A Buick & Flapper Down Under

It is only on rare occasions that we see a RHD Buick. So when Reg Harris sent this snapshot of a smiling flapper with a - typical for the twenties - drop waist dress we were not only glad for that single reason. Yes the dress is a good pointer for the period in which the photo was shot (around 1925) but to look up the facts we still had to pick up our American Car Spotters Guide 1920-1939, an indispensable tool for any serious car sleuth. We found this must be a model 1924 Buick "4-35" Touring. First give-away is the upperlip radiator design that was new for 1924 and which stayed with Buick until 1928. The four cylinder models had a painted radiator and nickeled windscreen frame. The sixes however were finished the other way round, er... if we are correct (check - what's in a name - PreWarBuick.com). Also a presumption is that like many other cars Down Under this tourer was imported in chassis form and was bodied by Holden Motor Body Works. They may be responsible for sensible details that have to do with local climate conditions. Like the light coloured top and the sunvisor stylish positioned parallel with the top windshield frame. The oval rear window we didn't see earlier on Buick either. We're always surprised to see how even high-volume cars of the same year and model almost never are completely the same. This counts for flappers as well of course.

(txt. Joris Bergsma)

Publié:

jeudi septembre 21st, 2017

Inconnu

24 Septembre 2017, 02:16

Would this have been an American or a Canadian built car?

Inconnu

22 Septembre 2017, 23:26

Note also the front wheel brakes, the first year for these on Buicks, and the only four cylinder model to get them. Last years for the four of course. No more four cylinder Buicks until the modern era.

Inconnu

22 Septembre 2017, 06:55

On the subject of RHD cars of the 1920's up to 1940's, there are many cars in India which are rare just for being RHD. Adler, Opel, Buick, Packard, a whole list of them is out here with a number of survivors. I never looked at it in this way till Mr. Richard Adatto pointed this out to me. In India many came in as CBU's (complete built unit) though GM did have a body building plant in India.Cheers

Inconnu

22 Septembre 2017, 00:18

Here in Australia we're surprised to see left hand drive Buicks! My first and only Buick was a '27 Standard model with Holden coachwork, purchased from a man who was selling it to pay for his father's funeral. That car and the one in the photo had a characteristic in common: wooden wheels with pin-striping on the spokes. The craze for bare timber spokes continues today, in all but a few cases ignoring the original and more attractive paint schemes.
Holden's Motor Body Builders Ltd. eventually became General Motors Holden, building Holden cars from 1948. This year the last Australian-designed and manufactured Holden will roll off our local production line and another chapter will close in Australia's motoring history.

A Buick & Flapper Down Under

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