Restored 1953 Roadmaster w/Rare Factory A/C !

Price: US $6,650.00 Item location: Reston, Virginia, United States
Description:

1953 Buick Roadmaster

1953 Buick Roadmaster Riviera with ultra-rare first year A/C! Also has PS, PB, A/T, radio, heater, much more. WWW are only a fewyears old.
322 CID (5.25L) V-8 @188 HP. Top Speed: 90+ MPH (70 MPH sustained)
85% restored; driven weekly.
Comes with a bunch of spare mechanical parts (incld. Dynaflow II tranny) and trim pieces, taken from a rust-free AL parts car, that occupy three big metal shelves in my shop. Any part not shown on the car -- as, the clear plastic A/C tubes that goon each side of the rear package shelf -- will come with it.
I bought this car in Spring 2007, sitting lightly vandalized in a back lot on Staten Island, NY. I have since refreshed the engine, totally overhauled the brake, ignition, and fuel systems, re-cored the radiator, and given it new tires, a new headliner, and door upholstery panels. The green-on-green paint scheme was year-available.
Moving, lost my storage. Clear VA title.
Contact Robert with any questions. Will considerfull or partialtrade fora 1934-42 two-door car. Serious inquires only, please.
BACKGROUND:
1953 was Buick's 50th anniversary year, so the division pulled out all the stops both technically and stylistically. It ditched its old Straight Eight in favor of a shorter and lighter V-configured engine, introduced A/C as a $600 (!) option, and put the dazzling Skylark show car into limited production. The public snapped up a whopping 493,000 Buicks, good for a lifetime-best third place in the industry.
This particular car was built in Buick's Linden, NJ plant, late in the model year. Rivieras rode a 4" longer wheelbase than other Roadmasters, and were even better-appointed. Predictably, this car was loaded with factory goodies, incld. a clock, two-tone paint, backup lights, windshield washer, and more.
In 1953 only about 1 in 240 U.S. cars -- including this one -- were given factory air. GM limited the installation of its clunky, expensive A/C units to Cadillacs and the highest-end Buicks and Olds models. Chilled air was generated at the front of the car, passed back to an evaporator in the trunk, then distributed under the headliner to outlets located above each seat.
Buicks were the traditional choice of doctors, attorneys, and successful businessmen, and so this one must have been. Its sticker price (with options) was at least $4,800 - more than half of what a decent house in the suburbs cost! Evidence suggests that someone drove this car into midtown Manhattan at least once a week.