1946 Buick Special Series 8/40
Feb/Mar 2022
SAM CHARLWOOD
Photographs Tony Sheffield
WHEN IT WAS NEW Price: $US1550 | Engine: 4.1-litre straight-eight petrol | 0-100km/h: 20 seconds | Top speed: 110km/h
IT’S BIG, IT’S BEAUTIFUL, IT’S BUICK’ – and for the past 15 years, this very regal Buick Special has been Geoff Dowe’s labour of love.
Catchy 1940s marketing rhetoric aside, the Exeter resident admits the American four-door sedan was never at the top of his prospective classic car wish list. But a phone call from his late brother, Richard Dowe, in 2006, changed that. “My elder brother lived in Canberra, and he and I have always had old cars. He rang me one day and said, ‘I’ve found you a car’.
It was sitting at a lot in Cooma,” Geoff explains. “There was no particular reason for buying a Buick, we just liked old cars.”
After some to-ing and fro-ing with the dealer, the brothers picked up the sprawling sedan a few months later. Richard busily began sourcing new parts not long after the purchase, setting Geoff on a restoration path he is still happily pursuing today.
“The car was all done up underneath, and the floors were terrific – but other areas needed attention,” Geoff says. “The connection to my brother, who passed away in 2007, means there’s a bit of an emotional attachment with the car now. I have been working on it, bit by bit. First it was the gearbox, which was making this ‘thumper thumper’ noise, and then I moved on to other areas.
“You could just keep going, and everything starts at 500 bucks. Some nights you’re eating sausages,” Geoff jokes.
Once the domain of upwardly mobile businessman and politicians, the Buick Special made a name in the US via clever advertising and flash ornamentation, including the signature vertical bar grille and gunsight hood mascot.
Introduced in 1936, the Buick Special was largely unchanged through the ’40s as the US entered World War II and stopped building cars to focus on war machinery.
In Australia, the Buick Special helped inspire the pioneering locally built Holden 48-215’s design. Holden is believed to have imported about 2000 Buick Special Series 8/40 four-door chassis/body panels, completing final assembly locally. As the world emerged from post-war austerity, Holden went on to become its own manufacturing force.
There is no ownership history of Geoff’s Buick Special, though his knowledge of the vehicle is extensive – owed in part to those running repairs and upgrades.
A 4.1-litre straight-eight petrol engine delivers 110 brake horsepower, driving through a three-on-the-tree column shift transmission with synchro on second and top. Twelve-inch drum brakes ensure faithful stopping ability.
Coil-sprung at each corner, Geoff says his electric blue sedan is a consummate cruiser during weekly drives around the Highlands, offering a pillowy ride and the kind of lazy torque synonymous with eight-cylinder power. Large springy seats complement the seamless on-road passage, and the symmetrical dashboard, replete with a large clock on the passenger side, upholds the art deco design theme.
Geoff registered the car annually until 2020, when he put it on historic plates using his membership with the Vintage Sports Car Club of Australia.
“It will do 50mph [80km/h] without any problems whatsoever,” says Geoff. “It’s got a lot of torque, and on a flat road there’s no real need to change gears.”
Locals regularly comment on the unmissable Buick when it is taken out on a drive. For many, it conjures memories of family, or just simpler times. For Geoff, the sedan brings a smile to his face – well, most of the time.
“I wouldn’t take it much outside the environs of Bowral. I wouldn’t want to take it to Sydney, for example,” he laughs. “I enjoy it though. It’s really just a lot of fun.”
February / March 2022 (PDF Download)
Relive the beauty of the Southern Highlands with this digital back issue of Highlife.
Sustainable glamour
Andrew Parker wanted contemporary not Cotswolds when he came looking for a home in the Highlands, and he found his perfect match. He explains how he’s made Catalina even more fun and functional.
Koalas for keeps
Find out how landowners are working to protect and increase koala habitat to build the 3000-strong Southern Highlands koala population.
Where plants help people grow
A lockdown-inspired boost in gardening interest proved a boon for Welby Garden Centre, which has been growing strong since 2016. But its main success goes beyond selling plants.
Leafy and lush
A Japanese-inspired koi pond proved a major attraction for the new owners of a Burradoo garden. Soft-foliaged woodland plants add to Elouera’s tranquillity.
Strudel awakening
When Austrian-born Katarina Ferro wanted to stop commuting she started her own business by cooking the comfort cuisine she knows best. Anyone for strudel?
By George
On the December day when Huw Kingston launched his sea kayak in Lake George, the vast lake was as full as it had been in a quarter of a century. Six years ago it was completely dry.
Nursery tales
A century ago, Exeter was a hub for commercial nursery gardens, including two owned by well-known plantsmen Arthur Yates and Frederick and John Searl.
Ride time, right place
After a COVID cancellation in 2020 and a postponement in 2021, cyclists finally got on their bikes for the fifth annual Bowral Classic.
Escape
STAY The Somerton Collection, High Range
PRODUCER Foodies delight in The Southern Highlands Food & Wine Festival
WEDDING Dreams come true at Montrose House, Sutton Forest
INSTA STAR Textile artist Jasper Fearnley remembers her Robertson childhood
This is a virtual product. Upon purchase, you’ll receive instant access to download the magazine as a PDF. A secure download link will also be sent directly to your email, so you can revisit and enjoy your issue anytime.
