1949 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon. Buick's first new post World War II design features what will become famous Buick trademark....the Buick ventiports or portholes. Look for these on the new 2006 Buick Lucerne appearing soon at your local Buick dealers. Also note Buick's placement of the radio antenna above the center of the windshield. Other famous Buick trademarks were that broad, toothy smile chrome grille and the gunsight hood ornament. Two famous firsts for Buick in 1949 were a pillarless two door hardtop in the Roadmaster series called "Riviera" and the chrome sweep spears appearing on Roadmaster Rivieras and Convertibles. This sweep spear would eventually find its way to all Buick series in the early nineteen fifties. The car shown in Ken's beautiful photograph cost $ 3,734, and only 653 were produced, making this most likely the rarest of all '49 Buicks.
