1951 Buick Roadmaster - $69,900 - Orange Village, OH - - Original “woodie” body by Ionia Mfg.
- Powerful straight-eight engine
- Fewer than 700 built
This outstanding and extremely rare 1951 Roadmaster woodie was previously displayed in the Mitchell Car Museum at Owosso, Michigan. The Mitchell family owned the Ionia Mfg. Co., which crafted the bodies for Buick’s wood-bodied Estate Wagons after World War II. Ionia built up, trimmed and painted the bodies before they were shipped to Buick for completion.
A forerunner of today’s luxury SUVs, the Roadmaster Estate Wagon, was one of the most prestigious cars on the road in 1951. Combining the cachet of the wood bodied station wagon with Buick luxury and performance, it was the ultimate American wagon of its time.
Built on the Series 70 126-inch wheelbase chassis, the Roadmaster Estate Wagon was Buick’s highest priced model for 1951. Its nearly $4,000 factory list price was close to that of a new Cadillac convertible.
Ionia used seasoned northern ash for the Estate Wagon’s upper body and door structures, and also for the tailgate. Insert panels of mahogany provided a pleasing contrast. The warm wood tones of the Ionia body beautifully compliment this Estate Wagon’s medium metallic green paint.
The Estate Wagon sports Buick’s famed “sweepspear” moldings on its metal lower body. Sweepspear trim first became available on Roadmaster wagons in late 1950, after being introduced as an option on the 1949 Buick Riviera 2-door hardtop. Our wagon also has the steel roof featured on Estate Wagons after 1948—a feature that eliminated the leak-prone rubberized roof coverings seen of earlier woodies.
The Estate Wagon’s six-passenger interior includes front and rear bench seats trimmed in charcoal leatherette, per factory specification. Ionia used birch for the interior’s wood paneling and rear cargo floor.
Powering the Estate Wagon is a 320 cubic-inch Buick straight eight, one of the best engines available in any car in 1951. Rated at 152-hp, this large version of Buick’s eight was exclusive to the Roadmaster series. It is coupled to the Dynaflow automatic transmission found in all 1951 Roadmasters.
The long hood is the side-opening single-panel type that Buicks famously featured from 1941 to 1952. The Estate Wagon has the four “ventiports” on each front fender found only on the top-of-the-line Roadmaster—lesser and shorter Buick models had but three per side.
Buick introduced its first Estate Wagon in 1940, on a Super chassis. The Roadmaster Model 79 woodie joined the line in 1947 and would be GM’s most expensive station wagon during the five model years it was offered. By 1951, Buick’s Roadmaster and Super Estate Wagons were the only four-door wood-bodied wagons yet offered by American automakers. Out of the 404,657 Buicks produced for 1951, just 679 were Roadmaster Estate Wagons. Total Model 79 production between 1947 and 1953 totaled a mere 3,431 units.
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Our Roadmaster is in superb condition throughout. Options include its dual outside rearview mirrors and Buick Sonomatic radio. The car’s full wheel covers were standard issue on the Roadmaster line. A set of Lemans-brand L78x15 wide whitewall tires are fitted to the Estate Wagon’s stock steel disc wheels.
The 1951 Buick Model 79 Estate Wagon is a very scarce car today—only about a dozen are said to remain. Its impressive styling and top-line Roadmaster status have made it one the most coveted “woodies” out there. This exceptional example presents a rare opportunity to own such a car.