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1941 Buick Century Information 1941 was a banner year at Buick. Offering 26 different body styles on six different model lines (Special-A, Special-B, Super, Century, Roadmaster and Limited), it was the most complete lineup of automobiles Buick had ever offered. Styling had improved over the interim 1940 models most significantly by the gentle streamlining of the front end. Door hinges and runningboards disappeared, and the fenders were lowered. While the 1940 and '41 Buicks may initially look similar, placing them side-by-side, it becomes very clear which is which, with the 1941 cars having a more modern and muscular appearance.
Also new for 1941 was the new "torpedo" styling, a fastback body that eliminated the traditional trunk hump, and instead featured a graceful, curving roofline from the windshield back to the rear bumper. Offered in both 2-door and 4-door models and on the Special and Century lines (and shared with Pontiac and Cadillac), this popular styling set the trend at General Motors for the remainder of the 1940s.
The B-Series Special sedanettes rode on a 121-inch wheelbase, with a 248 cubic-inch engine making 115 horsepower with a single carburetor, and 125 horsepower with the dual carb option. A special 46-SSE model was introduced mid-year, offering the dual carbs and an upgraded interior from the Super class as standard equipment. Production of the 2-door Special sedanettes was 106,463. Since 1935, the Century had enjoyed a reputation as the fastest car in America, and it was never more true than in 1941. Sharing identical body panels with the Special 46, 46-S and 46-SSE the Century 66-S sedanette rode on a 126-inch wheelbase, with the extra 5 inches falling ahead of the A-pillar to accommodate the longer "Fireball" straight-8 engine. The longer wheelbase also offered a more streamlined appearance.
At 320 cubic inches, the Fireball Eight cranked out 141 horsepower with a single 2-barrel carburetor, and 165 with the dual carburetor option (15 more than even the top-of-the-line Cadillac). The dual carburetors were the forebears of today's 4-barrel carburetors, and featured a progressive linkage that allows the car to operate on one carburetor at low speed, and gradually adding the second carburetor as engine speeds increase. Combined with the big Buick's legendary smoothness, this motor powered the top Buicks for almost two decades, and was the choice of many drag racers in the late 1940s and beyond. The 1941 Century is often referred to as the grandfather of the modern muscle car. With the Century, Buick took the smaller Special sedanette body and combined it with the larger, more powerful 320 cubic-inch engine from the Roadmaster and Limited models. This is essentially the same formula used twenty years later in the creation of the Pontiac GTO in 1963: a full-size car engine in a mid-sized chassis. In fact, due to the war and the introduction of the automatic transmission in 1947, the 1941-42 Buicks were the most powerful cars in America until the early 1950s. 1941 and 1942 were the only years to offer the 165 HP dual carburetor straight 8. Post-war Buicks used single carburetors and never topped 150 HP until the introduction of the OHV V-8 engine in 1953. Publications of the day were quick to praise the '41 Century's acceleration and passing power. Though Buick never published top-speed information, they confidently stated that the Century could cruise effortlessly at 80 MPH all day, and still have plenty of power in reserve. Cadillacs, Packards and even the V-12 powered Lincolns were no match for the mighty Century.
A comparison of the 1941 Special and Century coupes E-mail me at toolman8@sbcglobal.net This page accessed Thanks, Fidget!
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