Lucy’s 1958 Buick Special

Posted by Dee-Ann On August - 14 - 20104,609 views

For 7 years now, Lucy is the proud owner of a Buick Special from 1958, two tone green, a V8 motor with a Dynaflow transmission.

Buick Special from 1958

Lucy, how did you find this beauty (the car that is)?
I found him on the internet on Marktplaats (an advertisement site, kind of like Ebay).  My husband John and I love Rockabilly and everything that’s from the fifties. So U.S.A. oldtimers are one of them. John saw a Cadillac from 1957 and we loved it. We bought it right away. After I drove in it a couple of times, I wanted a car like that for myself, so we started looking for a car for me. I found this Buick by accident and I was sold right away (as well as the Buick haha). The color and the massive chrome was what attracted me. A couple of things needed to be done. Big maintenance, new tires, new paint and chrome. I saved money for a year before I could have it painted and chromed. The interior is original. Except for the dashboard. I had it pinstriped with tiki’s and hibiscus flowers.

Is it hard to get car parts?
We order parts for the car at a website in the US. Fortunately we didn’t have to replace a lot (knock on wood).

How does it feel to drive such an impressive oldtimer?
At the beginning I loved it when everybody was watching when I was driving. It sounds strange but you’ll get used to it, so now I don’t really notice that anymore.

It drives comfortable and it has power steering, so I can almost steer with one finger ;-p The Buick has something special: you can only start it by pushing the accelerator, not by turning the ignition key.

Do you always drive in your Buick?
Most of the time I drive to festivals in Belgium because my Buick has a gastank which holds 119 liter. The Cadillac has a gastank of 60 so the Buick drives long distances. However, when I need to do some groceryshopping and it is raining, then I drive in it too. It would be crazy to get wet while a car is available.

Lucy and John

What funny situation did you and your car get into?
Once I brought it to the garage to get it APK approved (annual safety inspection). I drove it on the bridge and waited for it. But when it was done they wanted another random inspection, so I could not take him with me. They would call me after it was done. After two hours the telephone rang. The inspection was done. It was approved, but they could not start it. They tried everything. They could not get it off the bridge. Oops, I forgot to tell them that they had to push the accelerator.

Do you visit oldtimer meetings?
We go to Oltimer meetings, unless there is a rockabilly, hillbilly or a jive band playing, because we prefer music and festivals.

Is there another car you’d like to own?
I would like to have a hotrod, but in The Netherlands the weather is not good enough to drive such a car.

Do you have tips for people who are planning on buying an oldtimer?
I don’t have tips for people who want to buy an oldtimer. For me it was just love at first sight!

At weekend festivals we stay in the 1969 Mostard Yvonne Caravan

Lucy and John also organize Rockabilly Swamp, starting next year. Rockabilly-online will get back to them about that.

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