The Buick Special came in a coupe convertible, two- and four-door sedans, a Riveria coupe and sedan, plus a six-passenger Estate Wagon. The two-door Rivera Coupe was the most popular with 113,000 sold.
All of the 1956 Buick Specials had a V-8, Valve-in-head, 322 cubic engine that put out 220 horsepower. A two-barrel carburetor helped add to the power. A three-speed manual transmission was standard, with an automatic available.
The Special convertible sold for $2,467 and was the lightest at 3,880 pounds. The Estate Wagon sold for $2,500 and weighed 3,945 pounds. These cars were all about 200 inches long, 75 inches wide and 62 inches tall. They had 19-gallon gas tanks. Options included an automatic "Dynaflow" transmission, dual exhausts, power seats and windows, plus air conditioning.
The Special had three vent ports on the sides of the front fenders, while all other models had four.