1953 | Buick Super Estate Wagon

Buick was celebrating its 50th year in 1953 when it built the last of the genuine wood and steel station wagons to grace American city life and suburban settings. Of the 1,830 limited production Buick Super four-door estate wagons produced for 1953, only very few (around 20) of these Golden Anniversary time machines are known to exist today. This unique rust-free example of the Buick Super Estate Wagon heritage has been upgraded to Roadmaster specifications. It is believed to be the only model to be restored in this particular way worldwide. It features a modern carburetor with electric choke and high flow air filter. Buick touted the performance of its V-8 engine with 8.5 to 1 compression ratio Turbo-Top pistons and improved zero backpressure mufflers. The 322 cubic inch Fireball V-8 engine was rated for 170 horsepower at 4,000 RPM when backed by the optional Twin-Turbine Buick Dynaflow automatic transmission known for its smooth operation. Optional power steering and power brakes combined with coil springs on all four wheels and an x-braced frame brought together the worlds of performance control and luxurious comfort in what Buick called its Million Dollar Ride—so named for its extensive development costs. Classic Buick style is accented by lavender paint, shimmering chrome and sweep spear mouldings and richly finished seasoned wood—a throwback to hand hewn craftsmanship. Optional accessories include a front mount sun visor and side-mount spotlight mirror. The vinyl top material is color matched to the vinyl and cloth interior with wood grained dash. Another Roadmaster featured upgrade for this Super Estate Wagon are a set of chrome plated wire wheels that are equipped with new wide whitewall tires. With the tailgate and rear seat folded flat the Buick Estate Wagon offered over five feet of width and six feet of length for a combination of classic station wagon style and rugged hauling utility. Unfortunately, there is no detailed documentation for this vehicle. All I know is that it belonged to a Californian collector (who wanted to stay anonymous) who had the vehicle extensively and expensively restored before it was auctioned off at Sotheby's in 2013 and sold again in 2017 to a US businessman named Michael K. Corbridge. In 2020 I purchased the vehicle from a US car dealer in Europe. Since then it has been registered, continuously maintained and has German TÜV. It's a fantastic vehicle that drives excellent. I take the vehicle out on special occasions and at US Classic Car Shows (and only when wheather conditions allow).

Every time I get into the “Woodie” I am amazed about the comfortable extras that were already standard in this amazing vehicle in the year of 1953.