1948 Buick Roadmaster HEARSE AMBULANCE

This is a extremely rare Hearse with only a few known left to exist! This is the identical Hearse that Neil Young drove around to gigs for many years that was nicknamed "Mort." Neil Young has a popular song named "Long May You Run" that is about the 48 Roadmaster Hearse. This Hearse is just out of long term ownership from a beautiful Buick collection that had about 50 classic Buicks properly stored and cared for. I shared this car with a local Hearse club and they could not believe when they saw it. When restored it was "pro toured" with a ton of money in recent upgrades and also was driven in the 2018 Great Race that was over 1,000 miles long! It was also driven from Florida to Canada and many shows around the country. It has a healthy 455CI Big Block V8 that was bored 0.40 over. It also has power steering, 4 wheel power disc brakes, ice cold Vintage Air, dual exhaust, 700 R4 automatic transmission, Mark V 9 inch rear end, Camaro subframe and many suspension upgrades. Also, aftermarket working cruise control, custom autometer gauges, tilt steering, Pioneer stereo, cold air and hot heat. This engine runs and sounds great! The engine does not overheat at all. The automatic transmission shifts through all gears nice and smooth. Of course, it is highway ready as this car rides very comfortable. The steering is nice, straight and handles the road nicely. This car gets thumbs up and attention everywhere it goes. If you stop at the gas station you will have a crowd around it taking pictures. This is a California car which is very clean. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1948-Buick...968404?hash=item4221ec2fd4:g:0JAAAOSwkypffRKR
 

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That is one sharp car! Having owned a 49 Flxible Buick ambulance, I would have to say that updating this car to "ProTouring" is a good thing, now you can really enjoy driving it.
 
Well I think they did not ruin it. I am a big Roadmaster Buick fan Have 50 72R sedan a 41 Century 2 door and a 41 Roadmaster convertible. Now that said all my Buicks do not have power steering or brakes so they are less than modern easy driving cars. Some on this form may remember George Wilcox my employee and best friend now passed for several years. He too was a Buick Roadmaster fan he had a 47 sedan and a 48 Hearse that had three rows of seats that were put in by a Bus company in Red Hill Pa. to transport "small groups" to the Atlantic City Cosinos. It was stock mechanically and a bear to drive and swayed down the road thanks to the four coil springs and lever shocks. George loved it however and think it did make a few very early PCS events. So based on Georges Buick I don't think they ruined but made it have vastly improved driveability. What grinds my gears is all the side moldings removed that alters its otherwise stock appearance. Two more thoughts,I shudder to think the $$$ spent to bring it to where it is and who knows what they started with perhaps it was saved from the crusher.
 
I agree with Pete, all the way around. The only other thought on this car, is that the alterations, at least in my opinion, are improvements. The reason I say this, is that many people today are incapable of driving a car like this in its original form. So, if they can't drive it, they probably don't want it, therefore we never see it again. In spite of the chrome moldings that are missing, I would love to own and show this historic combo and Lucille can drive it. The thing is that I suspect this car will fetch much more than its current bid. BTW, it has already met its reserve.
 
Well said Bill. My Godsons brother operates a fleet of six tri axel dump trucks and he has in the last year sold off four of them that had multi geared stick shift transmissions and replaced them with similar trucks with automatics. WHY?? because he can't get drivers who can drive a stick shift. Only he and his son can drive sticks I think that kinda says it all.
 
The strobe light and dinky siren would be the first thing to go if it sat in my yard. I don't mind the up grade in the power train. Why put a chevy in a Buick. Says cheap to me plenty of buick stuff out there. Then the interier was redone they used different stuff. What they did was changed the car from what it was to a hot rod. But it was there car to do as they wanted. Now they want to dump it i look at it and. I would rather get one out of the yard and build what i would like. A combo is not my ida of a hot rod.
 
I'd remove the beacon (?), siren and replace the seatbelts. Put some rollers and drapes in it and run it as is. Seems like a deal where it is now at 10k- we'll see how high it gets...
 
Somebody really liked it, it sold for $30K and change. Not that we can determine a true value, but I would think the seller may have had lots more than that in the resto. It is a beauty, not correct by our standards, but beautiful nonetheless. I think the buyer got a great car.
 
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