1948 Buick Streamliner by Norman E. Timbs
Curves like these inspire poetry. The 1948 Buick Streamliner by Norman E. Timbs is a muse in the world of classic cars, an automobile from a time when curvy was most desirable in the eyes of men. Looking at a car like this makes one lament the slim, simple direction human attraction has gone, when the cars and cover girls leave plenty to be desired in the most important aesthetic quality– shape. This classic Buick Streamliner is in pristine condition, restored by Dave Crouse for the 2010 Concours d’Elegance. Its original construction took over two years, built with an aluminum body around a steel chassis. Not only is it unlikely you’ll ever see this beauty on the road, it’s likely that you’ll never see it on the auction block. A car like this is far too rare, too beautiful that any owner could ever want to pass it up– no matter the price. [via supercars.net]
I can’t describe adequately how designs like this excite my eye. What happened to radical styling ?
Wow.
Just, wow.
If it weren’t for the shot with the studio lights & camera gear, I’d swear this was a render of some concept car that never made it into production!
Oh my….you just long to touch it, to let your hand glide along it.
Coca-cola knows how that shape invites touch – they still use the classic green bottle in all their ads. I can still feel the weight, the smoothness, the coolness of the bottle in my hand after all these years.
Today’s designers know about in-your-face impact – the boxes and the truncated greenies and the big grills. In fact, ALL designers, of everything, go for the punch, the sex, the shock.
They have forgotten the lure of sensuality, of joy, and of beauty.
Thanks for posting this article and the pictures. That was lovely.
Very awesome. I agree with all the above posts, but I do get the strange feeling that this car was based off of a cockroach.
This is gorgeous! The rear end reminds me of an Auto Union record car from the 1930s!
What an incredible design this is!! Interesting, and yet effective, is the reverse of proportions shown with this car: long rear deck and very short hood.
As a retired car styler of 40+ years in the business, it makes me wonder where I’ve been since I’d never seen (nor heard of) this car before.
This model maximizes sleek sensuality in every line. It is hard to look at these photos without an intense desire to just slide your hands over the surfaces of the car. I love it!
TO BAD
the designer got so terribely confused about what is the front and what is the rear of this beautyful automobile.
Just turn the seats. steering wheel and dash 180 degrees and put the car into production. Could probabely be maneuvered with rear wheel steering too.
Einar in Norway.
I´m madly in love….
My Grandpa owned a 1952 Buick Special, 4-door hardtop. That car was beautiful. Now, *this* Streamliner is not only the obvious inspiration for later Buicks (at least up until the disheartening debut of the 1955 model), but is the car that Batman *should* have driven — very carefully.
Given its relative airfoil shape, I have to wonder at how much lift it would have created?? That was a problem with many similarly shaped land speed record cars, that they would lift at speed and lose stability. Beautifully restored/created and certainly unique. Definitely NOT my dad’s 47 Buick Roadmonster!
Sure looks like a Harley J. Earl design to me!
Looks like something GOD would want to ride in.
A beauty to look at,entry without grab handels would leave ugly hand and foot marks everywhere. and possibly a broken windshield upon exit.
This is truly a ” WOW ” vehicle,to say the least.
Warning though ….don’t let JAY LENO see this or else he will buy it for his collection .
They should try to put a SEMI look a like into production for todays autos.
I’m certain it would be a hit what with all of todays modern equipment that comes with most of the expensive vehicles, not to mention it’s beautiful styling ,it truly belongs in todays classics or the near future classics to come .
Thanks for allowing us to view this beautiful vehicle .
I prefer the 1948 Roadmaster Convertible, being a 1948 model myself. It was always my favorite car as a child and still is.
I want to say something worthy of this incredibly beautiful car… but all I can say is WOW.
There were a number of beautiful “streamliners” in the 1930′s: the DelaHaye, the Delange, my own favorites are the 1935 Talbot Lago, and the 1938 Alpha Romeo (built for the Italian Milla Miglia). But this is extraordinary, aluminum body, ultra low drag (obviously an engineer’s eye, contrary to Einar from Norway, this is the low drag flow direction, one-seventh of what it would be if your turned it around).
What a delightful piece, how wonderful that it has been restored.
Mechanic’s nightmare. Designers should be forced to work on their creations, they would turn out better.
Sex on wheels, to be sure!
awesome design – very beautiful curves
great job on the restauration !
It’s a rear engine I guess. I’d love a shot of the works under the hood.
Looks a bit like Donald Campbell’s “Bluebird” world land-speed record car of the 50s
I’ve got six bits sez this car was made AFTER the year 2000, and if it’s all aluminum, good, but it’s likely fibreglas. Yes, the interior has some pre-war touches (the shift lever for example) but no, that’s NOT a pre-war car. Beautiful, yes, certainly. Old, no.
Bill, I agree that something is wrong with this restoration.
For me, it’s the upholstery that is off. During that time no one did the stitching. A large mass of leather was the cats meow. This looks like a hot rod.
It could be aluminum. Kaiser was pushing that material right after WWII. They even had a car for a few years. Lot’s of research had been done during WWII to use light weight materials in planes and rockets.
I think the long back was to act as foil to keep the car on the ground since I’m sure it had a powerful engine.
I was at a site a few months ago, and I saw the pictures of the restoration, and Yes the BODY is all alum., and it was built back in the 40′s I think, it was hammered out on wood bucks , it has a straight 8 behind the seat conected to the rear axel, the car was this red when first done, then it was painted a white, for some reason I dont recall, It was a home built car, nothing factory in the build, I for one think this is a very cool car
Beautiful, beautiful!
Looked at in profile, the builder may well have been influenced by the shape of R. Buckminster Fuller’s “Scarab” rear-engine cars of the mid-’30′s.
Eddie