The skies were grey and the roads were slick. Storms had lashed Brisbane before easing into a mere drizzle and the endless concrete and bitumen of Gympie Road looked dreary and monochromatic under the pallid sky. Then, a flash of colour! In a sea of whites, blacks and greys, a grand, lime green car appeared.
Classic American cars are relatively rare in Australia but for the ubiquitous first-generation Mustang. Those that do reside here are typically garage queens, wheeled out only for car shows. Judging by the condition of this 1971 Buick Electra 225, I dare say it was one of them.
Because I have so little exposure to classic American cars on a regular basis, this Electra was a surprise to behold and take in. For one, it didn’t seem quite as long as I thought it would. Perhaps it’s the relatively low height compared to most modern vehicles but the Electra’s length didn’t crystallize in my mind until I saw how long the trunk was.
Speaking of length and height, the Electra is a foot and a half longer than a new Buick Enclave. That Enclave, however, has three comfortable rows of seating. This Electra? Well, the trunk is without peer but the rear of the cabin, plush as it is, just doesn’t have the stretch-out room I’d expect from a vehicle of these dimensions. The car is all hood and trunk. That relatively low roofline, too, makes ingress and egress just a touch less graceful. I can understand why today’s full-size crossovers are so popular.
It’s purely academic to compare an Electra to an Enclave, however. No Enclave can be had with lime green paint and matching upholstery, nor can one option Buick’s current flagship with a 455 cubic-inch V8.
This car is rich with enticing details. Everywhere I looked there was something to get my attention. At the rear, there’s the Electra crest surrounding the keyhole for the trunk.
The gorgeous bladed fenders, like a femme fatale, look beautiful but deadly. Note the original dealer badge from Fred Hughes Buick in Abilene, Texas. This Electra is a southern belle.
That seems only appropriate considering the Electra was named after Texan socialite Electra Waggoner Biggs. Then GM President, Harlow Curtice, was her brother-in-law. That was quite a flattering tribute, especially because the Electra name lasted all the way until 1990 (and, frankly, is overdue to be dusted off on an electric Buick). The socialite also had a town named after her, the Waggoners being a prominent family in West Texas. The famous Waggoner Ranch, as well as the town of Electra, are about a 2-3 hour drive from Abilene where this Buick was purchased.
Fred Hughes ran his titular Buick dealership for decades, briefly stepping away from the reins to serve a single term as mayor of Abilene. He much preferred selling Buicks to politics and chose not to run again or run for a seat in congress. A staunch fiscal conservative, he argued how wasteful it was to spend so much money on a two-year term in the House.
I describe this Electra as being “lime green” but I don’t believe it’s the Lime Mist available on select ’71. That color was restricted to the Skylark and its derivatives. More than likely it’s Willowmist Green or even Cornet Gold if I’m suffering from a slight bout of color blindness.
One thing is for sure: under the long hood of this beauty is a 455 cubic-inch V8 with a four-barrel carb and a three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 400 transmission. That was the only powertrain available in the ’71 Electra.
Speaking of the hood, these have to be the most elegantly integrated Ventiports Buick ever designed. I also love the feature line that starts at the hood and ends at the taillights. Though I adore the ’69-70 Electra, its feature line was situated much lower and gave that car a more slab-sided look. Despite being 0.3 inches longer, the ’71 looks lower and sleeker.
The wheel covers are simple and elegant. I’d take these over any of the wire wheel covers of this era.
Inside, there’s a very driver-oriented dashboard. The Mercury Marquis and Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight were more distinctive inside but the Electra’s interior is more restrained and elegant.
Electras came in four variants for ’71: regular hardtop coupe and hardtop sedan and Custom hardtop coupe and hardtop sedan. The overwhelming favorite with buyers was the Custom sedan with 72,954 produced, more than the rest combined. That pattern remained true for the rest of this generation, the toniest sedan always outselling the rest of the line.
The only issue I ever had with the ‘71’s styling was the rather understated frontend.
I’ve changed my mind, however. Seeing it in the metal and noticing that subtly protruding snout has made me a fan.
I’m also a fan of later years of this generation. The Electra survived the 5-MPH bumpers and regular facelifts better than the Grosse Point Gothic Ninety-Eight or the bloated Caprice.
It’s listed for $AUD35,000 at a consignment dealership. Typically, their stock consists of late-model sedans and crossovers but occasionally they’ll have a classic for sale like this MG B or a Dodge Challenger I’ve featured previously. This Electra was imported by its third owner in 2016. In total, it has just 81,191 miles and apparently the upholstery is all original.
I wonder if the floor mats are original too.
I don’t begrudge modern cars for being taller and rounder, or for generally lacking big V8 engines. I am, however, saddened that you can’t buy a lime green car with an emerald green interior. You can still get colorful cars – just recently, Buick would sell you a brown LaCrosse with a purple interior – but automakers have limited the variety and buyers seem more than happy to stick with Resale Silver.
Though this generation of C-Body may have seen some cost-cutting, it has to be commended for looking so elegant. This is a 225-inch long sedan with lime green paint that looks elegant and understated and even, relatively-speaking, sleek. It’s a fitting upscale chariot, whether you’re a city mayor or an oil heiress.
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1976 Buick Electra Limited – Eat, Drink and be Merry for Tomorrow We Diet
I never gave much thoughts to the Buick Electra, but you got me sold on this one! Now I crave for one…
The owner could have ordered the American-sized numberplates as they are available in Queensland by special order rather than bend the QLD numberplates to fit in the narrower slot.
Looking at the dashboard, it would be a huge nightmare to do the right-hand-drive conversion in the 1970s or 1980s using cut-and-paste method. The owner wisely left the dashboard alone and registered it as a historical vehicle.
X2 on the number plates. That’s why my Buick has the American sized plates, and it’s on full registration. Hurts the hip pocket nerve, but means I can drive it any where, an time. Mine’s the red ’69.
Speaking of color: I largely UNloaded my ’18 Accord Sport due to silver exterior and black interior! My new Accord Touring is Radiant Red (metallic) with a 2 tone crème/black interior….COLOR!!!
The achromatic look, to me, got boring as it started! DFO
I had no idea that the Buick Electra was named after an actual person (I’d assumed it was generically named after the Electra in Greek mythology). But it’s completely fitting that the eponymous person is a Texas heiress. I’ll never look at an Electra the same again!
Also, aside from the color, I like the upholstery pattern on these Buicks.
Eric, I came here to post the same thing about its name.
Will, I learned a(nother) new Buick-fact on my morning commute! Thank you for this, and for another superb piece. I wonder how much this car weighs, all-up.
As for this particular example, swoon.
This fascinated me, so I did some reading about Electra Biggs this morning. Apparently, she was a renowned sculptor in addition to being a cattle heiress.
Also, the Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop airplane was supposedly named after her, though Lockheed also used the Electra name in the 1930s. But the company made a point of saying that the turboprop was named in honor of Electra Biggs. I came across this interesting excerpt from a Texas history website:
“On May 17, 1959… Electra Waggoner Biggs and her daughter, also named Electra, took part in an unusual ‘branding’ ceremony at Dallas Love Field. After an old fashioned chuck wagon breakfast, six ‘branders’ using specially made branding irons each placed a rubber-backed letter spelling out ‘Dallas’ on the nose of the plane. This particular Lockheed Electra was to make the first jet flight of the new aircraft out of Love Field. The Electra was expected to cut one hour off the flying time to the East Coast, bringing it down to three hours and fifty-five minutes.”
Wow. I wish Buick had thought of a Branding Ceremony for the Electra 225! Electra must have been quite an interesting person.
I thought it was named after the Lockheed Electra airplane.
In too many ways, the lordly and lardy ’71-on GM biggies are an affront. No handling. Way too little room inside for the road-hoggery outside. No fuel, on every second day any way. Performance of this example not much ahead of the already-ordinary MGB near it, despite a motor nearly 4 times the size. They are arrogant. Hell, they’re just rude.
But one thing not visible to many from the US, not visible because of high visibility (these being boring everywhere cars to many of the right age), is beauty. Nearly all these GM’s are quite sumptuous, using every possible bit of the gigantism to effect. Those wheels are, what, 15 inchers? The trimming makes them look like 22’s. The feature line William mentions is in fact a deep sculpt: there’s enough panel to take it. The flattened curve of the wheelarch only works because it is enormous. There’s other stuff too, like the missing wipers and twig-thin A-pillars, which together make for real elegance up top. William mentions the “subtly protruding snout”, where in truth, the size hides that it’s a foot-long Cyrano de Bergerac.
They nearly all got an attack of the uglies once the bumper-crop-size bumpers were welded somewhere outboard in ’73 (?), and (for me) began to lose all of the lux and flowingness when square eyes turned up on many of them.
But in these earlier forms, they’re a peak, not just of size, but of style. They’re art, and about as practical, and I wouldn’t want one without owning an acreage on which it could be installed for viewing, but art they nonetheless are.
While I am not really a fan of this generation of B and C body, I will tell you that they handle better than you think they would. GM had really upped its game in suspensions from those 5 or 10 years earlier. With decent tires and shocks these are pretty good road cars.
Agree with J P!
My ’71 Rivera GS, with the same basic suspension, was quite the surprisingly competent “Real World” all weather road car, when equipped with Michelin X radial tires and Boge nitrogen gas filled shock absorbers.
I shall consider myself appropriately schooled, as I have never driven one. I would imagine decent tyres and better shocks would make a big difference too, certainly an improvement on what’s shown in this video where the handling is praised despite visibly mountainous understeer and spongy rebound control. (Given the praise for what couldn’t really be called good handling, the earlier ones must’ve been pretty bloody awful!)
Very stunning example! Echoing the comments of others, you make a very compelling and passionate case for the appeal of this Electra 225!
I honestly never knew the meaning behind the Electra name and never would have guessed it was named after a woman, let alone a Texas socialite who was the sister-in-law of GM’s president of the Buick division.
I always thought that “Electra” was a very trendy and even futuristic name, especially considering it was applied to such a conservative car. “Electra” kind of sounds like the name of a femme fatale.
Another cool feature are those vents in the trunk lid.
The vents were part of a constant flow through ventilation system on early 70s GM cars. The blower fan was always on low, you couldn’t turn it off. There was a space under the rear seat that allowed air to go through the car into the trunk and out the vent. I had it on my Vega and it didn’t seem to make any difference in the car.
If I remember right those vents in the trunk lid or rear hatch were used only on the 1971 full size GM cars as well as the Vega. The 1971 A and F bodies did not use them. I own a 1978 Camaro Z28 with AC and it too has no OFF position for the blower. The blower selections are low (always on as long as some point under the hood is above a certain temperature), med. low, med. high and high. I have owned my car 41 years and I have never found where the switch is that disables the low blower speed below a certain temperature.
Glenn it was my understanding that the temp cutoff was only part of cars with the early versions of the automatic temp control. My mother’s 74 Pontiac blew all the time and so did the 75 or 76 Caprice that a friend of our family bought. I remember his because he groused incessantly about it and one day proudly told me that he had spliced an on/off switch into the blower circuit so that he could turn the miserable thing off.
I think the idea was to maintain some kind of flow-through ventilation at all times. Low speed was really very low, but still an irritant when first starting out in cold weather.
The blower ‘cold’ cut off switch was on all 71’s with the ‘flow-through’ constant ventilation.
The trunk-lid vents were only featured on the B-, C- and E-bodies for 1971. They were quickly removed for the 1972 model year because of customer complaints about water leaks.
Though I believe the Vega continued with them through 1972.
Dumb move, especially when they had fake ones complete with stamped “louvers” at the rear quarter windows on sedans and hatchbacks that looked like they actually belonged there!! Proves XP-887 was a ‘committee think’ GM vehicle of corporate shame.
I believe they reduced the number of those slots in the trunklid midway though the model year. As you state, they were eliminated on 1972 full size models.
Rather than a socialite, these cars always reminded me of a big, barroom brawler in a 3- piece suit. In my younger and more foolish days, I used to stoplight race one against the gutless new Camaros, Firebirds, and a Vette or two of the early to mid ‘80s. A healthy 455 with gobs of torque could do the job between lights. I was a little more wary of the Mustang 5.0. I think Smokey Yunick one said that if a car was too heavy or had the aerodynamics of a brick, simply put in a larger engine.
Anyways, I think the direct descendant of this car is a crew cab Silverado or Sierra with a 6.2 V8.
I remember seeing a grand total of ONE equipped with factory electronic traction control. Worldly socialite and all, I was hoping that this was going to be another.
I am confused about this factory electronic traction control. A quick skim of the brochure doesn’t mention anything like that, though they do have an automatic load leveler feature for towing. I don’t recall ever hearing of anything like this.
Definately, positively, factory traction control.
I drove the newish Electra, played with skidding it, etc.
I know, hard to believe. But, I pretty well followed these cars throughout their days, lots of ’em, and recall only the one. So granted, I suspect it’s an ‘ultra’ rare piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKozAIgESPw Available on all “upper series” Buicks
Wow, I learned something new. I have never heard of this one before. It is weird that this was the time period when I was reading everything I could about new cars and Buick should have been promoting the hell out of this, but if I did read about it I forgot it almost immediately.
Lincoln also offered traction control on the Mark in this era.
Interesting, Scoutdude, thanks.
At 40 some years I’m not going swear to it, but I think that the “traction” car was a ’71? Maybe ’72, but not ’73, to my recollection.
Again, thanks for the link.
With some of the findings spotted in lifetime of scrutinizing motor vehicles, sometimes I feel like a pilot who’s “plainly” spotted a UFO but doesn’t dare to mention it for fear of ridicule. LoL
I agree about the grille. It says “Caprice Classic” to me.
Looking at the pic of the dash reminded me of a question I’ve always had.
From where did the idea for those “crotch cooler” HVAC vents come? I know they lasted through the 1970s on GMs larger Buick and Olds luxury cars. What exactly was their purpose? I’ve never seen them on a 1970s-era Cadillac.
From where did the idea for those “crotch cooler” HVAC vents come?
We never thought of them in our 1979 Chevrolet Caprice estate until our German visitors pointed that out.
One thing I suspect is that the ‘crotch coolers’ were contingency measure for the under-the-dashboard ventilation system in case the federal government finally made up its mind about the mandatory air bags. The size and placement of GM’s first generation passenger-side airbag (introduced in 1974) took up a lot of space under the dashboard.
See the diagram of Oldsmobile’s airbags.
Fantastic find! I am always curious when and how a Texas car like this made its way Down Under. My guess is that this lightly used Electra was part of an estate sale for the original owner, and was snapped-up for a song by a vintage car dealer who understood the rarity of its excellent condition. And from there it probably passed from dealer to dealer, collector to collector and at some point embarked on the long journey.
There are two things that I think make this Electra particularly special:
1) The Willowmist car features a beige vinyl top, rather than the more common green or black that would typically have been paired with the light green paint.
2) The original interior is in unbelievably good condition. GM’s brocade fabrics of this era seemed to be pretty fragile. I remember seeing aging examples where the seat upholstery was in shreds, not just at the seams but the cloth itself.
Of course, the best thing about this Electra is the well-styled majesty that made Buicks so desirable to upscale buyers back in the day, from a time when GM was still at the top of its traditional game.
I am with you on that unusual pairing of paint and roof vinyl. It is not really an attractive match, to my eye. Black or the dark green that was also available would have looked so much nicer.
And you are right about that interior, sun would do a nasty job on that fabric. Also the vinyl atop the dash would crack by the time the car was 7 or 8 years old with normal use.
Originally purchased new in Abilene, Texas- 2nd owner moved it to Brady, Texas where I found it in a shed. It is original including the floor mats. It was shipped to Oz in 2016 Chris current and 3rd owner
Agree about the unusual color combination on this car. I prefer darker shades on vehicles of this size, though after 30 years of living in the Texas heat, I can certainly understand why this big-boned gal was ordered in lighter colors.
BTW, a classic car dealer here in DFW advertises its export capabilities and apparently caters to a large overseas clientele, dealing primarily in 1960s and 1970s Detroit iron.
“When” has to be relatively recent, past the era of mandatory RHD conversion so somewhere around the turn of the millennium at the earliest?
Agreed on the amazing condition of tbe original upholstery! Those floor mats look original to me as well.I’d say this car spent very little time outdoors, especjally in a relatively harsh environment like Abilene, TX.
Quoting my observant “Great Depression” survivor Grandfather: “Gangsters, politicians and the noveau riche flaunt their new Cadillacs. People with quiet good taste and those from ‘Old Money’ will purchase a Buick”.
This generation of Buick Electras proves Granddad to be oh-so-correct.
Nice big car, another example of the magical preservative powers of metallic green paint.
Though I can’t imagine driving something that large on Australian roads with left hand drive.
The best part of these old Buick’s is the ride. They feel posh and they float down the road.
I think these and the Impala from this generation could be had with GMs first optional airbag system. I know only a handful of these had that option, but were the first cars with a driver and passenger side airbag.
I remember in the 80’s, on rare occasions, the early GM airbag equipped cars being involved in accidents where the bags deployed. It would be on the evening news because the cars were owned by their 2ND, 3Rd, or 4th owners,who had no idea that the cars were airbag equipped until it deployed in their face.
I have to admit that while these are not my favorite cars from a body structure standpoint, they are really quite handsome. I will concur with your Willowmist Green guess, that was a really popular color on big GM cars of 1971. The color was toned down considerably in intensity for the next year when my mother was shopping Oldsmobiles.
And yes, those floor mats look like originals. Buick used those mats with the big white Buick Tri-Shields for quite a few years in the 60s and 70s.
I agree that these come across best in their more pure 1971-72 forms before all of the baroque junk started to get thrown onto them.
GM did a good job of styling these cars to hide their (considerable) bulk. The only one I don’t like is the full-size Pontiac. The front just doesn’t work on that car. Ironically, the 5-mph bumpers adopted for 1973 actually improved its looks, as the bumper “broke up” the size of the grille.
Though I generally prefer the generation of B and C bodies that debuted with the 1977 model year, I have always harbored a thing for the 1971-72 Electra. I too love it’s clean and modern aesthetic, considering this the final attempt by one of the Big Three automakers to build a modern, stylish car without resorting to the Grosse Pointe Gothic (great turn of phrase, Will!) cliches that heralded the Brougham era of tacky excess.
And while I agree that a modern Enclave is a more efficient people hauler, do not under-estimate the sheer amount of space in this car. I distinctly remember riding home very comfortably with six other middle school boys and our orthodontist neighbor from an off-site school event in a 1972 Electra. The car handled rush hour suburban Chicago traffic with ease and its air conditioning kept everyone cool.
Having read many William Stopford posts, I have to say that a write up by you is a sign of very high quality. Your writings are truly first class in every way. Thank you for sharing your spot-on knowledge and opinions.
I lived in Australia (Double Bay) for just short of two years – the best time of my life really! Whilst there, I loved seeing the Aussie-built American brands. They fascinated me with the mix of styling influences and branding influences. Sort of an alternate universe or dimension yet familiar to an American car buff in a mix and match way.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and opinions. Keep ‘em coming please!
You’re making me blush! Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it!
There are two characters in mythology named Electra which means ‘bright one’. One was the daughter of Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks in the Trojan war.
The other (earlier) Electra was one of the seven daughters of Atlas. These seven sisters were known as the Pleiades for which the celestial constellation was named. Therefore it only seems fair that Subaru should have the right to use the Electra name from now on since General Motors has seemed to abandoned it. 🙂
By the way, the 225 designation (quiloqually expressed as deuce-and-a-quarter) referred to the original model’s length in inches. That was an inch longer than our family’s contemporary Cadillac!
I recognized that dealer plate with its big B even before I saw the whole thing in the picture below. Fred Hughes was my hometown Buick dealer for decades and was VERY successful judging from the number of Fred Hughes Buicks roaming the streets of Abilene.
Electras were popular with Abilene’s upper-middle class families. A friend’s dad was a CPA, and they bought a new Electra every three years. The previous Electra went to his mom, and her Electra was traded in. They had a ’69, ’73 and ’77 Park Avenue before his dad went all nouveau riche and bought a Mercedes 300D.
In the late 70s, when imports started making inroads in Middle America, Fred Hughes added a BMW franchise while Rocket Oldsmobile took on Mercedes. I was fortunate enough that the Abilene Independent School District rotated driver’s ed cars through all of the local dealerships. When my sister took it in 1979, Arrow Ford had the contract, and she got stuck with a Granada. Fred Hughes had it in 1982, and I got to drive a brand new and loaded Regal Limited.
I’ve always assumed the Electra was named after the Lockheed Electra, probably the public did as well. Thanks for the true source. Naming choice can make or break a car, be glad Ms. Biggs wasn’t named Nadine or worse, Clydette.
Indeed, those long, sweeping sculpted surfaces work out best visually when the car has enough length to allow them to taper out to a logical conclusion. Impractical as they were, we were lucky enough to have those to enjoy for a while, to see what has been termed “the pleasant insanity of innocent excess”.
Electra usually had their own richer-looking grille pattern not shared with the other series, but the ’71 missed the mark for bit of upscale identity.
This car sitting on a dealer lot reminds me of a similar one I saw in high school. It was around 1988 when the local AMC dealer had a 1972 Electra sedan on its used lot. I remember it was a light tan color, black top with low mileage, probably about 50k. I really wanted that car, but it was not to be.
I know people consider that generation to be flawed cars, but I still dig them. As usual, Buick arguably had the best-executed version of the platform.
Great find William. It looks to be in great shape and the interior is quite remarkable. I can’t say I am much of a fan of these big Buick, but these 1971-72’s were the best looking of the generation. One thing I liked about them is the front end styling. It shows great family resemblance to the A-Body Skylark, which I also thought had a handsome face.
Everytime I see an Electra (or read a story about one) I keep thinking back to that earlier story on this website written by Laurence Jones which references the 1964 Buick Electra driven by the would-be socialite and villain in “Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte.”
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/curbside-classic-1964-buick-electra-225-whatever-happened-to-the-deuce-and-a-quarter/
For conservative, almost upper income Americans who would NEVER even consider owning a tacky and vulgar Cadillac Sedan De Ville; this generation Buick Electra was THE rational thinking man’s alternative.
This car reminds me of an era in the US when two, sometimes three couples would go out to dinner together, maybe to a steakhouse or a supper club where there would be music and dancing, and later come home for cards and coffee. How perfect the 225 was to transport them in class and comfort. As time went on the Electra became the WWII generation’s retirement car of choice.
A college friend’s father had a 225 with every option, white vinyl top, electric blue paint, white interior (vinyl or leather I couldn’t say). He was a company rep who was on the road traveling much of the time and put a lot of hard but comfortable miles on that car and it held up very well.
I join those who had no idea this iconic model was named after a person. Very interesting piece.
Beautiful car. You know your comment about only two row seating vs. three row seating popped a thought into my mind. I was looking through my car manual for the 1967 Park Lane looking at tire sizes at the time. One thing really jumped out at me big time. When the car carried 6 passengers and luggage it was estimated to be 1100 lbs. of which 200 lbs. was the luggage. That meant 900 lbs. divided up among six passengers. Six adults at 150 lbs. each? Maybe yes, maybe no but made me wonder. I know airlines do not use the same weight estimations for the passengers of today as compared to those of the 60s. What are current cars using for passenger weights today?
150lbs per passenger was the industry standard for many years. Maybe they assumed that some of those passengers would be kids? Or that the missus would be 100lbs to offset the driver’s 200lbs?
I love the clean styling of the 1971-72 full sized Buick’s before they became tainted with the 5mph bumpers and ugly grille design’s of the later years, I also prefer the 1971-72 Buick & Oldsmobile’s over the Cadillac’s of the same era as well, for the taillights I prefer the 1972’s over the 1971’s
Fascinating about the naming of the car. Wildcat is another name that should be renewed.
This is a beautiful, elegant car. I could see how the monied folks not wanting the flash of the Cadillac were drawn to them….
One more comment on this article which I really loved. The author mentioned that the interior seemed smaller than expected in such a large car. While it certainly could have had better space utilization, it is perhaps better than it would first appear. Having owned two B-bodies of this generation, I can testify that the interior is very wide. Lots of elbow room to the driver’s left and just try to touch the passenger door from the driver seat: power windows are a very useful feature. I think the segmented dash breaks up the width visually. The 75-76 ones with full width dashes have a wider look.
The back seat doesn’t look like it has leg room, but consider that the seat bottom is very deep fore to aft. Just about the same as the front. Most cars since the downsizing era (including this car’s 77 successors) had much shorter rear seat bottoms, I believe to give the appearance of more space behind the front seat to make up for having less actual leg room. A deeper seat is more comfortable and this car, with its 130 inch wheelbase, didn’t have to resort to visual gimmicks.
I remember in the 80’s, cars like these seemed HUGE. They don’t seem so big now with the proliferation of SUV’s and crossovers which outweigh them and tower over them while rolling on wheels that are much bigger. Here in America, and especially here in Texas, full size pickup trucks are ubiquitous, and they are bigger in every way including sometimes even length. Not to mention that the trucks and many of the SUV’s are styled to accentuate their size. It almost makes a 71 Electra look downright modest.
In my limited exposure to Australians, I’ve noticed that they tend to have a real way with words. It seems like they have good vocabulary and command of the language and very often use it to good effect. Thanks for sharing the good find and keep the articles coming!
To me , this is a classic American car. That is a compliment.
My dad’s oldest brother and my favorite uncle bought a new Electra every two years or so. I recall riding in the expansive back seat, which was very similar to this CC and being impressed with the fold down center arm rest, my parents 1965 Buick Special didn’t even have arm rests on the rear doors! A couple years later my parents had a 1973 Ford LTD which had a similar looking faux damask nylon fabric seats, but no fold down center arm rest.
My uncle never got a downsized ‘C’ body because by the late 1970’s his son was working for Honda and he likely was driving a new Accord. Besides the early ‘70s Electra(s) I will always remember my uncle driving a mid 1980’s Honda Civic All Wheel Drive Wagon and pointing out how ill fitting American car’s body panels were compaired to his practical Honda. It’s seems iconic that my Uncle was a strong Union Member who worked most of his life as a Machine Fitter.
Great article — and a beautiful 1971 Buick! I was with my parents when we walked into the showroom during late September, 1970, and gazed for the first time at a 1971 Electra 225. Finished in rich Rosewood, the car was stunning, and my father made a full-price cash offer on the spot. Because the United Auto Workers had embarked on its 67-day strike against General Motors, the dealers refused to sell their tiny inventory of 1971 models, preferring to show the cars to prospective customers and writing up orders for cars to be produced following the strike. Finally, my father was able to purchase one of the first new Buicks produced after the strike during December, 1970. My parents drove the car until 1977, then passed it along to me. The car has been a remarkably trouble-free cruiser for the long-haul, and has racked up 165,000-miles. Most of those miles were back in the 1970’s, but I still have this fine automobile today, and would not hesitate to jump in it tomorrow and drive it across the USA. Mine is a “Centurion”, which was the slightly smaller alternative to the Electra 225.
Being in Wichita Falls the Waggoner ranch and its history is part of our DNA. It’s only 20 miles from me. And my mom used to do Electra Waggoners hair.
You have the wrong picture of Electra Waggoner Biggs, for whom the car was named (known as Electra II)….your picture is of her aunt, Electra Waggoner Wharton.