Big Brooklyn Buick

CATFISH SPECIAL

I was riding the old bike out in Bed Stuy recently when this I came upon this mighty vision:

Sweet! Here we've got a 1955 Buick Special convertible in Temple Gray. To find a 60 year old car of any variety parked on a Brooklyn street is pretty surprising, but a convertible? Impossible!

I featured a Buick of this vintage once before (a dirty lump crouched beneath the BQE). This one seems to be in daily use.

That frowning grill opening with those chrome points jutting out of the corners remind me of a bigmouth catfish. This whole beast look like it could be trawling along the ocean deep.

In person this car is enormous, weighing in at around 2 tons. It was able to get up over 100 miles per hour though thanks to the 264 Nailhead V8 introduced the year before. Those three trademark portholes on the front fender would be four on each side if this were the top of the line Century. That chrome side trim spear that angles downward in the back would be present on Buicks all the way through the late '70s.

I dig the eyelid! Too bad it's missing the passenger side.

I believe this cowl vent below the windshield provides fresh air for those days when the roof and windows need to stay up.

I didn't want to take too much time taking pics of the interior on this quiet street so all I got was this crummy reflective shot. It's enough to let us know that this ride came equipped with the clock and a radio. The seats actually looks salvageable since all the tears are along the seams.

Hey this girl's been around! Who knows what caused this damage but if it was a modern car I'd hate to see the other guy.
That single hole below the fuel filler door originally held the side trim which continued its downward angle to the front of the rear wheel well before swooping up along the opening to the top where it continued straight to the rear of the car.

You could easily get in the trunk and sit cross-legged.

Those bumpers are so massive that they look like architectural detail rather than auto trim.
From this view you can just make out the dotted line where that side trim would've been.

That swooping accent above the broken Special emblem looks like a detail left untouched from the designers original clay model. That and the hump above it are like a shout-out to the separate fenders and bodies from decades past.

Even though this thing is a huge brick it looks classy. It's in great shape for such an old ride. 

The trim was screwed back onto the body over they years but it still wasn't enough! At least we get a glimpse of the non-faded paint color beneath.

The Special was below the Century in stature but this car was still well appointed when new. Buick was the car GM wanted you to buy just before you were able to afford a Cadillac, so the overall comfort was well above Chevy and Pontiac, and slightly above Oldsmobile. With the top down cruising around this thing would be fantastic regardless!