Few men waited longer for their new 1941 Buick than Erhardt H. Kraft of New Braunfels, Texas. In a letter written to a subsequent owner of this car, Mr. Kraft noted that he placed his order and deposit with the Krueger Motor Company in 1941, only to have World War II start and delay delivery, as the Buick production plant was soon converted to war production.

Over four years passed before, on Christmas Eve 1945, Mr. Krueger called Mr. Kraft—who, by that point, had forgotten he had ever ordered a Buick. The salesman informed the “surprised and elated” Mr. Krueger that his “new car had arrived at long last,” and that the unusually patient New Braunfels businessman had actually received interest on his deposit over the last four years!

“Mr. Krueger asked if he could keep the car on his showroom floor, because it was Christmas Eve of 1945 and my Buick was the first Roadmaster the company had received since the War ended. He wanted others to enjoy the car since there had not been any fine cars like this for the length of the War. I drove the car home on January 2, 1946, for the first time.”

Mr. Kraft had reportedly bought the car for his wife, but as she never learned to drive, it was her husband who drove it, only on vacations and to church on Sundays. It was eventually acquired, decades later, by Texas collector David Taylor, known for his pursuit of excellent original Buicks of this era. Subsequently, it was part of several well-known Southwestern collections, including the museum of Sterling McCall in Round Top, Texas, before joining the current owner’s fine stable.

The car wears an older repaint in its original black color and has been re-chromed, but it retains its fine original upholstery, in good condition, as well as its original window glass, accessories (including a spotlight and period sun visor), and even the factory exhaust system and muffler! The dashboard is particularly wonderful, with a beautiful patina to its finishes, and wonderful clear gauges; the finishes of the steering wheel and knobs are fine, as well.

Most impressively, the car, at the time of cataloguing, had recorded 4,734 miles, which is strongly believed to be original mileage from new, as is indicated by the Buick’s excellent original condition.

A wonderful Roadmaster for the connoisseur of originality, this car boasts excellent rich history and careful long-term maintenance in significant collections. It would be a wonderful exhibit for the AACA’s Historic Preservation of Original Features class, and it would be as pleasurable to drive today as it was in New Braunfels on the second day of 1946.