1941 Buick Limited vs Cad 60 Special

[m-mman]

This well done comparison appeared in the most recent magazine of the Classic Car Club.
For those who are not a CCCA member I have posted it here for you to enjoy.

[jagbuxx #12944]

Thanks for posting a nice read for us.

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

Since the author owns both cars, he did a good job of pointing out the good qualities of each car. However, he completely overlooked the fact that the 60S was the last completely "near full custom" car built in the USA.

The options available were nearly limitless for the time. If Carl Steig had not been so hidebound stubborn about working on his 1933s, we might have seen one of the most fabulous 1941s ever built. (I spoke with Ted Raines recently and Ann still has it.)Terry Wenger may have out foxed him anyway, since HIS "full custom" had the advantage of a stash of NOS parts not seen in decades.

Electric/hydraulic windows, air conditioning, special carpeting, and upholstery choices up the ying-yang. Can you imagine after being shown the forty one Special Laidlaw swatches (Listed in the Master Parts Book) a diminutive dowager asking the Sales Manager that was assisting her, "But don't you have something just a "little bit more exclusive? I've run my fingertips (very lightly) over the material used in the 60S built for the wife of the President of the Southern Pacific, and it felt like fine doeskin.

I just took a quick glance at the description of these Laidlaw cloths and don't see anything that describes the above material, so there must have been even more choices than those listed. In any case, the luxury of the Series 90 Buick aside, the 41-60S topped them all.

[Matt Harwood]

I just saw that this had been posted--thanks for putting it up! I had a good time writing it and space in the club magazine is always tough to fill, so I was lucky enough to have both cars on hand for a comparison. And for those of you wondering, I just sold the 60S but will be keeping the Buick. Don't take it personally, I'll own another '41 Cadillac someday (and it'll be a Hydra-Matic), but having two black 1941 GM luxury sedans didn't make much sense and the Cadillac was the nicer car and easier to sell. My wife was angry, however, because she loved driving it. It will be sorely missed.

As for neglecting to mention how highly "customizable" the 60S was, well, that was kind of outside the scope of the article. Technically, you could get whatever you wanted in a Buick Limited as well, but it didn't seem to make a tangible difference in the essential elements of the two cars, particularly how they run and drive. A vast, vast majority of the cars out there were built with production fabrics, colors, and carpets. You could go crazy, yes, but for most people shopping for such a car today, they're not likely to see anything truly unusual, and it was for them that I really wrote the article. No doubt Cadillac offered all kinds of wonderful opportunities, but 99.9% of the 60 Specials out there were production cars. Besides, unusual colors and interiors often turn off today's buyers, even if such things can be documented. There's a reason everyone seems to want a bright Cranberry Red 1970 Chevelle SS454 instead of a Green Mist one.

Thanks for the kind words!

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

Matt, thanks for the follow up. I recently mentioned a SO (paint) 1941 Series 63 that was purportedly bought "out of dealer stock" at Capitol Cadillac in DC. The owner surmises that the original purchaser saw the car and didn't like the special colors he'd chosen from a swatch to buy it. The lady that did needed a car "right away" and bought the SO car instead of the black she wanted.

I still wish I could find that swatch of unfaded cloth I found on a burned out '41-60S in a junk yard in Plainfield, IN. I had checked the Laidlaw list in the parts book after I got it and couldn't find a match. The harmonizing color on the door panels was a faded out light color so I couldn't tell what it would have looked like, except it must have been spectacular.

You are correct in that most cars were standard. In checking the Master Parts Book, I found that there were "standard" 60S fabrics available already "made up" for quick installation. This included the wide wale gold/brown cord that I had in my 60S. I do have a complete seat covered in the blue/grey wide wale if anyone needs some patching material. (It had SO springs that are as hard as a rock and this is from the back seat cushion.) This fabric is in good shape and would possibly work on a worn front seat cushion.

[TMoore - NTCLC]

Seriously - special order seat springs - was there no limit??

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

Evidently not. Special springs were listed in the Special Features book. Why someone wanted so stiff a spring to sit on I don't know. I had a friend haul this cushion back from a trip to Hershey from a car Martin Blasinski was parting out back in the day when you still did such things.

[Jay Friedman]

Barry, this is off the subject, but Martin Blasinski was a great source of all sorts of Cadillac parts.  He always had a large assortment for sale at Hershey, including NOS mechanical and re-chromed body parts.  He also restored steering wheels for a moderate cost.  (Did he pass away?)   

Some years ago I needed a replacement manual transmission for my '49.  I asked him about this by phone and he replied that he had many and would bring one to Hershey which was a short time later.  He did so, but mistakenly brought a '38-'40 type when I, of course, need the '41-'53 type.  He told me it was not a problem since he had 50 of them back at his shop in the small town he lived in near Pittsburgh.  I drove there following Hershey, and to my pleasant surprise when he opened up the door to one of his several warehouses there were indeed at least 50 Cadillac manual transmissions lined up on the floor.  I picked a likely looking one (which is still in my car), after which he took me to lunch. 

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

Sadly, Martin and his brother Paul are both no longer with us. I spoke with his son a short time ago and he has sold all the parts. Martin was a great source of parts and knowledge in the Cadillac hobby. And he'd never go into a song and dance about how scarce a part was. You always knew that the price he gave was fair and the best he could do.

[Janousek]

That was a good article Matt.   Few people take the time to do a comparison like this.  Maybe it's the 42' 67 series that we bought last year coming out in me but I'd take that Buick in a heartbeat over the 60 series.  The roofline just looks right. 

[denniscaddy]

Many years ago I visited Martin in that little western PA town.  I bought a van load of parts, driving around town from building to building.  Martin seemed to know everyone, and even slipped a $20 bill to a guy who seemed hard up.  I had known Martin and his brother from flea markets for a long time.

There were few times when Martin needed a part for one of his cars, but once that happened, and I was able to supply a 41 part he needed.  He never forgot it, and treated me like a long-lost friend ever after.  He was a good guy, and an encyclopedia of Cadillac knowledge.