1941 Buick Roadmaster Convertible Phaeton
Of the 312 Convertible Phaetons Buick built on the Roadmaster chassis in 1941 (with an additional small number reported for export), none were offered again after wartime production halted (making this four-door open body style one of the rarest configurations in prewar American automobile history).
The 1941 Roadmaster wore fully enclosed headlights for the first time, flush with the front fenders, while exposed running boards and exterior door hinges were eliminated. The result was a cleaner, more cohesive profile than earlier models.
Riding on a 126-inch wheelbase, the Convertible Phaeton seated up to five passengers in full open-air comfort.
Power came from Buick’s 320 ci overhead-valve “Fireball” straight-eight, fed by dual two-barrel carburetors (what Buick called Compound Carburetion, a forerunner to the four-barrel setup).
Output was 165 horsepower at 3,800 rpm, making it one of the most powerful standard-production American cars of the year and 15 hp stronger than Cadillac’s larger 346 ci L-head V8.
By 1941, Buick had climbed to fourth place in US sales, behind only Chevrolet, Ford, and Plymouth.
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