1937 Buick Roadmaster Series 80, Model 81 F 4-Door Formal Sedan
2025.0003.0001, Savoy Collection
Engine: 320 cu. in. (5 L) Cast-iron block, OHV, V8
Output: 130 HP @ 3,400 RPM
Transmission: 3-Speed Manual
Wheelbase: 131 in.
Overall Length: 210 in.
Weight:4,299 lbs.
Top Speed:90 MPH
No. Produced:452
Original Price: $1,641
Manufacturer: Buick
In 1936, Buick sales skyrocketed. President Harlow Curtice realized success was tied to an improved economy. He knew not to grow overconfident. His job… demonstrated that 1936 was not a fluke. His formula for success in 1937 was simple: cars would be bigger, stronger, and quieter with better styling and value. A collaboration between Harlow Curtice and Harley Earl changed Buick’s future. Curtice was tired of Buick’s having an “old man” image.
Curtice asked Earl if he could design a Buick that the Cadillac-driving Earl would be proud to own. Earl’s Y-Job, the industry’s first experimental design car set the tone for Buick styling for years to come. New was the use of the running board as a radio antenna, and Buick was perhaps the first to install the radio in the dashboard’s center. Normally, volume levels are good for the driver, preventing back seat passengers from hearing, and moving the radio solved the problem.