Words: John Gunnell
Green Bay Packer football star “Reggie” White was born in 1961 and died in 2004 at age 43. White was nicknamed “The Minister of Defense.” He played for the Memphis Showboats, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers. He was a member of the Super Bowl XXXI winning team. In 1993, after White became a free agent, he signed with the Packers and agreed to terms on a four-year contract worth $17 million.
“Reggie” played for the Packers for six years. He became their all-time leader in “sacking” opposing quarterbacks. A religious man, White was valued for his role as a team leader. He helped the Packers win the title with a game-ending sack in Super Bowl XXXI. That victory was the only championship in which White ever played at any level. In 1998, White was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the second time.
Tommy Kujava worked on Reggie White’s collector cars. He’d heard about his hopped-up ’49 Buick and told White he’d like to see it. The car was kept by White’s Uncle in Tennsssee. One day Reggie asked if Tommy would go with him to pick up the car in Tennesee. Before they left, White said he had a speaking engagement in Florida and couldn’t make the trip. He then told Kajuva he was giving him the car because he knew it would finally have a good home.
Tommy Kujava has lived up to the role of taking care of the car and has shown it at the Packer’s Lambeau Field parked between statues of Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardy. He says that the shiny Buick draws attention like “honey draws bees.”
According to Kajuva, the car’s front suspension was “cut” and a stub frame was added. The Buick accepted a Mustang II type suspension. The car has Wisconsin Vanity license plate “REGGIE.” The Buick’s odometer reads 54,000 miles. The car has been restored and mildly customized. Other than the Mustang II suspension, it has a dressed up “Fireball” straight eight engine and custom pinstriping.
The 1949 Buick Super shared a new General Motors C-Series body with the Roadmaster, but had a shorter wheelbase than the Roadmaster. Features and benefits of 1949 Buicks included Dynaflow Drive (the optional “automatic transmission”); Cruiser Line ventiports; Full-View vision; “Living Socae” interiors; Fireball Eight power; Self-Setting valve lifters; Poised engine mounting; Quadruple Coil Springing; Ride-Steadying torque tube drive; Safety Ride wheel rims; Sound Softer top linings; Load-Rite balance; Perma-Firm steering; Silent Tone body mounting and Flex Fit oil rings.
Fastback sedanet styling was seen on two-door coupes. “Here the long, sweeping lines of the Coupe hide the surprising roominess that highlights Buick for ’49,” said the year’s sales catalog. “Swing those wide doors open – step in and stretch out in comfort that most sedans can’t match.”
Supers featured three chromed ventiports on each front fender. A “Super” script was found just above the full-length body side molding on the front fenders. New fender edge taillights were featured, while rear fender skins remained a Buick standard. New fender top parking lamps, harking back to 1941, appeared. Full wheel trim discs were standard, along with such features as a cigar lighter, an ashtray and an automatic choke. Cloth interiors were standard in closed cars.
The interior fabrics were plusher than those found in Specials, with a Custom trim option offered. A new instrument panel was used. It continued the previous Buick motif with a centered radio grille flanked by operational switches. The windshield panels were curved, but still had a center division bar. A swiveling radio antenna, unique to Buicks, was mounted above the center bar.
Tommy Kujava has been offered about $80,000 for the car, but decided he wasn’t going to sell it because Reggie White loved the Buick and wanted Kujava to keep taking care of it. Kujava does not know the history of the car before Reggie White purchased it, but would be interested in hearing from anyone familiar with the Buick.
