The 1969 & 70 Buick Electra 225 is perhaps the most underated of all of the great road cars. Its style and grace often made it difficult for people to see it as a performance car. Often, this worked to its advantage as a lethal sleeper. Stock Electras were capable of low 15s with factory performance optioned cars capable of 14s. Full frame 4,700 lb racers were documented at 11.7 while lighter race jobs were touted to run in the 10s.

Electra race cars on the street were known by their color and the "handle" of the driver. You might be a member of this elite cadre of Electra racers if:

1. There is atleast one bent 2 Ton jack stand laying around your garage.
2. Your car was too wide for your buddy's car hauler.
3. You have ever heard "You want to race a what!?!?!" more than once from parts store people. (...just before their eyes glaze over!)
4. You have ever heard "You want to build a what!?!?!" more than once from hot rod builders. (...just before their eyes glaze over!)
5. You have ever scrapped a 1970 GS for its SF Code 455 and left everything else.
6. It ever pissed you off to hear that GS people cut an engine out of an Electra. (And did not know to check for "PX" 3.91 Code!)
7. You ever wore a tuxedo in the same car you outrun Firebirds with.
8. It never occurred to you that the car you just beat had a 1000 lb advantage.
9. Some race fan is angry with you saying "I cant believe you beat on THAT beautiful car like that."
10. A guy ever screamed "Oh BABY!!!" when you smoked em through the burnout box.
11. If you ever pissed off GS people and heard: "Your not going to cut the scoops out of that GS hood...are you?!?!" (well... you know the answer to that one dont you!
12. You have ever heard. "My point is still that a chopped customized 1969-70 Electra will bring less than a faithfully restored GS or GSX."
13. If you have ever heard "Tell the truth now... were these "on the bottle?""
14. If you ever tossed him the bottle and beat him again!
15. If you love it when the 1968 4 speed 400 GTO Judge owner cannot believe he just lost to an Electra 225.
16. If you loved it when the 440 'Cuda owner refused to race you because of your Electra's rep.
17. If the police cite your "rodder" friends but compliment your Electra and tell you have a good day with no ticket. (And YOU WERE going racing!)

BUICK POWER!!!

After reading this, I think a '69/'70 Electra convertible may be in my future.

They're OK cars, but please don't buy one if you have to butcher a GS in order to get it running.

That is the opposite of what car collecting is all about. In addition, the highest value in collectable cars are those restored to factory original condition; not those adulterated with parts from here or there, or something the owner calls "customized."

A chopped and pieced together Electra will NEVER be worth anything near the value of a factory stock GS 455 or corretly resotred GSX.

Joe

I think Michael's post was meant to be taken lightly.



Please pass the salt!


I seriously doubt he would hack up a GS unless it was beyond repair.

Tell the truth now... were these "on the bottle?"

I know, I wouldn't cut up a GS either, and somehow I can't see any Electra racing down the drag strip, excetpt maybe in a cartoon strip. It did make me think about the late '60's Electra's though. I'm a big fan of the '69 and '70 Grand Prix's too.

Smartin,

How about posting some of those pics of drag-racing Electras if you have them... or maybe it was BqUICK that posted them on another thread. They looked pretty serious to me.

hm...

Here's me on a launch (white car) at Salem this year...

15 second boat My goal was to break into the 14's this year, but I can't do it without a cam upgrade....and weight loss! Thos power options are heavy.

Adam, great to see a '71 Centurion on the strip!

Seems like I recall some photos from the old "Musclecar Review" that featured a '66 Wildcat and '72 Electra 225 on the drag strip. Wonder if those cars are still racing.

Buick Performance Fans,

Here is an Electra Build up article. Its a bit dated but shows one of the greatest heavy weight champions in the game. The Guadagdo Pee Gee Performance, Inc. Electra from Brooklyn, New York. The car is long gone but not forgotten!

http://www.mi-buicks.com/dasboat.htm


GS,

I sure wish I could read that article, but when I click to enlarge, it flashes up big on the screen for an instant, then reduces in size and the print is too fuzzy to read. Help?

Pat, when it shrinks like that, hold your mouse over the picture and a little icon will appear after 3 seconds at the bottom of the picture itself. Click on that icon to blow the picture back yp to original size. That's one of IE6's brilliant AUTO SIZE picture dealies...

It seems to work by clicking directly on the page you want to enlarge. The burnout image is the one I was remembering when I asked about those "serious" Electra drag racing pics. I hope he didn't run over those two fella's toes!

Thanks for re-posting this, Michael, and to Smartin for that great live-action Buick vs Buick shot. How 'bout that Riv? Did you beat 'im?

To me, these cars look right at home at the track. There's something about all that metal going that fast. What used to amaze me was how LIGHT the cars felt because of all the torque. I recall the first time I drove the '65 Electra, and that feeling of effortless acceleration. I was hooked. Passed my license exam in that car... although the long back overhang actually scraped over a high curb when I parallel parked. The car was lined up right, but I guess the examiner marked off points for scary noises.

The Riviera is Yardley's!

Here is his webpage....and no I didn't beat him. I still have over a second to catch up!

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jholthenrichs/

Got it. Thanks Adam.

Reatta Man: You said:



LOT 198


ESTIMATE:
$ 90,000 -- $ 110,000

http://www.rmauctions.com/events/catalogcar.cfm?scode=AM04&tmpNumber=198



"1959 Buick Electra 225 Convertible

325hp 401 cu. in. vee eight-cylinder engine, two-speed Dynaflow automatic transmission, independent front suspension with coil springs, live axle rear suspension with coil springs, four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 217.4?



Buick regularly rebels against its ordained position in Alfred P. Sloan?s marque hierarchy. Sometimes it pushes downward into Pontiac territory, but Buick has never, ever, lost its fascination with pushing into Cadillac?s turf. Regularly it has introduced models like the Limited that shamelessly surpass Cadillac in size, power and luxury, only to get its fingers slapped by the GM brass for stepping too far over the line. Buick?s aspirations were nowhere better expressed than in 1959 with the Electra 225. Not only was it fourteenths of an inch longer that that year?s Cadillac, its 401 cubic inch Wildcat engine was bigger than Cadillac?s, too. The 1959 Buicks also were completely restyled, with one of the most effective treatments of the finned era which was nearing the end of its time at GM. The Electra 225?s great length and sloping beltline accented by a thin strip of chrome wore Buick?s canted fins particularly well. Carried over from earlier years, however, was Buick?s distinctive grille of rectangular rods which blended earlier Buicks? identity with the new styling?s sweeping lines. Production in 1959 was cut short by a steel strike, but not before the Electra 225 convertible paced the Indianapolis 500 mile race. Buick sold 32,645 convertibles in 1959, 11% of the year?s production. Of these, only 5,493 were the top of the line Electra 225. Every Electra 225 convertible was luxuriously equipped, including leather interior, power windows, power top Safety group, Super Deluxe wheel covers and outside rear view mirror to compensate for the convertible?s restricted rear quarter vision. Standard equipment on all premium Buicks also included a padded dashboard, power steering, power brakes, 2- speed wipers and dual exhausts to help the big 401 cubic inch ?Nail-Head? V8 breathe deeply. These beautiful, extravagant, luxurious automobiles have a presence that attracts attention wherever they appear, exactly as Buick intended when it created this opulent signature series. None of them better display the 1959 Electra 225?s presence than the example offered here. Fresh from a complete, nut-and-bolt, body-off restoration, it is brilliantly presented in Sable Black with Red leather interior and a Black vinyl top, it is a wonderful statement of the power, prestige and confidence of Detroit and America in the late fifties. It has never been shown and is ready to impress both judges and spectators at any show or gathering. It is lavishly equipped with a full complement of comfort and convenience options and accessories including air conditioning, which make it friendly to use and drive, or simply easy to maneuver into a place of honor on the show field. Extremely rare and special when new, 1959 Buick Electra 225 convertibles are even more unusual today and this must be the finest and most impressive example of Buick?s successful encroachment upon Cadillac?s turf in existence today."



Modified or not, Buick Electras are among the fastest appreciating American luxury muscle cars. When was the last time you saw a GS go for 90 grand?

PS: SOLD for $92,400.00

One for the money...




Michael, how much did THIS cost???

The Electra GSX "Faithful Pursuit" cost is hard to determine. The Machuga/Putman built, one off, steel Electra GSX Ram-Air hood required more than 80 hours of expert welding, hammering, shrinking, and reinforcing before paint! The 32 gal. fuel cell rear cockpit firewall has well over 500 spot welds. The body-off chassis resto, NOS Pee Gee Performance Built 455 STAGE 1, GT Performance narrowed FORD 9", Gear Vendors Overdrive, custom stainless steel underbody Ram-Air trans/engine oil cooler induction, etc., etc. cost a bunch! The appraised value should be determined in 2005 after race day.

I stand by my original comment with one revision:

A chopped 1969-1970 Electra will never be worth what a restored REAL GSX is worth.

And, I think "most" Buick enthusiasts would agree that a 1959 Electra is in another world compared to the 1969-1970 models. You can also spend a ton of money, and get some of it back, but it definitely is not the best way to try to make money.

Keep in mind, we started out talking about a chopped up 1969-1970 Electra, then you showed the auction results of a very unusual 1959 example.

Oh, one OTHER thing....

I was talking about a chopped Electra, in the 1969-70 vintage. The narrative you used was not only for a 1959 model, it apparently was not CHOPPED UP but rather was a meticulously restored and cared for example.

My point is still that a chopped customized 1969-70 Electra will bring less than a faithfully restored GS or GSX.

Let's leave twisting and spinning facts and previous statements to the politicians, shall we?

great car!!
hope i can get my 84 le sabre's body looking that nice!!
i say each owner can choose what they want to do to build the car they want.
i used the 430 engine out of my old 68 electra,and put it in my le sabre, and built the engine with lots of power(nitrous is for weenies!!)
i don't care what others think. i am proud of what i did!

"is better to be pissed off, than pissed on"

[color:\\"blue\\"] Yawn . . . is this turning into the BCA "keep it original at all costs", versus the GSCA or BPG "yeah but it could be faster and chrome is always a good thing" argument? Extremism either way will be argued forever with each side maintaining his way is the best.

Value is in the eyes of the beholder and if one wants to modify his ride so be it. Particularly if it is as cool as BqUICK's Faithful Pursuit. Want an indication of how most of us feel, just look at the number of views and posts about this car. It has been fun watching the progress, and learning a little history to boot.

Frame off restorations even ones faithful to the mistake of the manufacturer will not sell for the cost of the investment, so comparing the relative value of this Electra that definitely pleases a lot of folks to a stock or even modified Gran Sport is not worth the effort. It either pleases you or it does not.

Want an idea of how many fans of Buick B bodies?, Rivera?s or similar cars there are? Follow the activity in the V8Buick board under ?Boat Load of Fun?. Most questions raised are about modifying these cars.

Just enjoy the ride[/color]

Well said, Loyd

Big car burnout time

NICE!!!