Met a sweet '61 Electra recently...

[TG57Roadmaster]

Should say it was more of a re-introduction, as I'd seen the car briefly about 10 years ago.

We see a lot of '61 225 Rivieras and Lesabre/Invicta 4 doors, but hardly ever the '61 Electra

4-door hardtops; just under 9,000 of these one-year-only designs were produced...

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The outrageous Jetsonian flat-top backlight must hold a record for its size; perhaps only

eclipsed by the '64-'66 Barracudas(?). Regardless, it's a lotta glass, shared with the Olds 98

and Cadillac that year.

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The Spacely Sprockets theme carries over to the dash as well, with its carryover,

Mirromagic adjustable speedometer, and pod clock, first seen in '60. I really like the

"floating brow" dash pad, which became much more conventional for '62.

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I think it's a handsome ride with the windows down, or up...

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These are the kind of cars that sort of fall through the cracks; fine touring cars that'll turn heads,

but without lofty prices. With A/C, power seat, and the "Super Deluxe" wheelcovers from

the 225s, it's not heavily-optioned, but still very worthy of interest. Unlike the '59-'60 models,

it shares the same length (219.2") as the 225s that year. Personally, I have no aversion to

4-door cars, especially when they're full of style like this 80K-mile "black beauty."

There are only five of these Model 4739's listed in the 2008 BCA Roster, so it's kind of a rare bird.

Bought new here in town by a spinster, it's owned by the salesman (now 81 years old) from

the Buick/Pontiac dealer who sold it when new. The car needs carpet, new upholstery

(bad stains on the back seat and overall fading on both), and the headliner needs to be

replaced. The dash pad has one long crack, and it wears its original factory paint.

It's currently NFS, at least for now, but was just something I thought y'all would like to see.

When was the last time you saw one?

TG

[Centurion]

Tom, you've highlighted one of my favorite-ever Buicks. While I'm unable to add anything to my collection, this is a model that I specifically look for. I agree with everything you've said about the style of these cars! Personally, I would opt for one of these over the fancier 225 6-window cars.

One of these turned up a few months ago for a very reasonable price in Bend, Oregon. I wanted like crazy to check it out, but am sure that some lucky guy has since snatched it up.

Thanks for sharing these excellent photos.

[Centurion]

cjp69 has just e-mailed me this link from the Cincinnati craigslist. Someone inspired by Tom's topic here and situated near Cincinnati might enjoy checking this example out:

1961 Buick Electra

The 1961 Buick prestige brochure included a rear cover photo of one of these in black. Black seems to have been a relatively popular color on this model, so perhaps that brochure photo captivated car buyers back in 1961.

[TG57Roadmaster]

Brian,

I'd seen that '61 ad in Ohio a few days ago, kicking around surfing. This is the back cover

from the '61 brochure (at the Old Car Manual Project), as you mentioned. It's particularly

striking shot against this Palm Springs, CA backdrop.

Something I forgot to mention about the '61 above, is that it never had outside mirrors installed.

Maybe the first owner didn't like/want one, but it's unusual to see a car without them.

TG

Edited December 14, 2010 by TG57Roadmaster (see edit history)

[Thriller]

She's real fun, my 401.

Great photos. That one in Ohio looks great. To find a '61 that looks that reasonable for that price I would suspect is unusual. As some calculate it, it is the stuff you don't need to do that makes the car appealing. I have the August price guide and this price is just over the #4 price, so if advertised it seems quite reasonable.

[John_Maine]

Love the visibility, especially compared to the "tunnel" vision of today's cars.

[cjp69]

Man those 61's are sweet, I need to get me one!

[Jolly_John]

A quick observation....and it may not mean anything....but I see that the photos used in the craigslist OH car ad are over four years old. John

[bhclark]

As I am way overstuffed as it is, I have not seen the cincinnati car.

I did however, offer to trade my '69 Electra straight up for it earlier this summer, but the owner was only looking to sell.

If there is anyone interested, it should only be about 15-20 minutes from me, so I'd be happy to give a full report.

A full size '61 is on my bucket list.....but will have to wait a few years.

$4K seems to be right on the money for a driver quality car.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

The rest of this car doesn't grab me, at all, but that roof...

I cannot recall ever seeing one of these live. Only the 6-windows seem familiar. I'd even forgotten there was an Electra that wasn't a deuce-and-a-quarter. Not sure they were sold here in Canada, although it was long before my time. Must go browsing, to see if I can find the Olds and Caddy that TG says shared that amazing rear window.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

I have to admit that I'm not excited about any cars from 1961 - except maybe the Fury Sport Coupe, Autumn Orange with a white top. However, that's a childhood memory thing, not rational at all.

Somehow the hold-over flattop looks more familiar on the fraternal twins than on the Electra.

[Guest m0ondoggy]

The last time I saw one was January, when I pulled mine out of my dad's garage and cleaned it up for some photos, resealed the oil pan and replaced a fuel line, relicenced it, reinsured it, then drove it around for a week.

I have a task right now to give my insurance company a real value of the car for replacement value. Maybe you guys can help me out with that.

In any case, here are some pictures I took of her last month. I'm the second owner of the car (very good family friend willed it to me). It's mostly original and has about 47K original miles on it.

--

Steve

[Centurion]

Steve, I'll defer to others for help with your value question, but I want to say that you have a fantastic car! I appreciate that you've shared the photos here. You were most fortunate that the prior owner willed the car to you.

[Guest m0ondoggy]

Steve, I'll defer to others for help with your value question, but I want to say that you have a fantastic car! I appreciate that you've shared the photos here. You were most fortunate that the prior owner willed the car to you.

Thanks. I've had it for 15 years now. The car is more valuable to me sentimentally than any amount of money I could get for it. It runs well and is quiet on the road. I'll never sell it

[JohnD1956]

That's the thing about Buicks. Buy em for the novelty but soon they own you.

Sweet car. Nicely optioned and beautifully cared for. Good luck with it M0ondoggy

[John_Maine]

Reminds me - when I was 11, my elderly great-great uncle bought a new '61 LeSabre 4 door hardtop in dark brown. He didn't have a license but had someone who used to drive him around. Sometimes, he'd just go out, start the car, sit in it and read. He was a strange man and I remember when he'd come to my grandparents, we'd all talk about pretending no one was home and not opening the door. Of course, we never did. He passed away in late 1962; my uncle was executor of the estate and as I recall, he sold the Buick for $2000.00 with just a few thousand miles on it.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

BEAUTIFUL car!!! I am enviouse.

Ben

[Thriller]

Very nice car Steve.

As for value, you may be best off hiring an appraiser to take a look at it. That way you have a value from an independent source. Of course, some appraisers are just as likely to ask you what you may want it written up as to value.

Secondly, you will want to get a current newspaper, set it on the windshield, then back window of the car so that it shows up in photos, and make sure to take a close-up of the newspaper so that a date can be verified as to its condition. Some insurers like a copy of those, and an appraiser may do that for you.

Finally, you could pick up an Old Cars Report Price Guide. As an alternative, check online for antique auto price guides - vmrintl.com and nadaguides.com are two. The problem is trying to verify what "condition" your car would be considered. For its age, it is very low mileage and many of us in the hobby value that and originality. However, just picking a number from a price guide doesn't get you those nuances.

Oh yeah, if you do have the car appraised, if you don't want to do the work yourself, you may want to consider having the car detailed beforehand. Cleaning up the paint, eliminating light scratches, and making it pop a bit more with polish and wax can add value to the appraisal.

Without being able to see all the details, I would expect it to be in the range of $12-15k, but I have been known to be completely out to lunch. The funny thing is that Buicks tend to be undervalued compared to some of the more popular marques out there. You don't want to inflate the value too much for insurance purposes as that will just cost you more to insure, but if you put it down as too little, then should there be a need to collect insurance, you won't get fair value for the car. Another thing you may want to ask about is how they deal with changes in value - you don't want to have to appraise it every year or two, but you don't want to have something happen down the road that uses an appraised value that is too old.

Good luck.

[bhclark]

I agree with most of what Derek said.

I personally would insure this car in the 12-$15K range.

However, I would expect to be able to buy it in the $6-8K range from a private seller.

Yes, it's VERY nice...BUT it's a 4-door!