Few men hold a more important place in Buick’s history than Harlow Curtice. Curtice came to GM from Champion Spark Plugs in 1933 and, through his engineering talent, eventually assumed the positions of GM Executive Vice-President (1948) and President and C.E.O. (1953). As the tale is told, Mr. Curtice remained true to Flint’s finest, even as he rose through the GM hierarchy. Offered a new Cadillac limousine for his use in 1950, he requested instead a similarly modified Buick Roadmaster built by the same shops where Harley Earl’s GM Motorama “dream cars” were built. This is that car.

The Roadmaster began as a stock sedan on the 130.25-inch wheelbase “72R” chassis; “88” is found stamped on certain portions of the body inside the doors, indicating perhaps a special GM build number. GM technicians installed a custom roofline with a sloping rear profile, with rear-door windows and their frames custom-modified to fit. All exterior windows were power-operated, including the hydraulic vent windows, a GM first, and the custom division window fitted between Mr. Curtice and his chauffeur. The window switches and panels, as well as the inside door handles, are similar to those used on Cadillac show cars of the early 1950s.

The interior was finished off with a chauffeur’s compartment upholstered in very dark blue leather and a rear seat upholstered in light blue broadcloth, surrounded by woodgrain trim with a distinctive green tint. Floor-ducted heating was provided to warm the passengers’ feet on the way to the office.

The car apparently remained in Mr. Curtice’s use for at least two years, during which time it is believed to have been updated in both 1951 and 1952 with that year’s styling cues. Accordingly, today it has the appearance of a 1952 model, an illusion that extends under the hood, where the 1950 engine is fitted with the four-barrel carburetion standard on 1952 Roadmasters, as well as an 8:1 compression ratio and a special camshaft, delivering around 200 horsepower.

Following its time in service in Detroit, the Buick is believed to have been sold by General Motors to Lynch Buick, of Chicago, where it was displayed in the showroom until 1988. It was acquired by Joe Bortz, who was just beginning to build his world-famous collection of Motorama dream cars, approximately a year later. The custom Roadmaster remained part of the Bortz Collection until 2005 and eventually made its way into the equally well-known Buick collection of international jeweler and car connoisseur Nicola Bulgari before being acquired by Mr. and Mrs. Kughn.

Several years ago, the Buick was stripped to bare metal and refinished in its present shade of dark cobalt blue, with fresh chrome, polished stainless steel trim, and new period-correct wide whitewall tires. The padded top covering remains original, as does all of the interior, which is in beautiful, softly patinated condition.

This one-of-a-kind piece of automotive history is perhaps one of the most important and historically significant postwar Buicks, offered here for what may be the last time in many years.