Series 80. Early-1950s Buick OHV inline eight-cylinder engine, three-speed manual transmission, independent front suspension with coil springs, semi-floating rear axle, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 133"

- Mildly customized when new by Los Angeles coachbuilders Bohman & Schwartz

- Believed to have first been used by 1930s movie legend Shirley Temple

- Most Distinguished Open Car, 2011 Greenwich Concours

- A 1970s restoration that continues to drive and present nicely

Under company President Harlow Curtice during the mid-to-late 1930s, Buick solidified its enviable reputation for luxury, refinement, superior engineering and surprisingly affordable pricing, becoming a serious rival to Cadillac, its fellow GM division.

In particular, the Series 80 Limited provided seating for six passengers in four closed and two open body styles, all on the 133-inch wheelbase previously reserved for the Roadmaster. Series 90, on the other hand, offered seating for eight passengers with three closed body styles and a 140-inch wheelbase. With a reputation for exceptional build quality and considered one of America’s most glamorous automobiles of the immediate prewar era, the Series 80 Limited was priced from $1,553 to $1,952, more than twice the cost of the more basic Model 46 Business Coupe. While 1940 was the final year that side-mounted spares graced a Buick automobile, it was also the final year the Model 80 Limited was offered.

This particular example from 1940 carries a fascinating history, and it was mildly modified when new by Los Angeles coachbuilding firm Bohman & Schwartz, with the car’s original side windows removed, the gaps filled and the addition of wind wings. It is believed that the first owner of the car was none other than Hollywood legend Shirley Temple, and subsequent owners are listed as the late Lorin Tryon, co-founder of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and the late Tom Barrett, according to a letter in the car’s file.

The Limited is reported to have been restored during the 1970s and subsequently repainted and is offered today with rear fender skirts. It is powered by an early-1950s Buick OHV straight-eight engine detailed for a period appearance similar to that of the original engine from 1940. In 2001, it was honored with Most Distinguished Open Car (1940-41) at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance in Connecticut.