93 bhp, 233 cu. in. OHV inline eight-cylinder engine, three-speed manual transmission, coil spring independent front suspension, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 118"

- Restored by the students of McPherson College

- 2009 AACA First Junior recipient

- Sale proceeds to benefit the work of McPherson College

The McPherson College Auto Restoration Technology Program was founded in 1976 through the generosity of G.H. “Smokey” Billue, a collector in central Kansas. Frustrated with a lack of able mechanics to work on his cars, Mr. Billue set out to establish a program to teach new generations of restorers. Thirty-five years later, that vision remains strong and is embodied in the restoration of automobiles like this 1936 Buick Special Model 48 Victoria Coupe.

It was purchased by the Yingling family of Pennsylvania circa 1938 and used until 1951. In the early 1990s, Mr. Thomas Yingling contacted McPherson College and donated his car to be used as a class project. Under the guiding hand of the school’s qualified instructors, several generations of McPherson students undertook a body-off restoration over a period of fourteen years.

During the process the body was stripped down to bare metal, and the students made necessary repairs to the sheet-metal until it was just right. The black paint finish goes a long way in showing off the skill employed by the students, as the result is a straight body with excellent fit and finish. The impressive appearance of this Victoria Coupe is completed by the chrome, which was all re-plated. The chassis was finished in a similar fashion to the body, and the engine bay displays exceptionally well using correct materials and finishes down to the cloth-covered spark plug wires and the hand-painted “Valve-in-Head” decal on the valve cover. The green mohair interior was completed to the same rigorous standard, and the result was an AACA First Junior badge awarded in the autumn of 2009. The proceeds of the sale of this 1936 Buick Special Victoria Coupe will benefit the work of the McPherson College and ensure that future students have the opportunity to learn the important craft that remains the lifeblood of this hobby.