The Buick Roadmaster

Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick’s longest non-limousine wheelbase and shared their basic structure with the entry-level Cadillac Series 65, the Buick Limited, and after 1940, the Oldsmobile 98. Between 1946 and 1957 the Roadmaster served as Buick’s flagship.

Buick’s flagship Roadmaster has long been synonymous with luxury and style. Since its inception in 1936, it served as the style and feature leader in the Buick line, and from 41-on, was Buick’s premier offering. It was a ready competitor for Cadillac in terms of performance and equipment, yet the Buick undercut its sibling by a significant price margin. In late 1941, for the upcoming 1942 model year, Buick had significantly redesigned its entire range and the Roadmaster would provide a showcase of Harley Earl’s vision for the 1940s; a modern machine that was lower, wider and longer than its predecessor, with beautifully integrated fenders and a signature toothy grille. Of course, the American involvement in World War II put an abrupt end to automobile production in 1942, so only a minute handful of cars were delivered before production shifted to military vehicles. Eager buyers would have to wait at least three years before they’d see another new car roll out of an American plant.

Few of those eager buyers waited longer for their new Buick Roadmaster than Erhardt H. Kraft of New Braunfels, Texas. As Mr. Kraft explained in a letter written to a subsequent owner of his Buick Roadmaster, he placed an order and a deposit with the Krueger Motor Company in 1941 for a new 1942 model, only to have the onset of World War II delay delivery, as the Buick production plant was rapidly converted to war production. Over four years had passed when, on Christmas Eve 1945, Mr. Kraft received a call from Krueger Motor Company informing him that his “new car had arrived at long last,” and that the unusually patient New Braunfels businessman had actually received interest on his deposit over that time! Mr. Kraft was no doubt surprised since, over the course of the war, he had completely forgotten that he ordered a new Buick in 1941!

The story continues with Erhardt Kraft explaining: “Mr. Krueger asked if he could keep the car on his showroom floor, because it was Christmas Eve of 1945 and my Buick was the first Roadmaster the company had received since the War ended. He wanted others to enjoy the car since there had not been any fine cars like this for the length of the War. I drove the car home on January 2, 1946, for the first time.”

How wonderful it is to imagine seeing this incredibly stylish, beautifully appointed 1946 Buick Sedanet right at the turn of the New Year for the first time, and after so many years of war. Mr. Kraft reportedly bought the car for his wife, but she never learned to drive, so it was only her husband who drove it on the occasional vacations and to church on Sundays.