Recent article on BarnFinds dot com: Cadillac Powered: 1948 Buick Super Convertible Current bid: US $20,132.00 26 bids Ends in 1d 6h Monday, 02:00 AM Reserve not met US $27,995.00 Buy It Now This great-looking 1948 Buick Super Convertible has a bit of a surprise under the hood, it’s currently equipped with a big-block Cadillac engine! These cars have been in demand since Rain Man, but at least this one is not a 100-point restoration that will go to some wealthy collector for six figures. It’s slightly ragged but right, and not so perfect you’d be afraid to take it out for a Sunday cruise. The car is for sale on eBay, located in Leander, TX The Rain Man car was a 1949 Roadmaster. The bid for this Super is around $20,000, but not surprisingly the reserve hasn’t been met. New on this car are the gas tank, the fuel lines and pump, the carb, and the water pump. It’s got an automatic transmission and power windows. The seller thinks it’s wearing the original yellow paint, and claims that it has “almost no rust” with solid floorboards and panels. There are some extra parts, including the original radio. The top is in good condition, though we don’t see it up, with a functional hydraulic pump. The interior is seen at a distance, but the seller likes the word “solid” and that’s his word for the interior, body, and in fact the whole car. This car looks like a driver, for people who don’t care whether the interior is 100 percent original or the chrome is mirror perfect. What needs doing? “Some TLC to make a daily driver,” including a fan clutch and a power-steering pump. So it’s got power steering, an advantage in one of these big old boats. An engine shot would have been useful—we don’t know the age of that Caddy big block. Personally, if I was selling this car I’d show off that motor. The Super was in the middle of the range, below the four-porthole Roadmaster, and was sold as a coupe, sedan, convertible, and station wagon. It sat on a 125-inch wheelbase (four inches short of that Roadmaster). The standard engine was a 248-cubic-inch Fireball Straight Eight that made 115 horsepower (five more than the Special, thanks to an altered compression ratio). The Roadmaster’s 320-cubic-inch version increased the ante to 144 horsepower. The second-generation Super was introduced in 1942 and lasted until 1948. The standard transmission was a column-mounted three-speed manual, but the Dynaflow automatic was optional. Presumably, this car has one of those, or maybe a more modern tranny that marries to the Cadillac engine. I’m noticing what appears to be a modern GM steering column. The Classic.com price for a second-generation Buick Super is $48,000, and convertibles and woodies command a premium, obviously. It would pay to watch this listing as it moves through the system. What a fun car this would be to own!
