The 1949 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon was the rarest of the 1949 Buick place wagons , with only 653 made – including 21 that were build for export . Overall , only 2,500 station wagons were built .
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The 1949 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagons were also the most expensive at $ 3,734 . That ’s $ 500 more than the next costliest example , the $ 3,203 Riviera . It was also the heaviest at 4,490 lbs . – a fact that Buick ad for the Estate during that geological era proudly target out : " Four coil - springed roulette wheel and good heftiness that level the miles with majestic smoothness . "
Also newfangled for 1949 were two design element that would become Buick hallmarks : sweepspear side chrome moldings and VentiPorts . The former found their way onto a few later 1949 cars and then went on to be used through the 1950s . The latter , called " mouseholes " by some , would be used by Buick off and on in various forms flop into the 1980s .
As used on the 1949 models , VentiPorts were pear-shaped and rode on the front fenders . Supers got three per side , while the top - of - the - air Roadmasters were fitted with four .
Other identification points on the 1949 Buicks included the toothy grille , first seen on the 1942s ; the " bombsight " bonnet ornament , which harked back to the 1940 Y - Job show car ; and the Dynaflow handwriting on the rearward fender , which referred to the torque converter automatic transmittal that Buick debuted in 1948 and was stock on all 1949 Roadmasters .
Roadmasters shared GM ’s C - trunk weapons platform , riding a 126 - in . wheelbase and quantify 214.125 in . overall . They were power by Buick ’s biggest valve - in - head consecutive eight , a 320.2 - three-dimensional - inch unit of measurement that cranked out 150 bhp on a 6.9:1 condensation ratio . Full bike dress discs and fender annulus add together a touch of elegance to an already classy crinkle of automobiles .
The Roadmaster Estate ( model 79R ) was still a woody , although its Ionia dead body used far less forest than earlier wagons . Inside , mahogany veneer panels and leather upholstery rig the tone . storey and cargo area were carpet , of row .
