All-new styling with a graceful waterfall grille distinguished the 1939 Buicks, of which the Special was the smallest and lowest-priced model.
The Special was available in a range of configurations, both two- and four-door and with fixed or folding tops, and rode on a 120" wheelbase with "Bui-Coil" spring rear suspension. It was powered by Buick's Dynaflash straight-eight engine, an overhead valve design in an era when most manufacturers were still using flathead mills.
While the bigger, more expensive Buicks that year used a 320 cubic inch version, the Dynaflash Eight in the Special displaced 248 cubes and its Turbulator pistons squeezed the air-fuel mixture with a 6.0:1 compression ratio to make 107 SAE gross horsepower.
Among the more interesting options available was a sliding sunroof, called the "Sunshine Turret Top" in the ad copy of the day.
The Permanent Red Special Model 41 five passenger sedan in the photos would have been the sort of car a white-collar worker or professional would have driven if they weren't of sufficient means to roll around in a LaSalle or Cadillac. The base starting price in 1939 was $996, or about $22,760 in constant dollars.
The one in the photos was snapped in June of 2021 using a Canon EOS 5DS and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.
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