Buick Roadmaster

Buick Roadmaster

Infobox Automobile


name=Buick Roadmaster
aka="Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon"
manufacturer=General Motors
production=1936-1958
1991–1996
class=Full-size
similar=Mercury Grand Marquis

The Roadmaster was an automobile built by the Buick division of General Motors. Buick first used the Roadmaster name between 1936 and 1958. In 1991, Buick again applied the Roadmaster name to its full-size rear-wheel drive sedan and station wagon models as a replacement for the Buick Estate.

1936-1958

Infobox Automobile generation
name=First generation


body_style=4-door sedan
2-door coupe
2-door convertible
5-door station wagon
production=1936–1958
predecessor=Buick Series 80
successor=Buick Electra
engine= Buick straight-eight
322 in³ Nailhead V8
364 in³ Nailhead V8
The origins of the Roadmaster name date to 1936 when Buick renamed its entire model lineup to celebrate the engineering improvements and design advancements over their 1935 models. Buick's Series 40 model range became the Special, the Buick Century took the place of the Series 60 and the Series 90 — Buick's largest and most luxurious vehicles — became the Limited. Buick's Series 80 became the Roadmaster.

Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick's longest wheelbase and shared its basic structure with senior Oldsmobiles. Between 1946 and 1957, the Roadmaster was Buick's premium and best appointed model, and was offered in sedan, coupe, convertible and station wagon bodystyles between 1936 and 1948. In 1949 a hardtop coupe, designated "Riviera" joined the model line up; a four-door hardtop joined the model range in 1955.

The 1953 Buick Roadmaster station wagon, Model 79-R, was the last wood-bodied station wagon mass-produced in the United States. Its body was a product of Iona Manufacturing which built all Buick station wagon bodies between 1946 and 1964. Priced at US$4,031, the wagon was second in price to the Buick Skylark. Only 670 of these final woody wagons were produced for 1953.

In 1959, Buick again introduced a model range that represented a significant shift in its body design, and the Roadmaster was renamed the Electra.

1991-1996

Infobox Automobile generation
name=Second generation


aka=
production=1991–1996
body_style=4-door sedan
4-door station wagon
platform=GM B platform
layout=FR layout
wheelbase= Auto in|115.9|0
fuel_capacity=Convert|23|usgal|L impgal|1
engine=5.0 L L03 V8
5.7 L L05 V8
5.7 L LT1 V8
transmission=4-speed automatic
length= Auto in|215.8|0 (sedan)
Auto in|217.5|0 (1994-96 station wagon)
Auto in|217.7|0 (1991-93 station wagon)
width= Auto in|78.1|0 (sedan)
Auto in|79.9|0 (station wagon)
height= Auto in|55.9|0 (sedan)
Auto in|60.3|0 (station wagon)
assembly=Arlington, Texas
related=Buick Park Avenue
Buick Estate
Chevrolet Caprice
Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser
wagon for 1991 and 1992.

Standard on all Roadmaster Estate Wagons were woodgrain sides and a "Vista Roof", a fixed sunroof over the second row seats. The Estate Wagon could seat up to eight with an optional third row seat. All these wagons initially used Chevrolet's 5.0 L small-block V8, but both Buicks used the larger 5.7 L version from 1992.

GM discontinued both the Roadmaster sedan and the Roadmaster Estate Wagon in 1996. This was blamed on the smaller but more expensive and luxurious Park Avenue growing in size; the Roadmaster trim levels never exceeded that of the smaller but still full-sized Buick LeSabre. Another reason was largely a response to the SUV craze, as the Arlington, Texas factory where RWD GM cars were built was converted to truck and SUV production. When discontinued, the Roadmaster Estate and the similar Chevrolet Caprice wagon brought up the end of the era of the full-size family station wagon, and an end to General Motors' production of rear-wheel drive, full-size cars.

Year-to-year changes

*1992: A 4-door sedan joined the Roadmaster wagon as an early 1992 model, carrying the 5.7 L V8 engine that developed 180 hp. That engine also went into the Estate Wagon, replacing the 5.0 L.
*1993: Window lockout feature and the addition of a new spoke wheel cover mid-year, but what excited Roadmaster buyers most was that they now got a modified version of the LT1 engine used in the Chevrolet Corvette and Impala SS. Similar in displacement to the prior V8, the LT1 sent Convert|260|hp|kW|0|abbr=on to a new 4-speed automatic transmission.
*1994: A redesigned dashboard included a new instrument cluster, with climate controls mounted higher and a knee bolster below. Dual airbags were also installed.
*1995: Only a handful of minor changes were made to 1995 models, including long-life automatic-transmission fluid. Larger, foldaway style mirrors were installed as well, and radios got bigger controls. Sedans wore new bodyside moldings, while Estate wagons added a shade for the "Vista Roof" as well as a cargo cover. Heated seats also became an option.
*1996: The Roadmaster held out until 1996 when the end had clearly come. For its final year, the traditional, rear wheel drive Roadmaster enjoyed only a few changes. Engine coolant could last 5 years or convert|100000|mi|km|0, and automatic climate control became standard. The General also updated the onboard diagnostic system (OBD I to OBD II). The Roadmaster Estate Wagon and the Chevrolet Caprice wagon would be the last American full-size station wagons until the introduction of the Dodge Magnum in 2005.

Pop Culture References

* Janet Evanovich's fictional bounty hunter Stephanie Plum occasionally drives a powder blue '53 Roadmaster, nicknamed "Old Blue," when she has no other options, such as her car's frequently being destroyed. The car belongs to her Grandma Mazur, who received it from Stephanie's Uncle Sandor.
* This car is featured in Stephen King's book "From a Buick 8".
* Humboldt von Fleischer drove a Roadmaster in Saul Bellow's novel "Humboldt's Gift".
* A 1949 Roadmaster plays a vital role in the movie Rain Man as the only link between Charlie and Raymond Babbitt.
* Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio's characters were driven around in a 1994 Buick Roadmaster in the movie The Departed although the car is rarely seen from the outside.
* This is the car Neil Young drove from his home in Canada the entire distance to L.A where he started his solo career. He also wrote a song dedicated to it, "Long May You Run".
* This car is also featured in the movie "City Hall" in which a city official committed suicide inside his Buick Roadmaster.

External links

* http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/used/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/1998/
* http://www.buicknet.com


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