The Buick Series 40 Special
The Series 40 was introduced in 1930 replacing the Series 116. It was offered as an entry-level vehicle. In other words, it was the cheapest car in the lineup. It remained a part of the Buick lineup until 1959.
In 1930, the Series 40 sat on a 118-inch wheelbase and managed just about 80 horsepower. Originally, Buick offered the Series 40 in six different body styles including a convertible. In 1935, the Series 40 was temporarily discontinued and the entry-level model was renamed the Series 50. A year later it was renamed the Special and they got bigger too. In 1936 Buick increased the wheelbase of each of its full-size vehicles to 122 inches.
By 1939 all the vehicles in Buick’s lineup were restyled. In 1940, the wheelbase grew another inch. It was also the only year that Buick released a 4-door convertible known as the Sport Phaeton. Only 553 were produced.
The 1940 Special has its place in cinematic history as well. In the 1945 movie Mildred Pierce, the Special Convertible is given as a gift to Mildred’s daughter.
Sales for the Special were strong throughout the 30s. In the 40s production stalled as America geared up for WWII and production lines were dedicated to helping armed forces overseas. But when production resumed in 1946 Buick adapted the pre-war Fisher-B body style to Special. The ‘46 special sat on a 122-inch wheelbase, smaller than its predecessors, and sales stalled.
In 1950, Buick restyled the Special. Extra attention was paid to the grille and the car looked modern and sleek. Sales recovered. Buick also introduced a Series 40D which named the Special Deluxe which added improvements to the interior. Sales for both eclipsed 200,000 units.
In 1954, Buick added the “electric shaver” grille to the Special. Buick also paid special attention to the windows. There was enough visibility to have a clear 360° view. Buick beveled out some of the hard edges. The car not only looked smooth but drove smooth too. Under the hood was a 140 hp 264 cu in V8 engine. The Dynaflow transmission was designed to get smooth out the jerkiness in automatic transmissions when shifting gears. Buick added a new suspension.
Sales remained strong in ‘55, ‘56 and, ‘57. Buick added more power under the hood. Buicks fitted with Dynaflow now could get up to 220 hp and the two-door Riviera sold over 100,000 units. By ‘57 Dynaflow Buicks were rated up to 250 hp with 380 ft. lb. of torque.
Despite the fact that Buick was doing well with the Special the last run of the Series 40 was in 1958 when it was replaced by the Series 4400. The 4400 was a massive gas guzzling beast in the tradition of most Buicks and continued to be called The Special.
Buick made specials until 1977 but first retired the namesake in 1969. In 1975, they brought the Special back as subseries of the Buick Century. Afterward, it was retired for good.
