Quite a feat !The car was delivered in France with Diplomatic plates. Dark blue metallic. It was gorgeous. And so was Julia, played by Meryl Streep.

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  13. Avatar Craig MacDonald

    Anybody else think it’s odd that the pics were taken with the car up on jack stands? Makes me wonder if there are suspension issues.

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    • Avatar Jim Clark

      Long term storage custom.

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  14. Avatar CaCarDude

    Being on jack stands could be for several reasons, possible brake work or tire change, oil leak clean up? I like the Roadmaster series in the Buick lineup, these were quite the deluxe vehicle for the time period. This model Estate Wagon was a very low production with only 359 being built, the seller could be right stating only 15 are known to exist at this time. I hope that this will be brought back to original and enjoyed for many more years!

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  15. Avatar Steve

    I had a friend in high school that was given a ’52 Buick woodie by his grandmother. We went everywhere in that thing! When 10 years-old, it was embarrassingly dated compared to such cars as the ’63 Grand Prix. But it was freedom to us. This car was in decent shape, and I knew it as extremely reliable, yet gutless. The Dynaflow was lugubrious, its performance was akin to a pre-war Chrysler fluid drive. The ride was ponderous, and when hitting expansion joints on bridges at just the right speed, it was like riding a bucking bronco! We howled with laughter and held on tight as each joint would send the car leaping off the ground. No seat belts and slick leather upholstery in those days! A totally fun car.

    Like 0

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