I’m driving past a gas station in Morristown, NJ and I think I see an older car’s roofline in a vintage shade of blue. Of course, I turn around and check it out. Sure enough, what do I find? A very original, somewhat patina’d 1955 Buick Roadmaster which I’ve never seen before! It’s totally blocked in–pickup trucks parked on either side, a wooden fence ahead of it, and another vehicle parked behind. This made photography difficult. But that didn’t stop me from taking pictures and sharing this delightful discovery with you!
This find is a Curbside Classic in the most traditional sense: An unrestored relic from the ’50s–not at a show but parked at a gas station–semi-hidden, unnoticed by most people. Coming across this Buick reminded me of my car spotting days in the 1970s and ’80s when I would find fascinating cars from this era in places like this–usually looking forlorn and neglected.
Since I was working in such close quarters, it forced me to focus my camera on this car’s fascinating styling details, like these Dagmar bumpers which look great but don’t meet modern highway safety standards.
There’s that graceful downward-sloping roof I first spotted. This 1955 Roadmaster shares its sedan body with Cadillac. A 1956 model looks about the same, but in 1957 there was all-new styling, and all Roadmasters and Cadillacs became hardtops.
The wonderful name “Roadmaster” that tells the rest of the world, “This is Top-Of-The-Line!” It’s rendered in burnished gold, like a lot of the other trim bits on this car.
There are four portholes (“Ventiports”), Jackson! (The low-line Special had only three.)
The base of this “V” ornament is also finished in gold, as well as…
…the BUICK letters set in an Art-Deco typeface.
A (faded) golden shield on the door–exclusively Roadmaster!
The unique wrap-around windshield which dips down on both sides–exclusively used on the senior Buicks and the Cadillacs.
It looks as if this car was repainted or sprayed with a kind of clear coat–which is now peeling off.
As Maxwell Smart would say, using “the old place-the-phone-against-the-glass trick” to photograph the interior without glare.
Cadillac room and comfort–in a Buick.
Here’s the “futuristic” dashboard with engine-turned panel finished in pale gold. And that huge upright steering wheel–tri-spoke with full horn ring and cloisonné Buick crest in the center. Everything looks so rich and solid–gives you the sense you’re commanding something special. Power steering is standard, and power brakes are included. And look–air conditioning! However, it’s an aftermarket add-on, but a good looking one. In 1955, this was a real luxury machine–as close as you could get to a Cadillac (without buying a Cadillac!) I’d love to take this big dreadnought of a Buick out for a drive (if it actually runs).
The unlikely presence of this 71-year-old Buick raises some interesting questions: Where has it been all this time? Who loved it enough to preserve such a car over the course of so many decades? Is it running and driving, or does it have some fatal mechanical flaw? And where does it go from here? Will it be restored with a new paint job, or left as is? This is part of the intrigue of finding an old relic like this–we can see and appreciate the car, but we don’t know the full story behind it.
I’ll close by quoting this little piece of business from a two-page spread, simply because it says so much about the spirit of the times (and says it so eloquently):
“IT is in the nature of things that when a man moves up in the world, he reflects his success in many directions.
It shows in the size and site of his home, the circles he frequents, the tailoring of his clothes.
And, most definitely, it shows in the car he drives.
So we suggest a look, if you will, at ROADMASTER as it is custom built by Buick in 1955.
It is, you will find, an automobile of almost opulent luxury tempered by meticulous good taste.
Its size and bearing and gold-like markings—the very suavity of its fleet-lined grace—tell all the world that here is a thing of custom stature.
And it is, as you will soon discover, a car crafted for deep comfort—with supremely soft seat cushions, with all-coil-springing to its masterful ride, with rich visibility in all directions, with exquisite handling ease that’s blessed with the magic of Safety Power Steering.
But you will find that this, above all, is a motorcar of supreme and satisfying command—of instant response—of swift and silent obedience.
For what else would do for this greatest of Buicks but the soaring might of a 236-hp V8 engine—coupled to the absolute smoothness and electrifying safety-surge of Variable Pitch Dynaflow?
Surely, you owe it to yourself to try this top-level motoring experience—and your Buick dealer will gladly do the honors. See him this week.”
Further CC reading:
Indeed thanks for sharing your find. A beautiful vehicle. An excellent time capsule of automotive culture. Somehow I think this is how a car should look.
A diamond in the rough is still a diamond.
Well Stephen, if you went as far as climbing the fence to get the photos, I have to imagine you spoke to the gas station owner about why that beautiful Buick was there!
My bet is that it is a restoration half-way done. That interior looks well-redone and someone is clearly protecting it against someone greasy getting behind the wheel (presumably to move the car). Maybe it’s there for repainting (does the gas station also do painting?), but more likely something mechanical? And hopefully whoever’s car it is is intending to eventually get it back. It would be sad if it’s a restoration part-way done, owned by someone (or their estate) that won’t see the end result.
Great story!
Beautiful car. Just the care they (appeared) to put into designing & building cars like this. If there’s any ‘Cheap Plastic’ in that interior, it’s hard to notice.
Also love the 2-page ad piece. Makes me wish I was there, even if I didn’t have “The Status” to drive a Roadmaster, just to see them in their original beauty. Maybe its nostalgia, maybe the times, but it certainly feels like people really appreciated .. “things” more. Back when it wasn’t so much the ‘throw away world’ as it is today.
My Grandmother had a 55 Cadillac, which she handed down to my uncle. Don’t recall what was wrong with it, but it sat in my mother’s yard for years when I was a kid. (until I was about 12 in 82, If I recall correctly).
That may be what started my love for the ‘old cars’ (50s were still old in the 80’s).
Anyway, Nice Buick, thanks for the pics.
I can’t think of any mechanical problem that would be a fatal flaw for a car like this from the 50’s. As for the paint, ugh. Someone used bc/cc when low VOC single stage urethane paints are available and legal.
It’s been said many times.
People who could afford Cadillacs often bought Buicks and Oldsmobiles. Not because of price, but because Cadillacs might be considered a bit too pretentious for the owner’s station in life. Doctors, bankers, people in positions of trust chose Buicks. Aluminum siding salesmen went for Cadillacs (remember the movie “Tin Men?”)
So this car was indeed as close to a Cadillac as you could get without buying one. Because the Buick people knew their market.
Jeremy Clarkson famously said something similar about Jaguars (“Jaaags”). Jaguars projected a more roguish image than, say, Rovers.
Maybe that’s why the Queen preferred Rovers. Note that official vehicles have always been Rolls-Royces but vehicles the Queen drove herself were almost always products of Solihull, whether Landies or P5’s.
One question I would put to the crowd, though. Did potential Lincoln or Imperial customers face the same dilemma? At least Chrysler offered the New Yorker to those feeling diffident about the Imperial. Ford had higher-end Mercurys for a little while but gave up on them over time.
Wonder what color it was orginally?? Im betting that turquoise isnt the original color, judging by the clear coat falling off. It really clashes with the green interior, I doubt the car left the factory with such an odd color combo.
Mint green was popular in the 50s, which would have complimented the green interior. Anyways the whole color combo seems off
I spotted the interior as not matching the exterior. Someone had a bad idea for exterior color. Your explanation of the product makes me want to buy one. When the ’55’s were introduced in 1954, I was 11 years old and IMPRESSED! I like the ad with all of the “important” people looking at the Buicks. The lady in finery with a strapless evening gown and a tiara, her husband “Joe Cool” is smoking a cigarette, and all those people who are just happening to come down a grand staircase to an outdoor display of the new Buicks. WOW! Living in The Bronx, NY, I can tell you that the people who could afford to buy these high-end Roadmasters were not wearing strapless evening gowns. They were hardworking successful people in their businesses.
Unrestored? Pretty sure the factory didn’t use 2 pack paint, clear coat peeling didn’t happen with acrylic lacquer or enamel paints.
Another old sweetie .
Anyone here who thinks they’ll _EVER_ have a vehicle re – sprayed needs to save the pictures clearly showing the crappy two stage paint, only used by cut rate shops and those who rush .
The clear coat _ALWAYS_ bubbles & peels after a few years no matter what .
As an old man I really like this fine old car .
“Things of quality are a joy to behold” .
-Nate
Back in the 1980’s a lot of people chose the current methods of refinishing when doing a restoration. Lacquer was still available, but newer cars like the Lincoln Versailles had a base color/clear coat finish from the factory. Many times these resprays used numerous coats of paint and clear coat. This excessive thickness results in eventually cracking from expansion and contraction of the paint layer. My ’46 Plymouth was also painted in clear coat back in the ’80’s. It also has oxidized patches from sun exposure. You can’t really save the finish, it will continue to deteriorate, but I improved mine by color sanding with 2000 grit sandpaper and compounding and polishing,followed by waxing those spots. People seem to love those areas of patina. It’s not perfect, but overall the car is shiny, which is good enough for me.
This is a wonderful find Stephen! It reminds me of my time in the mid 1970s at Indiana University (Bloomington) when there were 2 or 3 of these same year Roadmaster sedans on campus. Every weekend, I’d walk by a battleship gray example that was still in fine shape. These cars were so imposing and regal (pun intended)!
I agree though that this car probably had a green exterior originally to match the green of the interior. Too bad about the clear coat peeling.