Discovering a Forgotten Treasure: 1938 Buick Comes Out Of The Barn After 30 Years, All-Original Survivor

The 1938 Buick was a popular car during its time, and it remains a classic among vintage car lovers today. It was part of Buick’s Special line, which was introduced in 1936 as a lower-priced alternative to their more luxurious models.

There’s something captivating about discovering an abandoned car, a treasure that has been lost and forgotten for years. The thrill of the hunt and the excitement of uncovering a hidden gem are what make “barn finds” so fascinating. And when the car in question is a 1938 Buick, the story becomes even more compelling.

This particular Buick was discovered in the early 1990s in a repair shop, where it had been sitting untouched for 30 years. The owner of the car was a father-son team, who had started to work on the car with the intention of restoring it to its former glory. Sadly, the father passed away, and the son lost the drive to complete the project without him.

Fast forward three years, and the son decided to let the car go. It was then that the Buick saw the light of day for the first time in three decades. Surprisingly, the car was in remarkable condition for having been off the road for so long. The original paint, interior, and chrome were all intact and in excellent shape, showing that this Buick had been well cared for in its early life.

The 1938 Buick was part of the second-generation of the Buick Special line. It was a large, four-door sedan that featured a 107-inch wheelbase and a 248 cubic inch inline-eight engine that produced 107 horsepower. It was a powerful car in its day, capable of reaching speeds of up to 90 miles per hour. Initially displacing 221 cubic inches (3.6 liters), the straight-eight grew to 320 cubic inches (5.2 liters) toward the end of its life cycle. This specific Buick features the 248-cubic-inch (4.1-liter) “Dynaflash” version, which Buick had introduced in 1937.

Buick sold over 130,900 Specials that year, including nearly 80,000 sedans like this one. Despite the fact that they produced a large number of them, 1938 Buicks are rarely seen on the road nowadays. Therefore this automobile is unquestionably worth repairing.