1939 Buick 90 Limited Touring Sedan Amazing Original Car Biggest Buick made

The Buick Limited was Buick's flagship model line between 1936 and 1942, and, in celebration of GM's Fiftieth Anniversary, a single-year halo car for the Division in model year 1958. Since the 1960s Buick has intermittently used the term "Limited" as a designation denoting its highest level of trim and standard features in its various model ranges.

The original line given the Limited nameplate, topped by an extended-wheelbase limousine, was in direct competition with Cadillac senior sedans for clientele, which wanted a GM luxury car but regarded Cadillac as "ostentatious" or "flamboyant" in contrast to Buick's reputation for durable, reliable, and staid premium vehicles.

The 90 Limited shared its chassis with the top-level Cadillac Series 70 vehicles. Buick had released a new line of cars that were technically superior to their predecessors by offering such features as all-steel passenger compartment tops (GM's Turret Top design), improved front suspension, improved hydraulic safety braking system, alloy engine pistons and an improved engine cooling system. In 1938, the wheelbase was stretched 2 inches from 138 to 140 inches and the Limited, along with Roadmaster, lost its wooden structural members for steel, making them the last Buick passenger cars to rely upon wood components.

In 1939, Buick products underwent a substantial redesign; however, the Limited's "limited" production merited it to continue using its 1938 body. The 1939 Limited offered a sectioned rear compartment separating the driver from the rear passengers, and an optional glass partition could be raised to provide privacy. AM radios were first offered as an option. Behind the scenes, Cadillac executives lobbied to get the Limited out of production because it infringed on their market. While it was priced in the lower end of its Fleetwood series price point, the Limited was listed at US$2,453 but almost equaled Cadillac's factory built Imperial Touring Limousine, which cost almost four times as much as the Buick, in its appointments. Buick executives asserted that Limited production averaged only 1,561 vehicles per year for model years 1938 through 1940, an insignificant amount compared to Cadillac's production of its senior cars.

This exceptional Original Unrestored example is one of the finest unrestored cars we have encountered from this era. The paint is pretty amazing really for its age, with no major flaws noted and only a slight amount of buff through or crazing. The interior is really almost too good to be original and may have been reupholstered at some point in time, - the headliner, door panels and moss tread carpets are definitely original, however. The chrome and other plating is exceptional. Its just a really really nice car.

It starts right up runs almost silently and shifts and stops as it should. This is a very rare opportunity to get a time capsule example of the biggest Buick ever made!