HomePick of the DayPick of the Day: 1934 Buick 66 Series rumble-seat coupe

Pick of the Day: 1934 Buick 66 Series rumble-seat coupe

Car was restored in the ‘70s and driven only little since then

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The Pick of the Day is an American classic that comes with an interesting history. The car is a 1934 Buick 66 Series rumble-seat coupe that was purchased in the late 1960s and was restored to show-winning quality. It even was featured on the cover of the AACA’s national magazine one month.

However, notes the Essex, Connecticut, dealer advertising the car on ClassicCars.com, “in the early ‘80s the owner suffered some major health issues and was no longer able to drive this or any of his other collector cars.”

So the owner started selling, but in that era there weren’t as many auctions or other avenues for such sales and it wasn’t until 2004 that the car was sold to its current owner, who happened to live in the same Connecticut community.

“Unfortunately, the car had been sitting since the mid-’80s,” the dealer reports. “The current owner got the car up and running and has driven her regularly, probably 500-800 miles a year locally.”

The dealer adds that the current owner is a collector who enjoying driving his vehicles.

“He maintains them but hasn’t restored any of them. This car fits that mold exactly, it’s been brought back, cleaned up, enjoyed and minor work done here and there to keep her on the road.”

The Buick has fender-mount spares on both sides, seats upholstered in “heavy duty leather,” heater, fog lamps, and a rear-mounted trunk for luggage. The engine is the original and rebuilt 278cid straight-8 rated at 100 horsepower and linked to a manual transmission.

The Standard Catalog of American Cars notes that for 1934, Series 60 Buicks got new, inch-longer chassis and a new and more powerful engine. It also notes that only 253 of the rumble-seat coupes were produced that year.

“She starts right up and idles smoothly, she does smoke a little on startup but that fades as she warms up,” the dealer says. “The clutch is a little tight and grabs quickly, but once you’re driving her, you get used to it pretty quickly and she really is a comfortable, fun car to cruise in.

“Most of this car is in solid, good condition. Under the hood is respectable, a little oily but could be cleaned up and detailed to look better than she does. The undercarriage is also very solid and clean but not concours painted clean, the glass is all in very good condition, not delaminating or cracked.


“The biggest shortcoming is the paint. Repainted in lacquer in a deep red back in the late ‘60s-early ’70s, it has now cracked and chipped with age as lacquers are known to do. From 10 feet she looks pretty good; get closer and all those imperfections show up.

“I feel that with some deep cleaning and detailing, metal polishing, etc., this car could be brought up quite a bit. Would you take home trophies as the previous owner did? Probably not but people will still gather round and enjoy seeing this wonderful old car.

“She is turnkey and can be jumped in and driven and enjoyed without needing anything major. Clean her up, detail her and repaint her, and you’d be back on the concours greens again.”

This classic is being offered for $31,000. 

To view the listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

11 COMMENTS

  1. i don,t hold much hope, however i do have 40.000 Australian dollars i can offer for this car landed in Port Melbourne ,Australia. At 83 years of age this car is identical in every wya to one that my grandfather owned in yhe 1940s @ who raised ma as a child and i would dearly love to be able to purchase it.
    with thanks, Don davey
    32 eardley st
    launceston, tasmania.7249
    Ph. 0407801995. email

  2. If he would entertain 27,000 on this car I’d buy it I have to have it shipped which of course I don’t know how much but I would take it as is no questions asked trusting that you are telling the truth about how it runs let me know If he would entertain 27,000 on this car I’d buy it I have to have it shipped which of course I don’t know how much but I would take it as is no questions asked trusting that you are telling the truth about how it runs let me know

    If he would entertain 27,000 on this car I’d buy it I have to have it shipped which of course I don’t know how much but I would take it as is no questions asked trusting that you are telling the truth about how it runs let me know

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