Ignore the newer vehicles in the background, and this battered-but-proud 1969 Buick Electra 225 makes you feel that if you switched on the radio, the Bee Gees would be playing, and if you pulled the power knob on your color TV, you could catch an episode of Mork & Mindy. It’s not showroom fresh, but this ’69 Deuce-and-a-Quarter seems like a 10-year-old driver that would still make a great low-budget used car circa 1979.
When the above photo was taken four years ago, this Electra had the appearance of being caught in suspended animation sometime in the mid-’70s. What first catches the eye is the Antique Gold color, a hue that stopped being fashionable for new automobiles sometime in the early ’70s. (Buick only offered this color through 1972.) The car was a little sun-worn, but in really decent shape overall, with clearly original paint, top, and interior. It lives where I found it, and it definitely gets used regularly. Current registration tags and a steadily deteriorating condition further attest to its being treated much like it would have been in 1979…
As can be seen from the above photo, taken when I stopped by a year and a half later, the outside world really did treat this Buick like it was the 1970s, disrespecting its right fender and that sweet loop bumper.
Not letting it slow him down, the owner fixed it like it was 1979, finding another Electra to donate its undented fender, and a better but also dented bumper.
It may be a cheap old car, but the owner clearly values it. The gold chain seems ’79 era-appropriate security, though The Club dates to a decade or two later. Alas, we are in the 2020s, and the USB charger plug and surgical face mask give the Covid-era game away. Notchback bench seats in “buckskin” expanded vinyl say this is an up-level Custom model, which gave buyers nicer seats and door panels. Power steering, power brakes, and Super Turbine 400 automatic were all standard on the Electra 225, but power windows were still optional except on convertibles.
Punching a spout into oil cans looks to be a routine requirement for this car, with its large oil spot raising suspicion of some leaky engine seals. I doubt it slows down the 430-c.i.d. mill, made just before mileage and emission concerns started seriously compromising the speed and dignity of America’s outsized luxury cars.
Its 10.25:1 compression, four-barrel carb, 360 (gross) hp, and 475 lb-ft should be enough to get you wherever you want to go quickly, provided an oil crisis doesn’t require you to wait in ungodly long lines at the gas station. The above engine photo is from a different but near-identical car (a convertible), in much better condition.
1959: the first and probably wildest-looking Electra
Surprisingly, there’s never been a full-format Curbside Classic on this generation of Electra, so a few words on the model may be appropriate, even if we are mostly familiar with the story of Buick’s biggest model, which started in 1959. Of course, Buick had had a biggest car for a long time, whether it was called Roadmaster (1936–58), Series 90 (1931–35), or Master Six (1925–29). In fact, Buick had offered models on multiple wheelbases since 1907, three years after their founding.
1961 was Electra’s lowest-selling year ever
The longest-running of those nameplates turned out to be Electra, whose 32-model-year run ended in 1990. Buick’s biggest sedans officially used the C platform from 1936 to 1996 (not counting the ’91–’96 B-body Roadmasters). The G platform Park Avenue was a very direct replacement through 2005, when the era of Buick selling full-sized automobiles on (at least) two platforms finally ended, long after anyone else’s.
1965 Buick Electra 225 two-door hardtop
For most of the Electra’s life, its full birth name was Electra 225. Unlike the handful of other car models that combined a proper name with a number (e.g., Ford Galaxie 500), the number actually stood for something: In 1959, Electra was 225 inches long, and so a classic name was born. (LeSabre 217 wouldn’t have had the same ring to it.) Lengths varied year to year, but the “225” suffix survived through 1979.
1967 Buick Electra 225 four-door hardtop
Electra’s third generation debuted for 1965, at an inch-deficient 224.1 in. long, supported by a new perimeter frame replacing the X-frame. It still came standard with the 401-c.i.d. version of the Buick Nailhead V8, which made 325 hp from 1959–1966, with two 425-c.i.d. versions optional. Buick replaced the Nailhead with the more modern 430 for 1967, making 360 hp with no other options. It was replaced by a 455-c.i.d. version for 1970 (used through 1976).
1969 Buick Electra 225 coupe and convertible — equipped with factory Low Rider option?
Such was the winning record of GM in the ’60s that Buick could not only field four separate full-size models over three platforms (counting the Riviera), with four body styles each (not counting the Riviera), but also give the cars all-new sheetmetal every two years. For 1969, the third-gen Electra was sporting its third new uniform, highlighted by the aforementioned trendy loop front bumper. Most importantly, Electra worked out in the off season and was now within a fraction of its proper 225-inch length.
The dashboard on the left is from 1965, with the 1969 on the right. The government was surely pleased that their order to “safeten up” was followed. As to style and quality, is it just me, or does the dash seem to have lost some of its personality over the course of four years? The exterior styling was arguably more grandiose, while the interior took a grim turn.
The less-optimistic inside actually serves our notional 10-year-old used Electra well. Functional and not too exciting was perfect for 1979. The back seat looks like a pleasant place to be — provided you aren’t Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, as leg room isn’t overly generous for such a large car. (The four-door pillared sedan was roomier in back.) At least the 126.2-inch wheelbase helped keep the ride unruffled.
The left photo shows how the Electra looked when I first encountered it, with its more recent state pictured on the right. The most obvious change is that the vinyl top has not held up in southeast Texas’s unforgiving heat. The rear fender also appears to have suffered a glancing blow above the Electra script. It doesn’t show well in the photos, but the horizontal painted surfaces are noticeably less lustrous. It did receive new tires — proper whitewalls, in fact, which are a testimony to the owner’s dedication to the car. Unlike in 1979, tire shops today don’t stock whitewalls off the rack. They now have to be ordered ahead of time, and there are never any specials on them.
This is my favorite type of dealer tag, a simple metallic plate with the name, brands, and location. The tag has survived in place over 50 years, but the dealer hasn’t: Barnhart is a small collar community just south of St. Louis, right on the Mississippi river. There aren’t any new car dealerships there today, and a resident who wants a new Buick would have to go about 20 miles north into St. Louis to find one.
“Look, ma, I still have my T-3 headlights!”
It’s been raining ’69 Electras in my life, relatively speaking. Within a few miles of our feature car, I’ve spotted two other ’69 Electras, both derelicts. There’s the black one above, which is living in something more like 1989, not running and super rough, but at least potentially salvageable. Also, there’s another hardtop sedan, missing doors, interior, and wheels, that I haven’t bothered to photograph.
Then there’s this one that I saw at Barrett-Jackson AZ this year. It was billed as restored, which was surprising to me — I was amazed that people restore these, especially as it only brought $14k. A restored ’69 Electra is so not 1979.
Perhaps this is not completely the CC effect. The Electra’s third generation was very successful, sales growing each year from 84,810 in 1965, already at least 20k more than any previous year, to almost 159k in 1969, the model’s 4th highest sales year ever (topped by 1977, 1972, and all-time winner 1973). The Deuce-and-a-Quarter handily outsold competitors like Olds 98 and Mercury Marquis, basically dominating the large, broughamy, near-luxury market through the ’70s. Used Electras would have been pretty easy to come by in 1979.
And a ’69 Electra would have been a great choice, provided you weren’t overly concerned about gas mileage. The engines were still making gobs of uninhibited power and the third-gen B/C-Body cars are considered to be more solidly built than their fourth-gen (’71–’76) successors. Even for the 2020s, a ’69 Electra is not a bad choice (provided you are still not overly concerned with gas mileage). Particularly if you like living like it’s 1979. Na-Nu-Na-Nu!
Electra photographed in Houston, TX, 2021-2025
Related CC Reading
Car Show Classic: 1970 Buick Electra 225 Convertible – Black Cherry Blues (by Tom Klockau)
Vintage Review: 1966 Buick Electra 225 – GM Banks A “Deuce-And-A-Quarter” (by GN)
Curbside Classic: 1968 Buick Electra 225 – The Great Society (by Perry Shoar)
eBay Find: 1965 Buick Electra 225 – That’s More Like It (by Perry Shoar)
Cohort Pic(k) Of The Day – 1969 Buick Electra (by Jim Klein — a four-door in the same color)
With heightened 2025 awareness, it’s amazing that these cars, although then and now are simply astounding with their presence, yet, they had so little room inside! It’s good to see that there is an owner who really cares for this behemoth, and hopefully they’ll get the vinyl top repaired/replaced! 🙂
“They don’t make em like that anymore” was a saying tailor made for this car. I wouldn’t say the interior is small overall. The only part that didn’t look roomy was the rear leg room. Of course, with a 1980s level of space efficiency, a car this large could have a massive interior!
I hope he does get it repaired. Though as long as it’s parked uncovered, steady deterioration of every non-mechanical part is inevitable.
I posted a comment that didn’t post? Will try again later, Problem with system?
I’m not sure: You had two duplicate comments that got trashed, I approved one and removed the duplicate, but then the approved one disappeared and I don’t know why. Sorry about that!
I just returned. I tried to add to my comment. The little wheel kept spinning. Maybe that’s what happened. Thanks for the response. I may try again later
It looks like several other comments got embargoed until finally showing up early this morning.
Nothing was embargoed: A couple of approved comments just vanished without explanation. (If I’m logged in, I keep checking for legitimate comments that have gotten trashed or need approval.)
I mean embargoed by the WordPress gremlins, not necessarily a person. I’m not sure how that process works besides comments I leave sometimes get delayed by hours or occasionally disappear, and in this case several comments posted very early in the morning, which is unusual.
What usually happens is one of three things:
Each of these things requires active human intervention to undo (which usually also takes at least two steps), which means that it’s dependent on someone with administrative permission being logged on and periodically looking at the Spam and Trash folders to see if anything has gotten there by mistake. If not, it may take hours before someone notices it (and I’m afraid to say that spam-filtered comments may be missed entirely because the Spam folder fills up VERY fast, and 98 percent of it is, well, spam, so if something falls in there by mistake, it may not be noticed).
That said, sometimes approved comments will mysteriously disappear. To what extent this is a WordPress glitch, crossed wires between different logged-in editors, or human error isn’t always clear. (My most common human error is where someone has tried several times to leave the same comment and I end up inadvertently deleting all of them rather than just the duplicates.)
That’s interesting to know. Makes sense. This being the open internet, it’s inevitable that there’s loads of junk to wade through backstage in order to have a clean run of comments presented in public view. It is very rare to see a comment that looks like spam or pure trolling, so the process must work well. Good work.
Unless they’re feeding this with 95 octane leaded premium, (not available today), that high compression engine isn’t long for the world. Then the terrible oil system for those Buick engines is another nail in the coffin. If they park the car for a few weeks, the oil drains out of the pump and no oil pressure
Why no discussion ind inclusion of the My Hooptie video by Sir Mix A Lot?
The what now?
My hooptie rollin’, tailpipe draggin’
Heat don’t work an’ my girl keeps naggin’
Six-nine Buick, deuce keeps rollin’
One hubcap ’cause three got stolen
Bumper shook loose, chrome keeps scrapin’
Mis-matched tires, and my white walls flakin’
Hit mickey-d’s, Maharaji starts to bug
He ate a quarter-pounder, threw the pickles on my rug
Runnin’, movin’ tabs expired
Girlies tryin’ to dis ‘n say my car looks tired
Hit my brakes, out slid skittles
Tinted back window with a bubble in the middle
Who’s car is it? Posse won’t say
We all play it off when you look our way
Rollin’ four deep, tires smoke up the block
Gotta roll this bucket, ’cause my Benz is in the shop
A classic of our time.
My dad’s first brand-new car was a Buick Electra 225, navy blue, not sure exactly the year. It was a BEAUTIFUL car, and I have fond memories of that time.
Nice write-up. Thanks. Have you tried leaving a note asking the owner to contact you. It would be interesting to know the history of the car.
Thanks. I have not tried that, though it’s not a bad idea. Normal car owners might interpret that as being kind of weird and suspicious, but worth a try. I had hoped I might just run into the guy when I came by, but it never happened.
We use to have a four door hardtop dark green with a black vinyl top. Even in 1987-88 it was just a used car but a good one. I wished my dad would have kept it. One of the smoothest cars he ever owned.
I inherited a 72 4 door Duece and a quarter in 1980 when I was 21. All of my hippie friends and I drove 4 cylinder old European cars and I got a 455 ci V8 sled with all the bells and whistles. It was a whole different beast from the bare bones sports cars I had driven.
It had an automatic transmission and power steering and cruise control. And absolutely no “annoying feel of the róad”. I could eat speed bumps at 50 mph and not spill my drink. I could put it on cruise control and sit sideways on the bench seat and smoke weed and drive hundreds of miles. I could go 120 mph! I sold it to two guys from Australia I met in a bar for $500; and they drove it cross country from Washington and abandoned it in New York when they flew home. They sent me pictures of them with that Buick from lots of places they visited in America.
These things were all over the place when I was a kid. One of these was my grandfather’s last car, and one was also owned by the grandfather of a childhood friend. I am not sure Buick ever did a more successful styling job on its big C body cars than the 1969-70 version (with the exception of front ends I always considered a little weak.)
I have to confess that I was never able to tell the 69 from the 70, though when I look at pictures now I can see the changes to the front. So that only took me about 55 years.
I love it that someone is still driving it as normal transportation in 2025!
The 69-70 fronts are quite different from each other, but the bodies look the same. Interesting thing I learned writing this, though. Aaron corrected me that the 69 wheelbase is 126.2 when I thought it was 127, which is the 1970 figure. Somehow the wheelbase grew 0.8 in an otherwise similar car according to official specs. The LeSabre/Wildcat grew likewise. Weird!
Hello to the group, this was the Heyday of GM’s BMD division as a kid, it was nothing to see 62-76 225’s and Park Avenues riding around… I’m wondering if the owner of this 69 Deuce wants to sell it
Everything’s for sale, as they say. Four years ago, this car would have sprung to perpetual youth with a good paint polish, likely a little mechanical work, and indoor garage storage. Now it would take considerably more refurb to get it to a nice state. I’m content to let it live on like it’s 1979 and maybe someday when the owner is done with it, it will make a good parts car or rust-free basis for a project.
I recently started a project collecting side-view profiles of cars, both old and recent, to illustrate changes and evolution in the overall shape of passenger vehicles.
And the results were startling! Mind you these are all scaled to within a few percentage points of each other, using my personal 2010 Honda Accord as the ‘reference’ vehicle. Wheelbases are used as comparison reference.
The reason so many large cars from 50-60 years ago had relatively cramped interiors is the fact that their greenhouse (the covered part of the passenger cabin) is actually quite short, fore-to-aft, compared to that of cars since the late 2000s model years.
Here, I paired a ‘gargantuan’ land yacht of land yachts, a 1970 Chrysler fuselage C-body, with the Accord. The difference of height alone, in the greenhouse area, is profound. My Honda would certify as compact in 1970, yet it’s backseat space probably exceeds, by a good margin, that of the comparison MOPAR.
Advances in exterior profiling, and interior packaging, make the Accord cabin, while not as wide as that of the Chrysler, seem more airy.
Also, notice the diminishing of the Detroit ‘double-beam’ aesthetic of 60 years ago – where both long hoods and long trunks were en vogue.
Most of the shortening over time, up to model year 2010, occurred ahead of and aft of the cabin, which itself grew longer and taller by the decade.
Finally, note the ‘downward dog’ stance of the typical post-2000s sedan, inspired by the downforce inducing profiles employed by competitors in NASCAR and other racing leagues.
These can be interesting comparisons, and yes, modern cars have vastly more interior space efficiency. But there’s something a bit off with your drawings: the Accord is only 1.5″ taller (58.1′) than the 1970 Chrysler sedan (56.6″). The difference looks to be considerably more in your drawing.
If you have or make more of these, it would make a good post at CC.