Today’s car is a 1958 Buick Special (46C). I photographed this car at the LA Roadster Show which is held at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA. It is finished in Glacier white with a black Cordaveen and white Cordaveen bolsters, with a black convertible top, and a black boot. Funny you should ask, what is Cordaveen? Cordaveen is Buick’s name for their vinyl upholstery material. The car is powered by a 210 hp, 364 cu in, Buick Nailhead V8 engine, with a 2-bbl either a Carter or a Stromberg carburetor that is mated to a 2 speed Dynaflow automatic transmission through a 3,58:1 rear axle. Slowing this baby down are power assisted air cooled aluminum drum brakes in all 4-corners. It has independent front suspension with dual A-arms, coil springs, outboard mounted dual action shock absorbers and a front stabilizer. The rear suspension has coil springs, outboard mounted dual action shock absorbers, and a rear sideway stabilizer bar.
Buick called the 1958’s “The Air Born B58 Buick” and referenced in its sales literature the aviation principals that help create this stunning automobile. The total 0f 241,908 Buicks were produced in 1958 of those 139,213 were Specials and of those 5,502 were Special Convertibles. The MSRP was $3,041. It had a published top speed of 111 mph with a 0-60 mph time of 11.0 seconds. This is a beautiful example of an original car. What a great car to take to GM and local car shows, Cars and Coffee events or just out for a cruise. Thank you for riding along. Frank
