  
|
1959—1970Prior to 1959, the Buick Super, Roadmaster and Limited constituted the upper echelon of Buick's lineup. In 1959, all of Buick's models were renamed, with the Electra taking the place of the Super, and the Electra 225 taking the place of the Roadmaster and Limited models. The Electra 225 nameplate was a nod to the vehicle's overall length of 225 in (5,715 mm), earning it the street name "deuce and a quarter." The Electra 225 Riviera was the top-line model and it shared its 6-window hardtop roofline with the Cadillac Fleetwood. Buick had been using the "Riviera" name to indicate a premium trimmed hardtop body style beginning with the 1949 model year. Buick discontinued the Electra nameplate in 1963, leaving only the Electra 225. Buick also dropped the Riviera name as a body style designation, shifting the Riviera name to Buick's new personal luxury coupe. All GM passenger vehicles received a major restyling in 1965 dominated by flowing "Coke bottle" lines and fastback roof profiles on its coupe models, and the 6 window-body style was eliminated as GM moved to place more emphasis on the luxury provided by its four-door hardtop bodies. For 1965, Buick changed its marketing strategy and offering the Electra 225 in two trim levels, base and Custom. There was a new "Limited" option package on the Electra 225 Custom 4-door hardtop and later became available on two-door hardtop models as well. Windshield wiper blades were hidden in 1968 and 1969 saw the elimination of the vent windows on the front doors. The 1959 to 1966 Electras were powered by Buick's 401 in³ (6.6 L) V8 with an available 425 in³ version of the same engine from 1964 to 1966. The 1967 model had the new Buick 430 in³ (7.0 L) V8, and a 455 in³ (7.5 L) version of the same engine replaced it in 1970. Automatic transmissions were always standard. The 1959 to 1963 models had Twin Turbine DynaFlow (the Triple Turbine was available as an option in 1959) and starting in 1964, they were equipped with the Super Turbine 400 / THM 400 transmissions.
1971 — 1976All Electra 225s were hardtops in the 1971 to 1973 model years, eliminating the previous 4-door pillared sedan variant and the convertible. In 1974 Buick adopted GM's pillared coupe body and fitted it with the "Landau" option on the Electra Limited coupe. Optional driver and passenger airbags were also available in 1974, but unpopular due to their cost; a crude version of traction control called Max Trac was an option as well. In 1975, all Electra 225 coupes had fixed rear side windows and center posts. 1975 also brought along a newer front end and interior design. Rectangular headlights became standard on all GM c-body cars, along with many others. This supposedly would allow engineers to lower the front end to reduce wind resistance, but this wasn't very apparent with the new design. The 4-door models remained hardtops until the 1977 model. Starting in 1975, there was a new "Park Avenue" option package available only on the "Limited" 4-door hardtop in 1975. It featured a beautiful interior with seats designed by Flexsteel, thicker carpeting, extra sound insulation, and a velour headliner. Many Park Avenues were built with the full size center console (unlike the Cadillac Fleetwood Talisman's half console), which eliminated the 6th passenger, in the front middle, between the driver and front passenger. There was also a Park Avenue Deluxe, which was sold only in 1975, and included every option available on the Electra. The Park Avenue continued into 1976, but the Deluxe version was no longer offered, as it was an expensive option and didn't sell very well (37 to be exact). The console would also dissapear from the option list for 1977, never again to return to the rear wheel drive Electra. In 1976, the Electra was redesigned slighty, with changes being made to the front grille and bumper. The front turn indicators were moved underneath the headlights, instead of the 1975's bumper-mounted turn lights. The grille was also changed from the eggcrate design to a 17 vertical bar chrome grille. The 1976 grille was made of plastic instead of metal to save weight, and no longer covered the whole front end. There were also some small interior changes.
| |
||||||||||||||||||
Home
Contact
Resources
Exchange Links
eBay
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Home
Century
