Buick Electra The Buick Electra and the Buick Electra 225 were full-size premium automobiles built by the Buick division of General Motors. The Electra name (in various manners) was used by Buick between 1959 and 1990.
1959 - 1964
Prior 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.
Automatic transmissions were always standard. The 1959 to 1963 models had Twin Turbine Dynaflow 2-speed automatics (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.
1965-1970
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.
1971 - 1975
All 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.
1975
1975 brought about changes in all of General Motors C-body cars. 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 Electra received a new metal "eggcrate" style grille, which wrapped covered most of the front end, and wrapping under the headlights. The grille included running lights on either side. There was a choice of a base model Electra 225, an upscale "limited" model, and an even posher "Park-Avenue" trim package, which was an interior package, boasting extremely comfortable seats and a center console, velour headliner, thicker carpet, and a different door panel design. The Park Avenue's seats were designed by Flexsteel. 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. 1975 also offered an ultra-luxury "Park Avenue Deluxe", which was sold only in 1975, and included every option available on the Electra (posi-traction, 15" rallye sport wheels, rear automatic leveling, etc). The Park Avenue Deluxe did not sell well as it was an expensive option and didn't sell very well (37 to be exact). The 1975 Electra was also the largest Buick ever built at 233.4 inches, which is over 19 feet. These cars truly dwarfed the newer front-wheel drive Electras and Park Avenues in terms of sheer size and weight.
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