Buick Super
The Buick Super was a full-sized car, produced by the Buick division of General Motors between 1939 and 1958. Available in a variety of different body types, including four-door sedan, two-door coupe and two-door convertible, the model was built using the GM C platform, which it shared with the Buick Roadster.
Early Versions of the Buick Super
Introduced in 1940, the Series 50 Buick Super benefited from a combination of the passenger room offered by the Roadmaster and the fuel economy of the Series 40 Special. It featured a 4.1 L Fireball I8 engine and was initially available in four body styles, with an exclusive four-door Estate wagon model becoming available midway through the model year. In total, Buick sold almost 130,00 Super cars during the first year, before making stylistic changes and introducing the second generation Buick Super in 1942. Capitalising on the success of models like the Buick Special, the 1942 Super models introduced a fastback body style, while the number of body types was reduced to three. In 1946, the Estate wagon body type returned and the cars continued to enjoy commercial success, accounting for more than 75 percent of all Buick sales that year, with a total of 119,334 units sold.
Third Generation Buick Super
The third generation Buick Super entered the market in 1949, with some of the major changes including the option of an automatic transmission and the addition of Buick's iconic VentiPorts, three of which were located on each of the front fenders, behind the front wheels. Very early third generation Buick Super models benefited from increased engine ventilation as a result, although the VentiPorts became plugged during the first year of production and stayed that way in the years afterwards. Sales reached record levels in 1949, with 190,000 cars sold, yet some changes were made to the vehicle in 1950, in order to make it fit in with the rounder styling of other Buick models. That model year also saw the addition of a new two-door door Riviera hardtop body type. Although commercial success slowed in 1952, air conditioning became an option on the Buick Super for the first time the following year, helping to boost sales back to 1949 levels.
The Buick Super's Final Years
A fourth generation Super was released in 1954, making use of the new, larger GM C-body and featuring a panoramic windscreen. The three VentiPorts look associated with the third generation returned, but the Estate wagon body type was discontinued once again. However, sales fell to around 120,000 in the first year and by 1956, that number declined by another 40,000. A fifth generation version was introduced for 1957, with four VentiPorts on each front fender and a 6.0 L Nailhead V8 engine. However, sales did not pick up, with Buick only selling 70,000 cars in the first year; the lowest number up until that point. The convertible option was removed for 1958, meaning the Riviera hardtop became the only body type available, albeit with two-door and four-door options. However, with sales figures falling as low as 40,000 for the year, the once popular Buick Super was discontinued.