1948 Buick Super Eight Saloon

Let’s cut to the chase.

This car is fabulous.

It’s also undeniably, obviously, astonishingly massive.

It pretty much dwarfs everything else at our HQ, including giant G-Wagons, motor homes and VW campers.

It is 2 inches longer than a Bentley Continental R, 700lbs heavier than a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow and gives away just 5 inches in height to a Range Rover.

You really will be getting a great deal of car for your money here. And if it doesn’t fit in your garage you could always try living in it.

It’s bigger than most London flats.

This car is in excellent overall condition and, while it’s not concours, it is mechanically and structurally sound and has been very well cared for by people who clearly valued the originality and authenticity of the car.

The current vendor has owned the car for 25 years and always kept it in a dry, heated garage space. In that time he thinks the car has probably done no more than 3000 miles.

It’s done its duty for friends’ weddings on a couple of occasions and, apart from that, it’s been used for the odd weekend outing.

For such a titanic vehicle it really is remarkably good to drive. The straight-eight engine and 3 speed manual box give it the necessary grunt and torque to shift its considerable mass along at a decent lick and, once it’s up to speed, the steering becomes agreeably light and precise. It’s a joy to drive and, as you might expect, it makes heads turn in admiration wherever it goes.

No, it’s not perfect. There’s stuff that could be made even better. But we can’t see anything major that needs addressing or, indeed, anything to worry about at all, really.

This is an honest, solid, authentic and original canvas for whatever fine tuning, finishing or fettling you feel compelled to undertake. If, indeed, you feel compelled to undertake any, because this car is eminently driveable (and enjoyable) today.

All in all, it is a joy both to behold and to drive.

The gloriously curvaceous panels are largely free of any dinks, dents, scuffs, scratches, warps or folds. The blue/turquoise paintwork is a beautiful colour and is in excellent condition. It has an impressive depth of shine and lustre wherever you look.

The shut lines and door gaps are good by any standards, let alone those of 1948, and the doors slam home with a satisfyingly exact thunk.

This car has more period chrome work on it than the Chrysler building, and it’s all in remarkably good nick, as is the badging and trim.

One particularly delightful touch is the spotlight just at the bottom of the ‘A’ pillar on the driver’s side. The driver can point and aim the spotlight using a handle that protrudes into the cabin.

Why? No idea.

The wheels, too, are in fine nick and the whitewall tyres appear to have plenty of life left in them.

The only rust we could see anywhere was entirely superficial and limited to a light dusting around the kick plates and in the door jambs.

Welcome to the truly Brobdingnagian interior of this Buick Super Eight.

If you’d like to feel a little smaller and less conspicuous, spend some time in here.

We think it’s technically possible to get lost inside this Buick Super Eight and we’d advise bringing a compass with you if you intend to visit the car in person.

Either way, we’re sure you could use it as the official bus for at least half of your local rugby team.

The velour upholstered bench seats, front and back, are as big and as comfortable as sofas.

Even the lovely chrome ashtray behind the front bench seat has the capacity of a pedal bin.

The blue velour upholstery, door cards and carpets are in good condition, both front and back, and the seats are comfortable and supportive.

Yes, the colour is a little faded and the fabric on the seats is a trifle baggy in places. But that’s just nit-picking: the overall effect is wonderful and you’ll have to pinch yourself to believe that this car was built a couple of years after the end of WWII.

The dashboard and steering wheels are a treat, with their very un-British dials, Bakelite knobs and levers, and chrome detailing.

It is utterly evocative of America in 1948 – the year Harry S. Truman signed the Marshall Plan, Humphrey Bogart starred in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and the Andrews Sisters were in the charts with ‘Toolie Oolie Doolie’.

The roof lining has (literally) held up well. As far as we can tell, all knobs, switches, levers, toggles and buttons do what they’re supposed to do.

The clock, as is so often the case with vehicles of this vintage, has long since downed tools and gone into retirement.

Open the doors and you’ll see door hinges that look like they’ve been borrowed from a bank vault and sills that appear to have come straight from the fuselage of a bomber.

You’ll also see no rust to speak of, save the odd spot of dust here and there.

The boot is, of course, enormous, and is in decent overall condition. Lifting up the carpet here or elsewhere in the car reveals…..nothing that will make you tut or shake your head.

Overall, the undersides look really very good for a car of this age. There is no rust of any note to speak of and there’s a good coating of bitumen/Waxoyl in evidence. Everything visible seems to have plenty of structural integrity.

The engine bay, which is about the size of a double bed, is of its time (and is a uniquely Buick thing) but it’s clean, dry and tidy with just the usual blooms of rust dust visible here and there.

The vendor tells us that the small rubber priming bulb will need a squeeze or too to aid starting if the car has been unused for any length of time. Which is, of course, what it’s there for.

Everything appears to be where it should be and there is nothing we’ve seen in the photographs to raise any kind of alarm.

The history is a little patchy but we’re assured that this RHD car was manufactured in 1947, registered in 1948 and exported new to a dealership in Manchester, England.

It seems to have spent most of its life in Lancashire and the north of England where it was at one time owned by one Walter Southworth. A letter with the car informs us that a user of the car at this time was Mr Southworth’s friend, George Formby.

Perhaps he realized that a car this big meant he could stand on the roof when he was cleaning windows.

The current vendor has had no need to do anything much to the car for 25 years. This is a testament to the quality of the restoration work carried out by one or more previous owners. It really is first class.

The car comes with all manner of photographs, books, manuals, bills, invoices and receipts, plus a detailed inspection report and a couple of letters.

This 1948 Buick Super Eight doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MoT’d at the earliest. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

From 1942 until the end of the war Buick stopped making cars and instead turned their attentions to Sherman tank drivetrains and parts for Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce engines.

You can see in this splendid 1948 Buick Super Eight just how keen their engineers and designers must have been to get back to doing what they loved most – creating wonderful, luxurious cars.

This car, we feel confident, is a fine example of a model that in many ways represents a golden era for both the marque and the US automotive industry.

It’s beautiful, it’s well maintained and cared for, it’s great to drive….and it’s big enough to have its own postcode.

We like it a lot. We estimate it'll sell for between £14,000 - £20,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; We are open Mon-Fri 9.00 am to 5.00 pm.  To arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.