Buick's non-functional VentiPorts started here in 1949 as a status code: four holes for a Roadmaster, three for lesser Buicks.
Lead trim: Roadmaster 320 cu in Fireball I8 (150 hp, 1949) · up to 188 hp
Buick Roadmaster1949–1953
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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.
FactBuick's non-functional VentiPorts started here in 1949 as a status code: four holes for a Roadmaster, three for lesser Buicks.
The Roadmaster received its first major postwar restyling in 1949: wheelbase and overall length were reduced, and the most significant change was a much larger two-piece curved-glass windshield (described in the sales brochure as like an "observation car"); Buick chief Harlow Curtice had non-lighting VentiPorts installed on all 1949 Buicks (four on the fenders of the Roadmaster and Century and three on the Super and Special to denote junior-level products, corresponding to the relative displacement of the straight-eight). Dynaflow was now standard and engine output increased to 150 hp through a slight increase in compression ratio, giving the new Buicks a top speed of 110 mph; the Riviera two-door hardtop joined mid-year, and Riviera sedans on a stretched wheelbase (130.3 in) were offered 1950–52. Styling changes were minimal in 1951 and 1952, power steering was an option in 1952 and the engine rating climbed to 170 hp primarily due to a new four-barrel carburetor. For 1953 (Buick's 50th anniversary, with the Skylark) the new 322 cu in (5.3 L) Fireball V8 replaced the straight-eight (322 versus 320 cubic inches), 13.5 in shorter, four inches lower and 180 lb lighter but with 188 hp, 11% more powerful, with compression up from 7.50:1 to 8.50:1 and torque up from 280 to 300 lb-ft. Wheelbase 126.0 in (1949), 126.3 in (1950–52) and 121.5 in (1953); width 79.9 in, height 63.0 in.
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
3 published trims 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 (150 hp, 1949) | 1949–1949 | 5.2 L Inline-8 | 150 hp | 280 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Roadmaster 320 cu in Fireball I8 four-barrel (170 hp, 1952) | 1952–1952 | 5.2 L Inline-8 | 170 hp | 280 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Roadmaster 322 cu in Fireball V8 (188 hp, 300 lb-ft, 8.5:1, 1953) | 1953–1953 | 5.3 L V8 | 188 hp | 300 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
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.
It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.
Nissan hired former BMW engineers to help develop the 510's suspension, which is why period reviewers frequently compared its handling to the BMW 1600/2002.
A Trabant 601 won its class at the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally, with a second 601 right behind it in second.
The 600 was a stopgap: the P50's body over the 601's mechanicals, and for a while its estate was built alongside the new 601 saloon.
The G80 Sport brought a 370 PS twin-turbo 3.3 V6, a mesh grille and copper-tinted chrome with copper stitching to match.
The Vigor was sold only with a five-cylinder engine, an unusual configuration Honda used to fit a longer engine transversely under a short hood.
The GS/E coupe earned the nickname "German Charger" for its long hood, short deck stance borrowed from Detroit muscle cars.
This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.