Buick Super 'Woodie' Station Wagon, 1953
Buick Super
Buick Super•
•50 views
Chassis No.: 16910515
€47,150 EUR | Sold
- One of only 1,830 built in 1953
- 5.3-litre V8 engine
- Automatic transmission
- Owned by Bernard Fornas since 2015
For a period in the 1920s the range consisted entirely of sixes and then at the end of 1930 Buick dramatically axed its six-cylinder models, adopting an all eight-cylinder range for 1931. Stylistically and mechanically, the Buick range was comprehensively revised for 1936, featuring 'turret top' styling and improved independent front suspension, and these revitalised straight-eights would carry Buick through to WW2 and indeed beyond, as its products of the immediate post-war years, like those of its major rivals, were revised 1942 models.
The first significant post-war styling changes arrived in 1949 and then in 1950 the famous 'bucktooth' range was introduced, so called because of its bold vertical grille bars. Vertical grille bars had characterised Buicks for some time but the 1950 line-up took this to extremes. The following year saw this styling device assume less exaggerated proportions before disappearing completely on the restyled 1955 range, by which time the old inline engine had been replaced by a new overhead-valve eight of 'V' configuration. For 1953 there were four models in the middle-priced Super line-up, the rarest, with only 1,830 built, being the four-door, six-seater Station Wagon.
The Roadmaster's new 322ci (5.3-litre) overhead-valve V8 was standard on the Super range for 1953. The 'Woodie' station wagon, with its characteristically half-timbered body, ranks alongside the pickup truck as a quintessentially American vehicle. The style originated in the 1930s, its popularity peaking in the immediately post-war decades, though the look has been periodically revived by manufacturers on both sides of the Atlantic ever since. Towards the end of the 1950s the Woodie became the vehicle of choice among California surfers, who appreciated its ability to carry several passengers and their boards.
Surfer pop bands The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean both referred to them in hit singles, thereby enshrining the Woodie's cult status. It has also featured in countless movies. Sadly, many were cut down or scrapped when the body timbers rotted, and the relatively few survivors are both highly prized and increasing in value. This car's body is the work of the Ionia Manufacturing Company, which was contracted to build all Buick's station wagons from 1949 to 1953. This charming Buick 'Woodie' Station Wagon was purchased by Mr Fornas in April 2015 from Mendham Motors Inc of Gladstone, New Jersey, USA. It was described in an advertisement as a 'former AACA National First Prize Winner'.
Since purchase the car has been regularly maintained by Mr Fornas' trusted mechanic, though it has never needed major work and is very well presented indeed.
"We are delighted and honoured to receive this endorsement from one of the world's outstanding leaders in luxury, design and style. This joint venture goes beyond commerce into the realms of art and emotion: it's a partnership that combines business excellence and the best of taste on both sides. As a boy in the 1950s, driving around Morocco with his father in Alfa Romeos and American cars, Bernard fell in love with the refined GTs being produced in the USA and in Europe during that golden age for car design. Many kids dreamt they might own one of those cars someday. Bernard Fornas, however, fulfilled that dream abundantly in his extraordinary working life: he would acquire them all.
Bernard Fornas's career could be taught in business schools as a masterclass. It blended marketing acumen with a deep respect for heritage and innovation and added firm ethical principles. He joined Cartier in 1994 as international marketing director, becoming CEO in 2002 and leading the brand through economic turbulence while maintaining its exclusivity and prestige. In 2013, Bernard Fornas became Co-Chief Executive of Richemont, overseeing brands like Chloé, Alaïa, and Dunhill. Founded in Paris in 1847, Cartier was described by King Edward Vll as "jeweller of kings and king of jewellers" and supplied every crowned head of Europe.
Under Bernard Fornas, Cartier was led by to unprecedented heights. He spearheaded global expansion, especially into emerging markets like China, Russia, and the Middle East. Moving in the most elevated social and business circles, silver-haired and immaculately tailored, Bernard Fornas said of this period, "I live on planes". Believing that luxury and exclusivity is about innovation and emotional resonance, not just price tags, he advocated for ethical sourcing, refusing to buy rubies from Burma due to human rights concerns and opposing the trade in blood diamonds.
The cars in this consignment thus embody the glittering qualities of the top luxury brands Bernard Fornas championed throughout his working life - exclusivity, outstanding design and engineering, deep cultural significance. BonhamslCars are, therefore, proud to present to the global marketplace Mr Fornas' exquisitely curated collection of motorcars. Meanwhile, buyers can take pleasure in acquiring the painstaking choices of a man who is renowned for utterly impeccable taste and an unsurpassed reputation for appreciating excellence and beauty."
Cost
198,495 AED
