Chassis No. 16243498

Engine No. 14524937

Body No. 1643

Jim Taylor notes that his much-loved Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon was originally delivered to France. A French carte de grise on file indicates that the car was indeed first registered in that country in 1951, later being acquired in 1955 by one Robert Coron, who is believed to have taken it to Cameroon for use on his property there. At his retirement he moved to the South of France, taking the car with him, and at his death it was sold to an enthusiast in London who would use it to drive to polo matches and other events.

On one of his trips to England, Mr. Taylor stopped by the owner's showroom in Knightsbridge to admire the available inventory – and, spying the Buick, walked immediately past the more exotic inventory and "announced that the Buick was the one I was interested in." The owner was not ready to part with it, but for several years Mr. Taylor, with his typical dogged persistence, emailed regularly, checking up on the wagon. Finally, the two men connected in 2006 at the Pebble Beach Concours, as the owner had a very costly Maserati that he wanted Mr. Taylor to buy, with the long-pursued Buick thrown in for free to sweeten the deal. "I told him I wasn't interested in the Maserati," Mr. Taylor bemusedly recalls, "but now that he had finally come to terms with parting with the Buick, we should talk." They did, and the Estate Wagon was soon on its way to Gloversville – probably the first time it had been back to the States since its export as a new car in 1951.

The Buick now has 42,921 miles recorded and is in wonderful original condition. While the woodwork could benefit from refinishing, it remains very solid, with no signs of rot; even the inner mahogany veneer inserts, usually found warped on unrestored examples, are in fine order. The interior retains all of its original upholstery, including on the folding third-row rear seat, the paintwork on the dashboard, and even the original visors, headliner, and rubber floor mats! Because it has fortuitously escaped the restorer's touch, the wagon retains all of the wonderful little souvenirs of its well-traveled life, such as a 'Nerva' roof rack by Ollivier of Paris, a tinted Perspex sun visor produced in Lisbon, rope grab handles and a coat hanger, and grille badges from France and Cameroon. It is accompanied by a small file of service records, as well as a 1955 Buick instruction manual in French – one presumes the closest thing Monsieur Coron could find to a 1951 manual in his mother tongue.

There are other 1951 Buick 'woodies,' but few can claim this example's marvelous presentation, upkeep, and backstory, which all contribute to its considerable charm. It would be well-suited to one's vacation home, be it in Saratoga, the South