Classic Wheels Spotlight: 1941 Buick

Nancy Bitterlin says she was about 10 when her father, Bill Schwanbeck, was very excited about his new project car being delivered by a trailer. ‘Just wait until you see it,’ he told everyone. Everyone was shocked when the trailer pulled up in front of their house. They were all thinking: What is this piece of junk, you have to be kidding.

Bill assured everyone not to worry, he would have the car, a 1941 Buick 56C convertible, rebuilt in no time. Nancy says it took him roughly a year and a half to finish the car, working on it every day when he came home from work.

While Bill had several other cars over the years that he restored to their former glory, this ‘41 Buick held a special place in his heart since it was just like the first car that he had in high school. Although Bill didn’t do the entire ground-up restoration himself, Nancy says he did do most of it. “He was not one to do just a ‘good’ job. He was meticulous with every detail.”

The ‘41 Buick’s original color was either a dark green or black from the factory. Today, Nancy says it is Sienna Rust, also a 1941 Buick color. The things that Bill couldn’t do by himself were done by professionals that he trusted and knew their work. The top and interior were done by Ogden Top and Trim in Berwyn, Ill; some of the bodywork and the paint were done by a friend of Bill’s, Larry Waznicki.

Nancy says some of the parts came from a donor car and that no aftermarket parts were used in restoring this 1941 convertible beauty. “All of the shiny stuff was done to perfection.”

Bill even built a 1941 Buick pedal car to match his classic. All of the painted-on or attached parts were removed from the pedal car and actual steel pieces were fabricated out of wood and cast in metal, then chromed to match his full-sized car. The pedal car’s seat and faux top were done by Ogden Top and Trim, and the body was painted in the same Sienna Rust to match the full-sized model.

The original Buick engine and transmission are still in the car. The ‘Fireball’ straight-eight engine, with overhead valves, was standard in this beauty. It came with two carburetors, called Buick’s compound carburetors. The front carb was set up for starting the car, and the second one was to give it a little more power at higher speeds.

The transmission is a three-on-the-tree manual that was rebuilt to factory specs. There are only two things that have been added to the car: an electric fuel pump to assist in getting fuel to carbs (the older cars tended to lose their prime) and an auxiliary starter button added to make it a little easier to start, rather than having to push the gas pedal to the floor to activate the starter.

Bill has taken his car to local car shows and national events over the years, including the National Buick Show, where he won the Gold Award. Nancy says he has won so many awards with this car that the family doesn’t know what to do with them all. Although Bill passed away in 2023, his legacy lives on in his cars.

Bill’s son-in-law, Brian, has done the maintenance on the car for the last few years and he takes it out from time to time just to keep things in good running order. The family took Bill’s cars to a local car show recently, and everyone knew immediately that those were Bill’s cars. His workmanship and finished product is unmistakable.

Nancy and her husband Brian are not as passionate about the classics as her dad was, but they understand the passion that he had. Nancy says her dad picked the Sienna Rust for his car because it made the car stand out from the rest.

Because it was her father’s favorite, Nancy says she has a strong sentimental attachment to this ‘41 Buick. The 1941 model was a transitional year for Buick and she believes it was the best looking out of all the previous and following years.

The other cars have been sold and Nancy says they plan to sell this one, too, when the right person comes along. They want someone who will be as enthusiastic as Bill was, though they are keeping the pedal car!

If you have a car you would like to see featured in Classic Wheels, contact Rudy Host, Jr. at Classic.Wheels.Rudy@gmail.com.