During one of my afternoons exploring the wonderful city I used to call home, I stumbled across two Buick Electras in the same part of the Lower East Side. I wonder if these two Buick-driving neighbors know each other, and what they are like.
Is the owner of this tastefully stock Electra a sensible, older gentleman who shakes his head when he sees his neighbor’s garish Electra? Does the owner of the darker-colored Electra genuinely feel he has improved the aesthetics of his car by adding the shiny wheels, non-functional hood scoop and fender vent, and decals? Each to their own, of course, but these Pep Boys accoutrements seem so incongruous on the elegant Electra. About the only thing tacky on the grey Electra are those wire wheel covers.
Some may find the fake “wires” tacky (and they do look odd with blackwalls.) at least they’re stock Buick items. IMHO the dark car has been vandalized. (at least it matches the “urban art” in the background.)
For a long time I also thought stock wires looked odd with black walls, but it is so common to see this anymore that I’m actually used to it, and it doesn’t bother me in the same way.
I’m kinda used to it too, But being a “get off my lawn” guy who has had several generations of Electras/Parks, It still hits me as odd when I’m thinking about wheels 🙂
I’d take the tastefully stock Buick Electra any day over the garishly modified Electra. I do like the wheels of the modified Buick over the stock Electra, and I do like black for the car, but I find the flame decal tacky at best.
Those 2 Electras are hardly even a short circuit spark. Have a look at a 1958 Buick Electra, Now there is electricity, 220 volts worth.
No such thing as a 1958 Buick Electra. The Electra name was new for 1959, replacing the Roadmaster. The Electra 225 replaced the Limited.
You are absolutely correct, I had in mind the ’58 Buick Limited which I had the opportunity to learn the ins-and-outs of at the GM Training Center in 1958. It was an awesome automobile with it’s Variable Pitch Dynaflow transmission which I believe was new in ’58.
Variable pitch Dyanflow allowed for better off the line performance,Did nothing for MPG, but then if you WERE buying a Buick in those years, gas economy probably was not an issue! It being a recession year only people with enough dough were buying upper medium cars, And I’ll bet a lot of ’58 Buick buyers would’ve been Cadillac buyers two years before.
You are correct on the gas mileage issue. In 1958 gas was so cheap, people didn’t even think of gas mileage. I use to pump gas while attending high school, it ranged around 19.9 cents a gallon for regular.
Nice finds. The darker one is what we import guys call “domestic rice”. Even, though it looks like a victim of Pimp My Ride… It is good to see an 80’s styled classic Electra, whether original or ghetto-fabulous. Lol
Oh, although wire wheel covers are lame, I still keep the original Buick wire covers with wheel locks, for my 85 Regal.
Even, though it’s sporting aftermarket wire wheels, it’s good to keep the stock equipment. Sometimes, guys who are into originality, are actually looking for these lockable wire covers.
Wow, but were those fake wire wheel covers a hot item in the 80s among the 50+ set. When my Mom got her 85 Crown Vic, I don’t think there was a single part of the car she loved more than those wire wheel covers. They even had their own little anti theft wrench, you know, so that people can’t steal them.
At least the wires on this Buick were not bad, the Ford version looked even more fake.
I drove the Lacrosse to work today. (What’s less unpleasant, putting the top up on the Miata because it’s going to rain? Or driving the stupid Buick?) I might trade for either of these. 🙂
Hahaaa, yep those Ford wire covers were the worst.
I remember they had like a chrome plated disc under the wire assembly, on top of a black disc? I haven’t seen one in ages, so I’m only going by memory.
I used to see those pieces of rubbish on 79-83 Ford LTD Crown Vics/Mercury Grand Marquis, 83-86 LTDs/Marquis, 4 cylinder 79-86 Mustang/ Capri, 80-82 Thunderbird/Cougar XR7, 81-82 Granada/Cougar 4dr, and sadly, an occasional 81-82 Ford Escort/ Mercury Lynx.
Way to go, cheap ass Ford. 🙂
Ladies and gentlemen, Exhibit A… The Ford offenders
I never found that one so bad. Here was the offender in my eyes, on the midsize and big Ford, Mercury and Lincoln. The wire pattern looks unlike any actual wire wheel I have ever seen.
Identical to those on my 1st new car, a 1979 Mercury Marquis Brougham Coupe. At the time a hot comodity. Had one set stolen at a mall parking lot (unfortuantely I had just dissassembled them for a good cleaning and reassembled that afternoon) and a couple attempts after I had installed a set of some anti theft deterrent straps that bolted to the lug nuts. Mine had 14 inch rims so no center lock available.
Awww man, my Dad’s Country Squire had those wire hubcaps when he first got it and I thought they looked great on that car…..they were stolen twice and the third time he got a set of the turbine wheels from a boneyard because the wires were so expensive to replace. He had to go from a 14 to 15 inch tire as well, but it was worth it as the turbine wheels couldnt be stolen like the hubcaps could. I guess everyone has different tastes, right?
This Squire looks identical to Dad’s except he had wide whitewalls and the 14 inch tires with the wire wheel hubcaps that I like and no one else seems to LOL! Even the color is the same. His had cornering lamps and illuminated entry, too. What memories!!
Is that what the Griswalds drove in National Lampoon’s Vacation? Or was it an Olds 88 Custom Cruiser? I forget. Hahaa
Hi Sarcasmo, yes indeed the Griswolds drove a green “modified” Country Squire. If you really analyze the Griswold’s car you can see the funny things they did to it – my favorite being the second set of headlights and taillights next to the factory ones!
Some funny shots I found by Googling!!
Almost reminds me of the weird upside down turn signals, on the 1977-79 Chrysler Le Baron.
And another…..
Have more low key wires on the Electra but had the key variety on my ’87 Brougham. While I thought they looked okay with the car, I’d have preferred the color-coded dog dish variety on the ’80-’81 brochure ads.
The keys were the worst part. I had occasion to lose a hubcap ahem ‘wire wheel cover’ and had to ebay a whole new set with key…couldn’t risk buying a solo and not having my key work. Yes, the keys were different. So whenever I had to have the car serviced “the brown key unlocks the rears, the white key unlocks the fronts”.
The engineers must have lived around Detroit metro areas for a while. While living in the countryside, or somewhere not so busy, the only time I lose the hubcaps is it falls off itself and rolls aimlessly somewhere, and my neighbor’s Park Avenue has all the hubcaps stolen somewhere south of 8 Mi rd and one day the muffler is gone too!
Oddly enough my 1984 Buick Century Limited Coupe was ordered with wire wheel covers and blackwalls. I bought the car in 1986 so you can imagine how weird it was to see blackwalls with wire wheel hubcaps! I eventually got Buick factory alloys and it looked a lot cleaner and sportier with the blackwalls.
I detest wire wheel covers, especially with blackwall tires. The two go together like fire and ice. A blackwall must have alloys, a rally wheel on a 70’s or 80 coupe/muscle car is best served with white letters and wire wheels look best with white walls. Anything else just doesn’t look right to me.
oh how I hate these fake wire hubcaps….my Electra P/A is stuck with them
question for everyone in terms of updating – do you think a caddy/previous generation wire hubcaps would look good on a 1985-1990 electra?
also toying with the idea of getting replacing mine with the colour coded rims from the 1991-1996 generation
BTW mine are 15 inch…not the more common 14 inch
The convex wires look stupid, I hate every car with them and GM put them on EVERY CAR in the 80s, ugh. I’d prefer seeing bare flat black steelies. The wheels on the black one might have actually come from a newer 90s GM, they look familiar and they definitely are an improvement if they weren’t accompanied by the other ghetto appendages.
I feel whoever designs those tacky appendages glued onto the black one was an ex-GM employee who designed these hub caps. The scoops, flames and vents are as equally as bad looking, pointless and disingenuous as the stock “wires” are.
Actually those both appear to be Park Avenues, not Electras, given that the wide stainless lower body trim carries on through the doors…at least that was the distinction in ’85. These are ’87 or later…
The OP is correct, These ARE Electras,Even if they are Park Avenues. All Buick Park Avenues were Electras before 1990, when Park Avenue became a model outright. Bonus fact: Early 1960s Park Avenues are Cadillacs and Eldorados were Fleetwoods. Just more GM naming quirks!
You beat me to it, James!
+2
It’s “Electra Park Avenue”
Not unlike “Continental Town Car” or “Ninety-Eight Regency”
I can **almost** get past the hood scoop and graphics, but the fake fender vent screams just screams “WalMart!” to me. Blech. Being that it’s a Buick, even fake Ventiports would be better.
Unless they’re on a Camry:
Unreal, by adding that foolishness, that Camry’s book value just went down $5000. Lol
IKR? I mean if you HAVE to glue junk to the front fenders on a Buick, For all that’s holy, make it Ventiports!
Tell me about it, I own an 85 Regal coupe, and even I wouldn’t put that crap on my fenders.
The last time Buick really used any type of ventiport(more like a ventibar), was on the 1977-84 C-body Electra 225. Then you didn’t know, Buick even had them, until they resurfaced on the final US market 2003 Park Avenue.
When I see those in traffic, I see those ventiports, and think, “They belong on that car, it’s a Buick.”, but Buick hasn’t had them in so long , they actually look like the add-ons you get at Pep Boys.
Now, when I see them on the side of a 2003-05 Park Avenue, it’s hard to take it seriously.
Yep, And really the last time they looked “right” was on the ’79. The ’80 restyle (that gave the Electra a Chrysler a$$,) left the ‘ports as an indentation of the trim, as opposed to an actuall “motif”. Perhaps I’m overthinking all this, But I am a devotee of the 4 Hole Buicks, (Real ones,anyway!) PS Enjoy your Regal, Not bad for a “little” Buick 😉
I generally agree the last old time good ventiport effort was on the ’79s, but I think the newest versions are like those again, no?
When I’ve been out in the ’77 Electra recently I’ve gotten one or two smiles and waves from ventiport sporting new Buick owners. It’s nice to be able to make that connection.
In the ’80s I had a ’77 Electra Limited (Burgundy, Black roof and gold Velour interior) A later (’89) Cadillac Brougham (DeElegance, No less!!) left me thinking….Is this a step up? Down? or Just sideways? The ’77-’79 Electras (To me) were the last of the “real Buicks”, IE less snobbish “Cadillacs” just as Sloan intended! (Yes,This is Broughamance, And I like it!) Keep that ’77 rollin!
I had an ’87 Brougham, I’d say mostly a step sideways. The only real step up from the Electra was in interior trimming–the delegance leather for example, and highway mpg with the 4th gear, I hit 28 mpg in the ’87, tops maybe 20 in the ’77. Otherwise the powertrain was a step down in later car, an Olds 307 can’t keep up with a Buick 350. Now take a ’77 Caddy with the 425 and disc brakes and now it’s a step up. The ’86-’89 was just the last one standing.
I like the 86 thru 91 Buick “H” bodies. Both Electra and LeSabre. I inherited my fathers last new car, a 91 LeSabre Custom sedan. I also have an 87 Lesabre T-Type. a rare and inderappreciated 2 door coupe version of this same body. Electras also had a T-type model in the late 80s as well. Long, low, and linear, with a strong engine, and several design easter eggs, like the clamshell hood, and the drop slot rear license palte holder, no bolts necessary. What’s not to like.
Couldn’t load the pic of the 87 T-Type. with the comment above. so here ’tis under separate cover.
Love that ride Jason!
The mods would bother me a lot more if done to any of the previous generations, but in a way they look even dumber on these.
These are my favorites of the downsized C bodies from ’85-’90.
Pretty conservative guy here, so I can’t believe I’m saying I would take the black, flashy Electra in a heartbeat, but I do really like it. However, the flame decals would have to go as they really ruin the look big time. Everything else can stay. Love those wheels.
The modified Electra reminds me of the game GTA: San Andreas
Those, who don’t know it, place was set in 1992 to California and there were bodyshops for imports, lowriders and regular cars. With aftermarket wheels, graphic and “chrome” wheel arches it looks like fresh from TransFender. 😀
Haha yes, I loved that game! Especially cruising through the deserts of Bone County and Tierra Robada. And I would love buying one of the more “normal” cars and modify it slightly. I recall the Sunrise being a favorite of mine because it had that growly Chevy 2.8 V6 engine note, although I don’t know what it was supposed to be.
GTA V disappointed me by only featuring Los Santos and the desert just wasn’t as cool as the Nevadan/Arizonan-type desert in San Andreas. But the modification feature was back, although there were far fewer “normal” cars which really annoyed me (Seriously, EVERYONE has a sports car?) but I did get a Primo – 91-96 Regal sedan/92-97 Seville mashup albeit with rear-wheel-drive – and have it spray painted in two-tone light brown and dark brown. Beautiful!
LOL,
I love that game, so many CCs driving around.
My 85 Buick Regal, looks exactly like the 2dr “Majestic” coupes in GTA San Andreas. 🙂
Pic 2