Buick Other (1939)
for sale
Price: US $54,485.00
Price: US $54,485.00
1939 Buick Special 46C Convertible Coupe Owned by past AACA president and 50+ year BCA member Earl Beauchamp, Jr.! Original colors of Lassen Green over Red Leather with opera seats! AACA Junior, Senior and Grand National Winner in the last three years! Arguably the finest ’39 46C in existence!
Buick first used the Special name in 1936, the year that their numerical series numbers were replaced with actual names. The Special continued as Buick’s most popular option in 1939, with newly revised body work that was incredibly handsome. Despite this fact, the show stealer in 1939 was the Harley Earl-designed Y-Job, arguably the industry’s first concept car and one that broadcasted the future design language of Buick. This car helped to boost sales in 1939 to 231, 219 units, of which most were Series 40 Special cars. For 1939, the super attractive 46C convertible coupe ditched its double trunk lid with rumble seat in favor of a more traditional business coupe trunk, but with added jump seats behind the front seat. With a $1077 base price and 3, 517 pound curb weight, Buick managed to sell 4, 569 46Cs for the year, with another 240 sent abroad! They remain exceptionally popular today because of their stylish front ends and honest four-passenger capability!
We are exceptionally proud to present “Miss Judy”, affectionately named by restorer Earl Beauchamp, a 1939 Buick Special 46C Convertible Coupe! The car is finished in its trim tag correct shade of 540 – Lassen Green over 757 – Red leather interior and Tan convertible top! The car is powered by a sequence-correct 248ci Inline 8 (stamped 43764059 and date cast 5/9) with Carter carburetion and mated to a 3-speed Handi-Shift column-shift manual transmission and to the ground via a standard 3.90:1 rear end. Options include leather seating, inward facing rear opera jump seats, fender skirts, fender-mount parking lights, Sonomatic AM push-button radio, chrome exhaust turndown, front and rear bumperettes, fog lights, day/night rear-view mirror and more! The car rides on triple Cream pinstriped painted steels wheels with chrome Buick hubcaps, trim rings and wrapped in Lester Tire 6-ply wide whitewall tires!
This car was purchased by the former owner, Mr. Earl Beauchamp of Sebring, Florida, out of Hemmings Motor News in 2005. Having seen the car before, Mr. Beauchamp was fairly familiar with its largely original and unrestored condition. According to him, “it was in relatively rough unrestored condition with dented fenders, poor body work, a grim-looking dashboard and poor upholstery.” Many parts were missing and it carried the wrong wheels and a post-war ohv straight 8 engine. The car that had spent the previous two decades in California had made its way to Southwest Virginia, and was loaded up on a trailer and taken to Florida. Upon arrival, several friends and fellow Buick Club of America experts deemed the car very restorable and the long journey of refurbishing commenced! Since the car did not have a period motor under the hood, it was necessary to locate and purchase one. A former president of the AACA, Mr. Beauchamp hit the AACA forums and ultimately found what he was looking for, as well as wooden trunk shelving and wheels. NOS insert-type GM connecting rod bearings and rods were also purchased from a friend in North Carolina; pre-’49 Buicks used Babbitt but Buick offered these as replacements for cars dating back to 1937, this was definitely an upgrade! Next, the car was transported to a friend’s shop in Wauchula, FL for painting. Done in the proper method, the car was stripped to bare metal and disassembled. New fenders were hung and a gallon of Lassen Green Poly lacquer paint was ordered to paint the firewall. When the firewall was finished, the color was paint matched so the rest of the car could be completed in a modern base coat/clear coat application and for a slight metallic effect, real pearls were ground up and added to the spray.
Paint and restoration were completed in 2012 and the final parts needed for reassembly were purchased (from a Buick collector in Australia, no less), along with a more stateside set of fender skirts. The dashboard was sent off to redone, as was the wiring, instrumentation and one window regulator. A friend and renowned Buick expert traded for some streamboard moldings. The interior was analyzed by Don Summerlin of Hoyt’s Auto Upholstery in Sarasota and it was determined that new red leather would be essential in returning the car to its original configuration. The same shop was also commissioned to make the convertible top for the car but a garage fire slowed the process. Six months later, the car was finally finished. The rich leather was installed on the opera seats, front seat and seatback and the door panels and interior quarter panels were also finished (from scratch) to match.
Upon final assembly, the car was taken to the 2013 AACA Winter Meet in Lakeland, Florida and it won an AACA First Junior award. Finally realizing the car’s potential as a show-goer come to fruition, the car was again gone over with a fine tooth comb and it was decided to send off the interior chrome pieces (window cranks, door handles, and ignition switch) to get replated. The following April, the car won a Senior in Charlotte followed by a First Preservation in Auburn, Indiana and then a Second Preservation in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In November, Mr. Beauchamp finally received the letter that had never been sent on his other show-ready ‘39s, a letter from the AACA stating that the 46C had been nominated for a national award. In December, the letter was sent confirming that this car was among the elite. After 50+ years in the BCA, Mr. Beauchamp’s car was awarded the First National award and he himself received the inaugural Buick Alliance Award, in memory of Terry B. Dunham, a friend and famed Buick historian.
Showing 3400 miles, this car proudly wears its badging and still comes with a clear plastic cover for the soft top. We purchased this car fully aware that it was an exquisite example and one of the last ‘39s built (#4502/4569). From every angle, the car will tell stories of the love and dedicated owner ship over the past 30 years. For Buick collectors or enthusiasts, we would challenge you to find one finer than this. We would encourage any interested parties to call with additional questions! Thanks for looking!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR POTENTIAL BUYERS: In an effort to protect the eBay user information and to help ensure the authenticity of correspondence between St. Louis Car Museum and its bidders, eBay’s new listing format does NOT display any bidder information. Nevertheless, we STRONGLY encourage bidders to contact us directly to answer questions or to verify correspondence. All of our vehicles are advertised locally and nationally using a variety of formats and often sell before the end of eBay listings. To secure a vehicle, please contact us.
Please call 1-800-957-5707 or 314-993-7104 with any questions or to discuss financing or transportation arrangements.
Currency Converter Specifications Price: $79, 900 VIN: 13584410 Cylinders: Inline 8 Title: Clear Exterior Color: Lassen Green Carfax: Engine: 248ci Transmission: 3-Speed Manual Mileage: 3, 400 Interior Color: Red Financing & Lease Options St. Louis Car Museum works closely with several lenders so we can accurately address the needs of our clients. Let our finance department develop a financing or lease program that helps you achieve your goals and dreams!
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update: 2015-11-12
Condition: | Used | VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): | 13584410 |
Year: | 1939 | Interior Color: | Red |
Make: | Buick | Number of Cylinders: | 8 |
Model: | Other | Transmission: | Manual |
Trim: | 46C Convertible Coupe | Body Type: | Convertible |
Engine: | 248ci Inline 8 | Warranty: | Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty |
Drive Type: | RWD | Vehicle Title: | Clear |
Mileage: | 3,400 | Options: | Leather Seats, Convertible |
Exterior Color: | Lassen Green |