1941 66S Century on Ebay

[Lawrence Helfand]

Spotted this morning on Ebay a rare Buick 66S

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1941-Buick-Century-/152144649554?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

[Dynaflash8]

That car is the right color for a 1941 Buick....of course that's my opinion.  That said, it is rough as a cob, and a project for a much younger or richer man than me.  All those who are younger or richer than me who love Buicks should note this is a very rare car to find, and when restored it is (again my opinion) the first factory muscle car in America.

[billbuickgs]

Very nice Buick.

Had one just like it ( Black ) and second gear pulled past 60 with no problem !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Bill

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

25 minutes ago, billbuickgs said:

Very nice Buick.

Had one just like it ( Black ) and second gear pulled past 60 with no problem !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Bill

 

 My '50 Special will do that!  If the road is long enough.

   Car is a bit pricey, IMO.

 

  Ben

Edited June 26, 2016 by First Born (see edit history)

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Dynaflash8 said:

That car is the right color for a 1941 Buick....of course that's my opinion.  That said, it is rough as a cob, and a project for a much younger or richer man than me.  All those who are younger or richer than me who love Buicks should note this is a very rare car to find, and when restored it is (again my opinion) the first factory muscle car in America.

I usually have this discussion with folks who are not Buick fans. If my 1941 66S is the first factory muscle car, then where would you place the first Buick Century from 1936? I really like the history of my '41, but the price of the 36 Century coupe is the only reason I don't have one! Just sayin'! I would have a hard time denigrating or endorsing the listing without seeing the car in person. That being said, they are usually worth what someone is willing to pay. A lot of the opinions on price I see stated seem to be the result of the same thing that affected Kilgore Trout, the character in Kurt 

Vonnegut's novel who became " unstuck in time", something I long for as well. My first 1939 Buick cost 25.00. My Uncle reduced it 10.00 when I bucked 1600 bales of hay from the wagon to the haymow, pronounced OW! (hayloft for the nonlocals). Value is so subjective! Especially a guess from a photo and someone's description who's trying to promote a sale. Good to have discussions to bring up issues one might not consider carefully otherwise. Thanx for all the input, as it really helps when I consider which objective venue to buy or sell through.

Edited June 26, 2016 by Guest
Dim bulb! (see edit history)

[lancemb]

I swear I just saw this for sale somewhere else is the past year, and I think for much less.  Can't remember where though.  Pretty sure it's the same car.  

 

[Matt Harwood]

That car is roughly the same condition as my 66S, although mine was in black primer, but don't let old paint fool you. I paid less than half of what he's asking, but that was also 15 years ago. That car still needs a restoration at some level, and as you dig, I'm sure you'll find more and more. That's what happened with me. I started fixing stuff to drive it and realized that everything was just too far gone and I had to start from scratch. As I said, don't let the paint fool you, that's a rolling restoration project.

 

On the other hand, as everyone has said, it's a very worthy car. I've been driving both my '41 Limited and my '41 Cadillac 60S quite a bit lately, and I've said more than once that the absolute best old car would be the 60S with the Buick's engine in it. Voila! 1941 Buick Century. Fast, comfortable, competent, stylish. The best!

 

I'm not going to get into what was the first "muscle car" but the '41 has performance features that the '36 didn't, including dual carbs and cold air induction. It's like saying a 1970 Buick Skylark is a muscle car, but then parking it next to a 1970 GS. The same, but different, you know?

[smithbrother]

Now if I was selling this piece, I would NOT offer as BUY IT NOW, but instead list it as "RESERVE NOT MET", and see what kind of offers come in.

 

Potential is THERE, but at 15k, YOU really need to want it, again, INSPECT, INSPECT.

 

I would clean it up, put a ROAD rear gear in it, make it SAFE, and then ONE step at a time, DON'T make it a basket case. 

 

Dale in Indy

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Matt Harwood said:

That car is roughly the same condition as my 66S, although mine was in black primer, but don't let old paint fool you. I paid less than half of what he's asking, but that was also 15 years ago. That car still needs a restoration at some level, and as you dig, I'm sure you'll find more and more. That's what happened with me. I started fixing stuff to drive it and realized that everything was just too far gone and I had to start from scratch. As I said, don't let the paint fool you, that's a rolling restoration project.

 

On the other hand, as everyone has said, it's a very worthy car. I've been driving both my '41 Limited and my '41 Cadillac 60S quite a bit lately, and I've said more than once that the absolute best old car would be the 60S with the Buick's engine in it. Voila! 1941 Buick Century. Fast, comfortable, competent, stylish. The best!

 

I'm not going to get into what was the first "muscle car" but the '41 has performance features that the '36 didn't, including dual carbs and cold air induction. It's like saying a 1970 Buick Skylark is a muscle car, but then parking it next to a 1970 GS. The same, but different, you know?

Big engine, small body without splitting hairs!

[Dynaflash8]

2 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

That car is roughly the same condition as my 66S, although mine was in black primer, but don't let old paint fool you. I paid less than half of what he's asking, but that was also 15 years ago. That car still needs a restoration at some level, and as you dig, I'm sure you'll find more and more. That's what happened with me. I started fixing stuff to drive it and realized that everything was just too far gone and I had to start from scratch. As I said, don't let the paint fool you, that's a rolling restoration project.

 

On the other hand, as everyone has said, it's a very worthy car. I've been driving both my '41 Limited and my '41 Cadillac 60S quite a bit lately, and I've said more than once that the absolute best old car would be the 60S with the Buick's engine in it. Voila! 1941 Buick Century. Fast, comfortable, competent, stylish. The best!

 

I'm not going to get into what was the first "muscle car" but the '41 has performance features that the '36 didn't, including dual carbs and cold air induction. It's like saying a 1970 Buick Skylark is a muscle car, but then parking it next to a 1970 GS. The same, but different, you know?

Yes Matt, this Century does need a complete restoration.  As to the old paint, I just like that two tone green color combination, especially on a 2-door sedanette, and I have since I was a kid.  One in the neighborhood just set my 14 year old soul on fire, but in the end it was a sidemounted '39 Special with a full leather interior that was my first car.  I still own its duplicate today and I'm almost 78 years old. 

[Lawrence Helfand]

This is a charming cob by my standards and not close to rough. The body on it looks perfect and if the rockers and floors were intact I would call this example a winner. It does run and If it were the case that there are no repairs or rust out then one could rebuild the suspension for reasonable money and spend a chunk on a correctly done upholstery job and dash restoration and just polish out the paint and detail the rest while your driving it. I dont think its as rough as some here might see it. My car looked worse and and needed and still needs body /rocker work and a ton of chassis cleaning and a paint job. Personally I hate body work and wish mine were this straight and apparently rust free... Its a great start and possibly the most worthwhile example to hit the market in a very long time. Dont think its at all overpriced. I would say okay go buy the other one! This could be a very nice driver with huge investment value for todays market and the future. The 46S version will never go anywhere as an investment as many were made and survive.  You can buy one any day of the week but not a Century. Only the 42 66S is in this category with the last of the twin carbs and high compression motors. I love driving my 66S now and the three year 40K frame off restoration is for the next guy. Buy it for 15 put in 10 and your 25K will have been well spent. That is about what my investment is in mine and a bargain! 

[John_S_in_Penna]

10 hours ago, 2carb40 said:

... If my 1941 66S is the first factory muscle car, then where would you place the first Buick Century from 1936? ...

 

Good point, Mr. Carb!

Actually, we think of "muscle cars" only in regard to

what we remember.  Earlier generations of owners 

and collectors would probably tell you that Mercer Raceabouts

and Stutz Bearcats, and probably some forgotten other models,

were the sporty cars of their dreams.

 

If we didn't have all the old automotive records and

historical accounts, history would be forgotten even more.

[smithbrother]

How would a 36 and 41 compare in a drag race. 

 

I like them both, but wonder,

 

Just wondering,

 

Dale in Indy

[Matt Harwood]

I don't care about identifying muscle cars, but I'd put money on the '41. It's about 400 pounds heavier than the '36, but it has 35% more horsepower (165 vs. 120). Given the performance of my '41 Limited, which will pretty much keep up with my '41 Cadillac that's 800 pounds lighter with 150 horsepower and an automatic transmission, I think a '41 Century had to be the fastest pre-war production car of all. Some say the '41 Packards were fast, and maybe they were, but those I've driven didn't feel as strong as this Limited. I only drove my '41 Century about 40 miles before completely disassembling it and it was never fully healthy, so I don't have a good gauge from that, but I can imagine what 800 fewer pounds would do to this Limited.

 

I drive a lot of cars. A lot. I get a good feel for what they can and can't do, and while I don't abuse them, I do drive them as intended. It takes a lot to impress me these days, and every time I drive that Limited, I'm impressed. It accelerates UP hills, it charged from 20 MPH to 60 MPH in high gear in the span of a highway on ramp, and it ran away from a friend's 1938 Packard Super 8 convertible coupe without me even knowing we were racing and not using full throttle (I doubt I was even into the second carburetor). The sucker is STRONG. That kind of power in a package that weighs 800 pounds less would be a real joy to drive. That's the Century.

[smithbrother]

800 less pounds in a drag race is a big advantage..  800 pounds less at top end isn't that much a factor.. Top end is more wind issues.

 

Same HP, the Century and Limited at top end would be a close race, but standing start the Century would have a big advantage. IMO 

 

Of course rear gear ratio is key in both races.

 

Top end we always pumped the tire pressure up, and made sure brakes weren't dragging.   

 

Dale in Indy

[Dynaflash8]

7 hours ago, smithbrother said:

How would a 36 and 41 compare in a drag race. 

The '36 would do an honest 100 I've read, but the '41 was fast from the gitgo.  Great Buick historian, the late Terry Dunham wrote about winning drag races at the track in Michigan when he was young.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Dynaflash8 (see edit history)

[MCHinson]

I don't have any experience with a 1936 Century or a 1941 Century, but if my 1937 Century is any indication of how either one of them would respond I can say that they would both be pretty impressive. I really enjoy driving my 1937 Century. 

[alsancle]

First off,  I love the subject car of this thread.  The car itself has a very "honest" feel from the pictures.  Perhaps in person I might think differently.  I have no idea of the Buick market so I don't know if it is a good deal or not.

 

On the subject of prewar "musclecars".  There is no American car in stock form made before WWII that can hang with a Duesenberg.   The model J is basically a 1928 car, but a short chassis open car will blow just about anything else away.  You might be out in front up to about 70 or 80 mph until the guy driving the Duesenberg fights through the gears.   I have never driven a V16 Marmon but I understand that might be winning the race up to about 100mph.

[MichaelRyerson]

 

Did anybody ever talk to this guy?

[MichaelRyerson]

Guess not.