Sport Bet Changes: 5 Actionable Tips
Golden Anniversary 1953 brought first-time availability of power steering and a 12-volt electrical system, but the highlight was a fine new overhead-valve V-8 for Super and Roadmaster. The Riviera name also graced well-proportioned 1950-51 Super and Roadmaster four-door sedans with special long wheelbases (125.5 and 130.3 inches, respectively). Roadmasters were demoted to a 121.5-inch wheelbase save the Riviera sedan, which shared the Super's 125.5-inch span. The '49 Riviera was a handsome, luxurious brute with a beautiful pillarless roofline. Buick stretched its '42 tooling through the 1949 Special, then came back with a brand-new Special for 1950. (One year can make a big difference in the car business.) Exotic customs did not return; they simply weren't slot online needed. Production dropped almost 100,000 for the model, to 288,000, making Nova the only Chevrolet series to show a sales decline for 1978. Sales of the Nova hatchback body style lagged well behind regular coupes and sedans, and base models handily outsold Customs. The all-new '49 models swelled Buick volume to 324,276 units -- again right behind Chevy-Ford-Plymouth.
The 1990s sold only about 1300 units better. The successor Twin-Turbine Dynaflow of 1953 was more positive and gave better oomph. Buick would maintain this basic lineup through 1953. This, too, would persist through '53. First introduced in 1939, the Studebaker Champion was a full-size car for its first three generations, and then a mid-size car beginning in 1953. Available as a sedan, coupe, station wagon or convertible, the Champion was designed to be affordable and was also made to be light ("weight is the enemy" was the mantra of its designers). Also new was the first of Buick's trademark "portholes" or "VentiPorts," an idea from designer Ned Nickles. Buick's generally strong sales in the '80s reflected a consistent model lineup, which evolved in step with those of other GM divisions but was, perhaps, more clear-cut to buyers from year to year. As it was, production peaked with the '84 models -- over 145,000 built. But thanks to its '42 redesign, Buick resumed civilian production in fine fettle. Among production '41s, the two Limited lines were combined into a single Series 90 on a 139-inch wheelbase. Styling was cleaned up via single instead of double side moldings, simpler grille, and the first of Buick's distinctive "gun-sight" hood ornaments.
Also highlighting Buick's 50th year was a flashy new limited-edition Roadmaster convertible. Buick's most eye-catching '49 was the Roadmaster Riviera, introduced at midyear along with Cadillac's Coupe de Ville and Oldsmobile's Holiday. With the main emphasis on styling, the '49 Buicks changed little mechanically, though Dynaflow-equipped Supers got higher, 6.9:1 compression that improved horsepower to 120. Roadmaster had been similarly raised to 150 in 1948, and continued that way with Dynaflow standard. The 1950 Special engine delivered 115 bhp (120 bhp with Dynaflow) from its usual 248 cid. There were new engines, too: a 225-cid V-6 (a novelty for Detroit) with 155 bhp, and a cast-iron 300-cid V-8 with 210/250 bhp. While the first postwar Buicks were basically '42s, there were fewer of them: Special, Super, and Roadmaster sedans and sedanets; Super and Roadmaster convertibles; Super Estate wagon; no Centurys or Limiteds; only one Special series. And there were no '94s at all. Like 1953's corresponding Olds Fiesta and Cadillac Eldorado, Skylark was basically a customized standard convertible, with four-inch lower windshield and top, plus fully radiused rear wheel cutouts. 2003: Some vehicles experienced a failure of the lower screw connection of the rear struts to the chassis. Harley Earl's team successfully translated aircraft themes to an automobile, and only a hint of the old separate rear fenders remained on Super and Roadmaster.
The '53 Roadmaster Estate cost a hefty $4031 and weighed 4315 pounds. Both lines also included woody Estate wagons through '53, with structural body parts of mahogany and white ash. Body styles stayed the same, save the new hardtop. The energy you save will be your own. Compound Carburetion didn't return either, so Special/Super remained at 110 bhp. The 1941 Special/Super engine gained new-design high-compression pistons for more-efficient combustion that lifted horsepower to 115. Available for the 40 touring sedan and sedanet was "Compound Carburetion" -- two carburetors with a progressive linkage that added 10 bhp. Unique twincam heads with four valves per cylinder, dual fuel injectors at each port, and heavily fortified internals boosted output to rarefied levels: 550 bhp and 500 pound-feet of torque. Start at Sixth Street and Lamar with Girl Next Door (500 North Lamar), done up in girly pink and brown and offering L.A. Though Ford replaced pistons by the thousands to ease owner worries, the engine difficulties hurt sales.