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Interesting piece of 1960 literature


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Guest shorttimer

I was looking over some of my late father?s literature while visiting my mother this past Christmas, and was looking through the 1960 color and trim manual when I came across an interesting item that I didn?t remember ever seeing before. Stuck to the last page of the fabric samples was the attached announcement for the Invicta Custom models and the availability of bucket seats in the Electra 225 convertibles. What is amazing is that I don?t believe my father or I had ever seen this page before when looking through this book, as it was lightly bonded to the page before it. Unfortunately, my mother does not have a scanner so I had to use my digital camera and take pictures. The pictures are a bit blurry due to the reduced quality/size necessary for attaching, but much of the detail still comes through.

What makes this item most interesting to me is that I have never seen another piece of 1960 literature that had an actual picture of the Invicta Custom wagon interior, including the special door panels with the chrome steer?s head. My father?s collection has other mid-year brochures that show the wagon and coupe interior, but not the wagon. As a kid who ?hunted? for ?60 Buicks in the late 70?s and early 80?s, I only saw an Invicta Custom wagon once and often wondered if this was perhaps the lowest production model, partially due to late introduction and the substantial increase in cost over a normal wagon. Does anyone know how many are registered with the BCA today? Does anyone have pictures of an actual car or interior they can share, as its been 20 years since I saw my last one?

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Looking closely at the opened console (and the ad copy)... cupholders! How many vehicles of this vintage had 'em?

Nice literature. It's fun to see how they presented and described the equipment. I used to write sales literature and ad copy for much less glamorous stuff.

These items are a great part of the hobby. Hope you can post more. cool.gif

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Guest 70 Electra

Thanks for posting this. As the former owner of an Invicta Custom coupe, I believe the Custom is indeed one of the most interesting chapters of the 1960 Buick story. The leaflet you show was available in small format (for the color/trim book) and in large (8.5x11) size.

You asked about any other literature that showed the Custom interiors. Actually both small and large format of the "portfolio" were re-issued and refer to the Custom interior in the respective folders (Invicta folder, convertible folder, and wagon folder). These second edition portfolio pieces are identifiable by the border on the folder cover: black on first edition; white on second.

There were also several dealer materials (intended as salesman info, or to post on the wall)that mention the "new" Custom models, but none show the excellent interior shot that is in the leaflet you posted.

As to quantities built and still existing, I have been tracking all sightings of these cars for about 7 years. I have an unofficial registry of Invicta Customs. I know of one wagon that is a beautiful unrestored car, and another that is a rough rusty car. Both of these wagons are cherished by their current owners. There are also a couple of other reported sightings of Custom wagons that are now long gone (scrapped).

I am working on trying to identify the build quantities of all Invicta Custom models (coupe, custom, convertible), and will include this in my 1960 Buick website if and when I acquire the info.

In a related topic, there is an Invicta Custom convertible that is being offered on the BCA buy/sell message board. Like several other folks, I'm waiting for the seller to post additional key information.

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Guest shorttimer

Thanks for the insight on the other Custom literature and for pointing out the car on the buy/sell forum.

Since you are interested in sightings of these cars, here are two ?ones that got away?:

I saw my one and only Custom wagon on the way to Lake Tahoe in 1979 or ?80. My father spotted the high roof of an early 40?s GM car (we had several ?40-41 Buicks at the time) behind the used cars on a lot at a Buick dealership somewhere in N.California between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe and immediately pulled off to investigate further. The roof we saw belonged to a tired 1940 90L wearing snow tires and 2x4s for bumpers. Parked next to the Limited was a pearl fawn 1960 Custom wagon with a white top. It had AC, the roof rack and a spotlight on the driver?s side. Both cars had clearly been sitting for some time, but the Custom wagon would have cleaned up easily and been a very solid driver and great restoration candidate. Unfortunately, the dealership was closed and we couldn?t inquire about the status of the cars. By the time we returned the next year with the intent of pursuing the wagon, it was already gone and nobody at the dealership seemed to remember much about it. I had the foresight to take a few pictures of the two cars, but I haven?t been able to locate them for years. If I ever find them, I will pass them along.

Despite being a die hard Buick man, my father purchased a Chevy Nomad new in 1960 and remained a big fan of the 1960 GM wagons over the years. Apparently, my father felt the Nomad was a little sportier than the Buick offerings at the time, but upon seeing the Invicta Custom interior 20 years later he felt he might have purchased one new if the Buick dealer had made him aware of it. This chance encounter with the Custom wagon started my father?s pursuit of a ?60, and over the next few years we looked for an Invicta Custom but always came up empty. Time went on and my father got a little distracted by the purchase of his ?59 225 Riviera sedan, but we still held out hope for finding a ?60 Custom.

In 1981 or ?82 a friend of my father informed us of a ?60 Custom convertible in for service at a body shop in Walnut Creek, CA. The original owner, apparently with eyesight failing, had tried to enter the freeway using the off ramp and nearly destroyed an oncoming vehicle in the resulting collision. The Buick sustained minor front end damage and was brought in for a new bumper, left front fender and grille. Aside from the recent front end damage, the car was immaculate with low mileage and no previous body work. It was white with the maroon interior and, I think, a black top. I seem to recall it was an original California car that had clearly been garaged its entire life and was probably the cleanest ?60 I had seen at that time.

The body shop was taking weeks to find parts to fix the damage and it looked like the car might be totaled by the insurance company. So we engaged the body shop to line us up to purchase the car if the parts couldn?t be located and her insurance company insisted on totaling it. Just as we had the owner warming up to the idea of selling the car, the body shop found a new front clip and the car was back with its original owner after a long stay in the shop. As of the mid 80s, this car was still with its original owner in the Walnut Creek area, and she had no intention of selling it. I hope that if she no longer owns it, it has gone to someone who appreciates what they have. Do you have a car that might fit this description in your registry?

We finally did purchase a ?60, but it turned out to be an Electra 225 and not an Invicta Custom. Next to the custom Curtice 225 convertible (which I mistook for a ?59 Chevrolet when I saw it from the rear at Flint in the ?70s), I think the Invicta Customs are the most interesting Buick produced that year.

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Guest 70 Electra

Thanks for sharing your spottings.

I have not personally seen either car, but think I've perhaps accounted for them based on sightings that other enthusiasts shared with me.

I had been told that there was a Buick dealer in Sonora that had a Custom wagon. I don't know the timeframe, or have any details on the car, but the close proximity suggests it may be the same car.

On the convertible, I also received a previous sighting report of a white Custom convertible in the Walnut Grove area. Again, I have no timeframe--just a recollection, and it's apparently been quite a while since it was sighted. Certainly this must be the car you mentioned.

The only white Custom convertible I have heard of in the past 6-7 years is one that was on a Santa Barbara used car lot in early 2000. It was reported to have maroon interior, although I never saw pictures of it. Given the scarcity of these cars, I guess there's a good chance that was the same car you saw. I guess the big question is where is it now??

By the way, one of the oddest Custom convertibles I've learned of was Casino Cream (yellowish-green) with fawn interior. It was owned by the mother of the enthusiast that described it to me. It was back in the 70's, so you can figure it's long gone now!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have seen this car .It was at Parker Robb Chevrolet in Walnut creek in 1981.I know it was 1981 because I was going with Nadine at the time. (Nadine is another story far more interesting than any 60 Buick) A friend told me about it because he had an elderly Aunt living in Rossmore Leisure World, a retirement village. He visited her often and tracked some of the old people's cars. Knowing my thing for 60 Buicks,he couldnt wait to tell me about it.......as a matter of fact, Kevin, of Kevin & Ray also told me about it. I did see it downtown Oakland once and several years later it appeared in a Hemmings add (had to be the same one) in Lafayate, Ca. for 15 geez.

I first found out about an Invicta Custom in the summer of 1966 when one of the lot guys at the Buick dealer told me about one. It was then I wanted one and didn't find one until 1984. This was a chalet blue coupe with a/c. I got it from Texas and had it shipped to my car lot in San Leandro. That was a happy day. Just ask my wife. She was there when the car carrier hauled it in. I was excited. The titian red one came a few years later, next the brown wagon and out of nowhere another titian/white coupe.

I found a pair of 60's in 1984. One was a white 225 convert with most options except a/c and with it a fully loaded pearl fawn/white tri tone Custom wagon. the chick wanted 800 for the pair and at that time I didn't bite.You couldn't miss this chick. She had a big kitty next to the Buicks, a huge mountain lion. The guy that got the pair used the wagon for a parts car then junked it! I told him and it was too late. I did manage to get the bucket seats out of it. So in the meantime I found a couple of IC converts and for some reason I didn't pick up on them. Maybe someday I will have one.I did manage to find the almost identical twin to my parents 60 Lesabre and it felt like I got a piece of my life back. Mitch

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is an interesting string, and the passion shows in the postings.

Given the actual title of the string ("Interesting piece of 1960 literature"), perhaps I can ask a relevant question that has puzzled me.

One of the symptoms of my particular strain of the Old Car Disease is also collecting the sales literature. I have most years of Buick's so-called "Prestige Sales Catalogs" from WWII up into the 90's, anyway. I try to find the larger CATALOGS, as opposed to the Fold-out pieces, smallish catalogs (mailers?), or the more elaborate portfolios with removable pieces.

I have never (yet) found a 1960 large Catalog (not a Fold-out, and not a Portfolio). Does anyone know if they put out a regular large Sales Catalog for 1960? If so, why do they never come up on eBay? Everything else does.

Thanks.

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Guest 70 Electra

Don,

There was not a brochure as you describe for 60. The primary pieces of showroom literature were the large and small format portfolios. As you know, each had several thin brochures inside.

Unfortunately, 60 was not a great year for sales literature.

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