When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
The most influential car of my childhood-the 1967 Buick Electra 225 my dad brought home new in mid '67 for...for some reason I remembered the price; $4765.
This car was so cool to me-I kept it clean and waxed for dad.
I remember 5'1" mom commanded this boat with the authority moms had in those days, fording some crazy iced roads and snowdrifted Illinois town roads with just a drive wheel and studded snowtires.
That 430-4v8 moved the 4300lb beauty with such ease-360hp and 485lbs torque...those old big blocks made a mockery of what they call serious power nowadays.
Congratulations...beautiful car. They really knew how to make big comfortable cars in those days. Since then, shorter wheelbases, stiffer suspensions, and low-profile tires have really taken a noticeable toll in ride comfort......although handling, of course, is much better today. I'm with you on the Deuce-and-a Quarter. Owned one myself when I was in college.......a used 1965. Having four doors, though it was not considered a "personal" luxury car in the sense of the Riviera.
The 1965 version, BTW, had a different, and even smoother automatic transmission than the 1967. Before 1967, large full-sized Buicks used the unique Super Turbine Drive automatic (a 3-speed derivative of the old Dynaflow)...in 1967, they switched to GM's regular Turbo-Hydra-matic, probably to cut costs and standardize things. To compensate, though, the 1967 was generally more reliable than the 1965, as the whole line of full-sized GM cars was steadily improving in reliability from the mid to late-60s.
Congratulations...beautiful car. They really knew how to make big comfortable cars in those days. Since then, shorter wheelbases, stiffer suspensions, and low-profile tires have really taken a noticeable toll in ride comfort......although handling, of course, is much better today. I'm with you on the Deuce-and-a Quarter. Owned one myself when I was in college.......a used 1965. Having four doors, though it was not considered a "personal" luxury car in the sense of the Riviera.
The 1965 version, BTW, had a different, and even smoother automatic transmission than the 1967. Before 1967, large full-sized Buicks used the unique Super Turbine Drive automatic (a 3-speed derivative of the old Dynaflow)...in 1967, they switched to GM's regular Turbo-Hydra-matic, probably to cut costs and standardize things. To compensate, though, the 1967 was generally more reliable than the 1965, as the whole line of full-sized GM cars was steadily improving in reliability from the mid to late-60s.
oh sorry for mucking up OP's thread with a four door-the "personal luxury" thing slipped by me. Hey but they did make a 2-door Electra too in '67 so...
oh sorry for mucking up OP's thread with a four door-the "personal luxury" thing slipped by me. Hey but they did make a 2-door Electra too in '67 so...
Don't worry about it...you didn't mess the thread up. And, in my book, anybody who likes those superb Electras of that 60s vintage, two or four door, gets a big thumbs-up.
Don't worry about it...you didn't mess the thread up. And, in my book, anybody who likes those superb Electras of that 60s vintage, two or four door, gets a big thumbs-up.
Thanks mmarshall-very kind of you
that Buick really was luxurious for those times. I remember the plushy seats, the super quiet inside, and when dad floated up the drive with it all you heard was the subtle whirring of the alternator and the soft rush of air through the fan as that big block was being quieted so much by mufflers and resonators.
Anythime. Like I said, I owned an Electra while in college.....I know what a plush ride it was. Took some comments, though, from my friends at the time about driving a Grandpa/Grandma car.
(I had also owned a Plymouth Barracuda, so I had tasted a little sport as well)
that Buick really was luxurious for those times. I remember the plushy seats, the super quiet inside, and when dad floated up the drive with it all you heard was the subtle whirring of the alternator and the soft rush of air through the fan as that big block was being quieted so much by mufflers and resonators.
My uncle at that time had a 1967 Cadillac Sedan De Ville......I agree with you in that I thought the Electra (which was built on the same general platform) was just as much, if not more, refined. One weakness of GM cars of that period, though, was that they tended to develop rattles fairly early. The Chrysler products had an all-welded unitized body...the GM cars, like most Fords of the time, were body-on-frame which was bolted-on.
Speaking of 1967 Buicks, the Wildcat is another one of my favorite designs. The way that rear window slopes down to the trunk, man what a sexy car.
That same full-sized, 2-door coupe design, BTW (though you are probably aware of this) was also used by three other GM divisions.....Chevy, Olds, and Pontiac.
Here, for example, is its sister car.......the 1967 Olds 88 Holiday Coupe.
oh sorry for mucking up OP's thread with a four door-the "personal luxury" thing slipped by me. Hey but they did make a 2-door Electra too in '67 so...
They sure did, and we had one... white with a navy vinyl top. My 5'4" mom drove it. I used to wax it for her because the paint would constantly oxidize (before clear coat) and it also started rusting where the chrome on the vinyl top met the paint. We used to always use touch-up paint on the rust to the point where there were just mounds underneath. I remember my dad getting the vinyl top replaced once.
My mom kept that car for years. My dad had a '73 Pontiac Grand Am at the same time. The Electra was a big, lazy boat, but the Grand Am was actually pretty fast and handled well for its time. I was happy to drive either one to school if I got the chance.
Man this thread is great! I love that Wildcat Aron9000 put up. Fantastic color. mmarshall I enjoyed reading your '65 Buick here-and your buddies couldn't deny what thunder lurked under that hood-was it not a 401 Nailhead? With 445 lbs torque? Correct me if wrong. That was a serious motor as was the 425.
dseag2-your childhood sounds like mine was. One friend's dad was a CEO at American Tobacco and got a new Caddy Coupe de Ville every few years. Another friend's dad was a CEO for Uniroyal Tire Co. and got a Fleetwood every few years. Dad owned his own meat shop. I HAD to keep dad's Buick up to snuff as that was our family's car from '67-72 when dad got a new Electra. Those Illinois winters ate up cars with that road salt so I was out there with the compounds and Turtle wax. I was pretty young too to be doing all that work. Between that stuff and working in dad's meat shop at 11 years old, I was busting my butt earlier than my friends!
So many good choices from the past with the Cadillac Coupe and the 928. Great thread. My own personal experience was with the late 1960's early 1970's Pontiac Gran Prix. A brand I came to loathe with a passion for its lack of reliability and love for its character.
But for sheer looks I would still have one of these parked for the occasional drive and as a collector car. One of my work buddies had one with the 428 HO - it was a 1969 SJ. Later on, I ended up with a lime green model J with the 400 big block. The one with the black roof. But ultimately I had to sell it.
I loved the interior "cockpit" arrangement and its beastly nature and rumble. Real dual exhaust. Still remember that one.
That same full-sized, 2-door coupe design, BTW (though you are probably aware of this) was also used by three other GM divisions.....Chevy, Olds, and Pontiac.
Here, for example, is its sister car.......the 1967 Olds 88 Holiday Coupe.
I always though Buick sold that fastback look the best though. The 1967 Impala 2 door looks pretty sleek as well, but the Pontiac version, just well, no.
My Dad had an early 1980s (I think it was a 1983?) Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais, I was really little, but I loved that car, theres an old picture of me somewhere hugging the steering wheel when I was maybe 3-4 years old.
It was light brown outside and dark brown inside. Very 80s:
I remember very vividly crying and crying when they traded it in on a Ford Aerostar minivan. Slightly less...personal...:
My mother had a Ford LTD II Brougham also, which was HUGE:
Getting a little more contemporary, some of my favorite luxury coupes are the 90's Cadillac Eldorados:
I also like the old Lincoln Mark VIII (my father in law had a nice green one when I met her that was really sharp):
My Dad had an early 1980s (I think it was a 1983?) Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais, I was really little, but I loved that car, theres an old picture of me somewhere hugging the steering wheel when I was maybe 3-4 years old.
It was light brown outside and dark brown inside. Very 80s:
With the 2-doors and white-raised-letter tires (assuming they are original) I would have guessed that a 4-4-2, not a regular Cutlass Calais (though I think the 4-4-2 had hood scoops).
This was pretty awesome when my father had one of these. It had the 409 in it. Tons of torque, it had the hydraulic lifters.. The solid lifter engine was good for like an extra 15 hp or something like that. I love the look of them. That same look on the el Camino was cool too.
06-10-16, 06:24 AM
And, in my book, anybody who likes those superb Electras of that 60s vintage, two or four door, gets a big thumbs-up. 
