Buick Roadmaster

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Buick Roadmaster
Buick Roadmaster sedan
Manufacturer General Motors
Also called Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon
Production 1936-1958
1991–1996
Class Full-size
First generation
1950 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon Model 79
Production 1936–1958
Predecessor Buick Series 80
Successor Buick Electra
Body style(s) 4-door sedan
2-door coupe
2-door convertible
4-door station wagon
Engine(s) Buick straight-eight
322 in³ Nailhead V8
364 in³ Nailhead V8
Second generation
B-body Roadmaster station wagon
Production 1991–1996
Assembly Arlington, Texas
Body style(s) 4-door sedan
4-door station wagon
Layout FR layout
Platform GM B platform
Engine(s) 5.0 L L03 V8
5.7 L L05 V8
5.7 L LT1 V8
Transmission(s) 4-speed automatic
Wheelbase 115.9 in (2944 mm)
Length 215.8 in (5481 mm) (sedan)
217.5 in (5525 mm) (1994-96 station wagon)
217.7 in (5530 mm) (1991-93 station wagon)
Width 78.1 in (1984 mm) (sedan)
79.9 in (2029 mm) (station wagon)
Height 55.9 in (1420 mm) (sedan)
60.3 in (1532 mm) (station wagon)
Fuel capacity 23 US gallons (87.1 L/19.2 imp gal)
Related Buick Park Avenue
Buick Estate
Chevrolet Caprice
Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser

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.

Contents

[edit] 1936-1958

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 name was replaced by the Electra name.

[edit] 1991-1996

Buick Roadmaster Limited Estate Wagon
Buick Roadmaster Limited Estate Wagon

Buick revived the Roadmaster name for a B-body station wagon in 1991, replacing the Estate station wagon in the lineup. The wagon was called the Roadmaster Estate Wagon. A sedan joined it for 1992. The Roadmaster was very similar to the Chevrolet Caprice, and Oldsmobile sold a nearly-identical 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. However, GM discontinued both the Roadmaster sedan and the Roadmaster Estate Wagon in 1996. This was blamed on the smaller Park Avenue growing in size, but was in reality a response to the SUV craze. 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.

[edit] 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: No major changes were made for 1993. Only minor things such as a window lockout feature and the addition of a new spoke wheel cover mid-year.
  • 1994: A redesigned dashboard included a new instrument cluster, with climate controls mounted higher and a knee bolster below. Dual airbags were also installed, 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 260 hp (194 kW) to a new 4-speed automatic transmission.
  • 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 100,000 miles (160,934 km), and automatic climate control became standard. 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.

[edit] Pop Culture References

  • 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 whole way to L.A where he started his solo career. He also wrote a song dedicated to it, "Long may you Run".

[edit] External links

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Buick road car timeline, 1940s–1980s — next »
Type 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Subcompact Skyhawk
Compact Skyhawk
Apollo Somerset
Skylark Skylark Skylark
Mid-size Special Special Special Century Century Century
Skylark Skylark Skylark Regal Regal Regal
Full-size Special Special Special LeSabre LeSabre LeSabre LeSabre LeSabre
Century Invicta
Super Super Super Wildcat Centurion Electra
Roadmaster Roadmaster Roadmaster Electra Electra Electra Electra Estate Wagon
Personal luxury Skylark Limited Riviera Riviera Riviera Riviera Riviera Riviera
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« previous — Buick, a division of General Motors, automobile timeline, United States market, 1980s–present
Type 1980s 1990s 2000s
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Subcompact Skyhawk
Compact Skyhawk
Somerset
Skylark Skylark Skylark
Mid-size Century Century Century
Regal Regal Regal LaCrosse
Full-size Riviera Riviera Riviera
LeSabre LeSabre LeSabre LeSabre Lucerne
Electra Electra Park Avenue Park Avenue
Estate Roadmaster
Crossover Rendezvous Enclave
SUV Rainier
Minivan Terraza
Sports Reatta