1939 Buick Roadmaster Series 80 Sport Phaeton

1939 Buick Roadmaster Series 80 Sport Phaeton brings a scarce, body-specific open-car story to Buick’s catalogue. This profile explains its history, specification, production scope and collector significance with named sources and credited photographs.

Record: BUI-021 · Buick · 1939 · High.

1939 Buick Roadmaster Series 80 Sport Phaeton: history and background

The 1939 Roadmaster Sport Phaeton put Buick’s large straight-eight and a four-door open body into an imposing prewar automobile. GM’s collection record connects the Roadmaster to the year’s Indianapolis 500 pace-car role. The yellow pace-car presentation in the photograph illustrates that association, while the profile covers the factory phaeton model rather than a second, separately counted pace-car edition.

Specifications and production scope

Design and engineering

Buick’s waterfall grille, long hood and large passenger compartment create a different character from a two-seat roadster. GM highlights the introduction of turn signals and a steering-column gearshift in its account of the year. The 320-cubic-inch engine and four-door open layout are the important model characteristics; accessories and display paint do not define an extra production series.

Model identity and rarity

The production evidence needs an explicit qualification. GM gives 311 Roadmaster phaetons, while the Classic Car Database and an auction record give 364 for the 39-81C Sport Phaeton. The figures agree on a small, qualifying body-specific production scope but do not establish a reconciled exact tally. This article therefore retains both figures and leaves the exact production field unset.

Collector significance

The car’s significance comes from the combination of an uncommon open body, substantial Buick mechanical specification and a visible place in prewar American motoring. A documented chassis and body identity are more useful than choosing the smaller of two published figures to make the car sound rarer. This is a single canonical model profile, with its count disagreement preserved for later research.

Compare related verified Buick profiles

Read this 1939 Roadmaster Series 80 Sport Phaeton beside the 1938 Buick Century Convertible Coupe 66-C and 1941 Buick Roadmaster Convertible Phaeton 71C to place its four-door convertible sport phaeton, model 39-81c in context. The related entries retain their own years, model identities and production scopes, so their figures are not added to this record.

• 1938 Buick Century Convertible Coupe 66-C
• 1941 Buick Roadmaster Convertible Phaeton 71C
• 1959 Buick Electra 225 Convertible

Frequently asked questions

Were 311 or 364 built?

GM gives 311, while other named references give 364. The exact tally remains unresolved; both refer to a qualifying low-production phaeton scope.

Is the pace car a separate profile here?

No. The image illustrates the Roadmaster’s pace-car association within this model profile and does not add another production count.

What does 39-81C identify?

It is the model designation used for the 1939 Series 80 Roadmaster Sport Phaeton, a four-door open body.

Why is the Roadmaster Series 80 Sport Phaeton included as a rare Buick?

GM states 311; other references state 364 model 39-81C cars. Exact tally unresolved; both scoped totals are below 7,500. The scope is tied to this specific year, body or original project. It does not confer the same rarity on every car carrying the broader Roadmaster name, and it does not describe how many survive today.

What records help identify an individual Roadmaster Series 80 Sport Phaeton?

Begin with the documented year and four-door convertible sport phaeton, model 39-81c. Read the original model/body identification and surviving factory or collection records together. Record replacement components and restoration work separately. For a concept or racing car, its physical-car provenance is especially important; for an optioned production model, retain the equipment paperwork.

What photographs and credits accompany this profile?

The bundled photograph is retrieved from named Wikimedia Commons file records. Each image has a visible photographer or archive credit, its own licence link and an accurate subject caption. The pictures illustrate the documented model; they do not establish ownership, present condition or every component’s originality.

Sources and photo credits

Production figures retain the scope and qualifications of the named references. Manufacturer and museum records establish project identity; auction and historical model references supply additional body-specific context.

• GM Heritage — 1939 Roadmaster Series 80 Phaeton, 311 figure
• Classic Car Database — 1939 model 39-81C, 364 figure
• Mecum — documented 1939 Roadmaster Sport Phaeton listing, 364 figure

Photo: German Medeot / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0. No local cropping, retouching or content removal. A source-supplied size variant is used where available.