For 1938, Buick swapped the Roadmaster's rear leaf springs for coils and fitted shock absorbers four times the size of its rivals', a genuinely progressive ride upgrade for the era.
Lead trim: Roadmaster 320 cu in Fireball I8 (141 hp, 6.5:1, 1938)
Buick Roadmaster1938–1939
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Buick Roadmaster yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactFor 1938, Buick swapped the Roadmaster's rear leaf springs for coils and fitted shock absorbers four times the size of its rivals', a genuinely progressive ride upgrade for the era.
Styling changes for 1938 were modest (a longer hood extending to a nearly vertical grille, taller bumper guards, redesigned hubcaps) with changes to both engine and chassis: rear leaf springs were replaced by coil springs with double-acting shock absorbers four times the size of others, the frame X-member changed from I-beam to channel and all wood structural elements to steel; redesigned combustion chambers and new "turbulator" pistons raised the compression ratio from 5.9 to 6.5:1, giving 141 hp, and the four-door convertible phaeton got a "fastback" rear. The Limited continued and a new fastback sedan was added with 466 sold; the Roadmaster sedan price rose to US$1,645, and sales fell to 5,568 (3.3% of Buick's output from 7.3%). 1939 brought a new two-piece "waterfall" grille with thin vertical bars. Wheelbase 133.0 in, length 213.3 in, width 75.5 in, height 68.0 in, 4,200–5,100 lb.
Collectors Spotted in the Buick Roadmaster Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Buick Roadmaster yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roadmaster 320 cu in Fireball I8 (141 hp, 6.5:1, 1938) | 1938–1938 | 5.2 L Inline-8 | 141 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
This land-yacht Roadmaster wagon could out-tow plenty of trucks of its day — with the factory package and the right setup, it was rated for 7,000 pounds.
The exhaust on a 1957 Roadmaster ran out through a filler-like opening centered in the rear bumper, right next to the fuel cap.
The 1955 Roadmaster's Dynaflow transmission changed its own stator blade pitch under hard acceleration, a rare mechanical trick for the era.
Buick's non-functional VentiPorts started here in 1949 as a status code: four holes for a Roadmaster, three for lesser Buicks.
New Roadmaster sales were restricted in early 1942 to buyers in occupations the government deemed essential to the war effort.
Only one 1940 Roadmaster is known to have been built as a custom open-front town car, nicknamed the Townmaster.
For 1938, Buick swapped the Roadmaster's rear leaf springs for coils and fitted shock absorbers four times the size of its rivals', a genuinely progressive ride upgrade for the era.
Buick's brand-new 1936 Roadmaster undercut the cheapest Cadillac sedan by $440 — real luxury-car presence at a price Cadillac couldn't touch.
GM patented the humble vent window right here -- 1933's Series 80 cars got the first "No Draft Individually Controlled Ventilation," later renamed Ventiplanes.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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