In May of 2022, a comprehensive, $160,000, three-year, nut- and-bolt restoration was completed on this 1958 Buick Special 46C Convertible, one of just 5,502 built that year. Emerging in Laurel Mist, one of four Spring Special Colors offered by Buick in 1958, the Buick has travel only about 1,400 miles since the restoration. The 364 CI Nailhead V-8 engine is backed by the original Dynaflow 2-speed automatic transmission, and it has been updated with a period-correct 4-barrel carburetor, with the original 2-barrel carburetor and intake manifold included in the sale. Equipped with power steering, factory heavy-duty power drum brakes and dual exhaust, the car offers various amenities including a power convertible top and a correct tissue dispenser. Rolling on wide whitewall tires with steel wheels that have been finished in red and topped with full-diameter polished hubcaps, this 1958 Buick Special 46C Convertible exhibits America’s love affair with chrome and brightwork in that era. For 1958, the Buick lineup ascended from the Special to the Century, the Super, the Roadmaster and the Limited. A bold departure from the styling of years prior, the 1958 Buick sported quad headlights and a seemingly never-ending assortment of chrome and brightwork; the more expensive the model, the more mirrored metal the car received. Riding on the same chassis as the 1957 and retaining the 364 CI V-8 that was introduced that year, the new 1958 Buicks were truly a summit of 1950s excess styling, rivaled only by the upper echelon models from Cadillac and Lincoln. For the year, Buick produced just over 240,000 cars, down substantially from just over 400,000 sold in 1957. While many point to the overt styling of the 1958 for sluggish sales, two very real factors played into Buick losing sales: one, Pontiac emerged in 1957 with a new emphasis on styling and performance that pushed Buick out of third place for 1957, and two, a fairly major recession hit the economy for 1958. Compare all of this to Buick selling more than 570,000 cars in 1956, and it’s obvious Buick was being hit by various forces on all sides.
