Steve McLennan 1934

My association with Buicks started many years ago as my father was a huge Buick man. He had many Buicks but his favourite was a 1934 six-wheel equipped even though he had many others including a 1938 Century. I can still remember with affection when we often travelled to Geelong from Lower Plenty, Victoria. As we hit the Geelong Road, Dad would enjoy putting his foot down and smile as we passed most cars on the road which I remember fondly, no speed limits then which brings me to how I came to buy my Buicks, not one but several. As with Dad, my affection was with 1934 Buicks. I had always desired a 1938 Century six-wheel equipped so I travelled far and wide looking for one in good condition. Seven years ago whilst having a beer in the “Old Narrogin Inne” in Armadale, Western Australia, with my brother from Melbourne, both of us being Buick enthusiasts, we got into a conversation with the local barmaid who mentioned to us that there was a man living two kilometres away with a vast array of Buicks. This gentleman turned out to be Les Woodruff who has been a member of the WA Buick Club since its inception. He kindly invited us up to his property to view his vehicles After looking over and admiring this beautiful fleet of cars, I saw a 1938 which Les informed me was for sale. I bought it immediately as it was in superb condition but then a surprise was in store for me! There was a 1934 identical to Dad’s, colour and all. Les then informed me he was selling all his cars so I bought the 1934! The provenance, according to Les, was that the car had been bought new by Captain Jimmy Woods who flew a 1948 Avro Anson plane to Rottnest Island doing the mail run every day. Jimmy Woods had originally flown in Egypt in WW1 with the Royal Airforce and later became the chief pilot with WA Airlines and later MMA. The Rottnest trip was only 18 miles and was billed as the shortest flight in the world. He had kept the car until he died, having flown passengers and mail on a daily basis. I have an old newspaper clipping about Jimmy Woods with a picture of the car, sadly the photo is too weathered to print. This car was also in very good condition, all I needed to do was strip the engine down and clean out the water jacket of sludge as it had been in storage for many years and hardly been used. It now runs absolutely beautifully, just as I remember my Dad’s 1934 and I am proud to own a car that formerly belonged to a man who made aviation history in Western Australia. Steve McLennan, WA Buicks.

1934 Buick Sedan
1934 Buick Sedan

 

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