Coupe de Grace

A nice thing about this year’s Hot Rod & Restoration Show (www.hotrodshow.com) in Indianapolis was that the new owners of the event actually had a number of restored-to-original cars on display. And since I own a 1936 GM car (a Pontiac Deluxe Six) I could not help falling head over heels in love with the ’36 Buick at the trade show.

Steele Rubber Products (www.steelerubberproducts.com) organized the car show section of the event. The ’36 Sport Coupe was finished in shiny Black, a color often associated with Buick’s traditional role as a conservative product. For many years prior to the muscle-car era, Buicks sold in the upper middle-price range to professionals such as bankers, business men and lawyers.

Central Ohio Fabrications (www.centralohiofab.com) restored the coupe for Barry and Jewel Jacobs. They then took it on the Great Race. It featured a 233-cid 93-hp Buick Fireball Eight engine, steel spoke artillery wheels, a three-speed manual transmission and Coker Classic radial tires.