ThrowBack Thursday: Buick Roadmaster 1938–1939

The Roadmaster is an automobile that was built by Buick from 1936 to 1958, and again from 1991 to 1996. Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick's longest non-limousine wheelbase and shared their basic structure with entry-level Cadillac and, after 1940, senior Oldsmobiles.
Styling changes for 1938 were modest, with a longer hood extending to a now nearly vertical grill, taller bumper guards and redesigned hubcaps, but the effect was striking. Important changes were made to both engine and chassis. The ride was improved by replacing the rear leaf springs with coil springs, supported by double-acting shock absorbers that were some four times the size of any others on the market. The frame X-member was changed from I-beam to channel construction and all wood structural elements were replaced with steel. The engine combustion chambers were redesigned and new "turbulator" pistons raised the compression ratio from 5.9 to 6.5:1, resulting in an increase in horsepower to 141.

The 4-door convertible phaeton traded its built-in trunk look for a fastback appearance, and a new fastback sedan was added to the line with 466 being sold. The Roadmaster's price was increased, but not as swiftly as the previous year, going to $1,645 for the sedan. Although Buick’s overall market share increased in an off year, Roadmaster sales plummeted to 5568, falling from 7.3 percent to 3.3 percent of Buick's total output.

Styling for 1939 featured a new two-piece “waterfall” grille with thin vertical bars. The hood was narrower, front door pillars were narrower and hubcaps were larger. Window area increased substantially with the rear window changing to a one-piece design. On the interior all major gauges were moved to in front of the driver and the gear shift was moved to a column mount. The 4-door phaeton could now be ordered with the built-in trunk appearance or as a fastback, but only three of the later were actually sold. Although prices were reduced (the price of the sedan fell to $1545) sales only rose to 6097, with Roadmaster’s share of Buick’s total sales falling to 2.9 percent.

Model years - 1938–1939
Assembly - South Gate, California, U.S.
Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Linden, New Jersey, U.S.
Designer - Harley Earl
Body style - 4-door sedan
4-door convertible
Platform - C-body
Related Cadillac Series 65
Engine - 320 cu in (5.2 L) Fireball I8
Transmission - 3-speed sliding shift manual