Buick does not build many cars like the Buick Roadmaster: a 2-door coupe / 2-door convertible / 4-door phaeton / 4-door sedan with 320.2 cuin Buick Straight-8 engine OHV I8, built from 1935 to 1996 when streamlining and independent suspension were arriving together. Its designer of record is Harley Earl.
The background
The Buick Roadmaster is an automobile built by Buick in three distinct periods: 1936 through 1942; 1946 through 1958; and 1991 through 1996. Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick's longest non-limousine wheelbase and shared their basic structure with the entry-level Cadillac Series 65, the upscale Buick Limited, and, after 1940, the Oldsmobile 98. Between 1946 and 1957, the Roadmaster served as Buick's flagship.
After being resurrected in 1991, the Roadmaster became the marque's largest vehicle, measuring 10 in (254 mm) longer with a 5 in (127 mm) greater wheelbase than the C-body Buick Park Avenue. This generation was the first in Roadmaster history to be built on the General Motors B-body platform rather than the C-body, which up to 1984 had been reserved for GM's largest and most opulent models that were not Cadillacs. A Buick Roadmaster Estate station wagon was introduced in 1947 and was manufactured in several generations through 1996. The final run of 1991-1996 Roadmasters shared powertrains and platforms with the Chevrolet Caprice, Cadillac Fleetwood, and Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser.
The engineering
Under the skin sits 320.2 cuin Buick Straight-8 engine OHV I8; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. The gearbox is a 3-speed synchromesh manual. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 124 in / 126 in / 130 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
Where it sits in Buick's history is not in doubt: the Buick Master Six came before it; it was built at Flint, Michigan, United States. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Chevrolet Suburban, the Bugatti Type 57, the Volkswagen Beetle. Its Buick stablemates include the Buick First Call and the Buick Funeral Car.
The money
There is no federal ownership record for the Buick Roadmaster — it predates the complaint database or was never sold in the United States — so MotorJury publishes no running-cost figure for it. For a car of this age the price is set by the collector market and the condition of the individual example, not by a formula.