CarStory
Bill Losonski’s 1947 Buick Roadmaster convertible
Bill Losonski was born in 1928 and grew up on a farm near Ruthven, Ontario.
From as far back as he can remember, he has always been interested in cars, especially convertibles.
In early 1951, he was working for a Chev-Olds-Cadillac dealership in Brantford, Ont., when he spotted a beautiful 1947 Buick Roadmaster convertible on display in the showroom of the local Buick-Pontiac dealer. It was four years old but just like new with its gleaming maroon finish, sparkling chrome, and big wide whitewall tires.
A woman had purchased it new with a rare all-cloth interior (more practical on hot summer days with the top down) and took immaculate care of it before trading it in on another new car.
At the time, Bill was driving a nearly new 1950 Oldsmobile. He traded that plus $250 and got the convertible. Being a Roadmaster, it rode on a big and comfy 129-inch wheelbase and weighed 4345 pounds. Under the hood (which opened from both sides) was the legendary big Roadmaster straight eight engine with 320 cubic inches and 144 horsepower.
Soon after buying the car, Bill moved to Leamington, Ont., and brought the Buick with him. He owned it for only a few months because a Coronet TV dealer in nearby Windsor saw Bill’s convertible and wanted to buy it for his wife.
He made Bill an offer he couldn’t refuse. With the money this man paid for the convertible, Bill was able to go to a GM dealer in Essex and buy a brand new 1951 Olds with the Rocket V-8 engine.
Bill’s convertible sold new in the U.S. for $2651 and considerably more in Canada, where they were more rare than south of the border.
Buick sold more convertibles in 1947 than any other make, with 28,297 Supers and 12,074 Roadmasters for a total of 40,371, a testament to Buick’s stunning good looks.
The “airfoil” front fenders (sweeping along the side to the rear fenders) were a styling sensation, and the “gun-sight” hood ornament was another Buick trademark. The massive “waterfall” grille meant you could spot a Buick coming from half a mile away.
The city of Ottawa gave Barbara Ann Scott a new 1947 Buick convertible in honour of her fame as a figure skater. But she was still an amateur and could not accept it. The car was put into storage.
One year later, she was now a professional and won the world’s figure skating championship.
The city of Ottawa brought the one-year-old convertible out of storage, painted it a different colour, and gave it to her. It looked brand new because the ’48 Buicks were virtually identical to the ‘47s. Her license plate read “4U1.”
We want to say thank you to our readers who send in their stories. When a reader’s story is published in CarStory they receive a copy of Bill Sherk’s book “60 Years Behind the Wheel: The Cars We Drove in Canada 1900-1960”. To share your stories or photos e-mail bill@ carstory.com or write Bill Sherk, 33 Oak St. E., P.O. Box 10012, Leamington, ON N8H 2C3.
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