(first posted 1/31/2014) This car is the perfect counterpoint to my first CC. Both are white domestic full-size sedans from the mid-late 1960s and both are rather basically equipped cars from semi-premium marques. But unlike the Newport I found, which was lovingly restored and prominently parked in the center of town, this Buick is a somewhat rough survivor and hides in the periphery of Bloomington’s North Side.
I had been passively stalking it for several months, hoping that it might magically pop up in front of my house and sit around long enough for me to find my camera. Luckily, I found out some friends of mine live on the same street where it’s normally parked and took some pictures. I will maintain that the ’66 Newport is a better looking car, but this Electra is also attractive and white is a fitting color for both.
Buick changed their C-body more extensively over the course of production than Chrysler did, although the Newport kept the same basic body for only four years, versus six for the Electra. The split grille marks this as a post-1966 model, but the presence of the front vent window makes means it can’t be newer than a 1968. The 1967s retained earlier model years’ full-width taillight cluster, so this car must be a 1968. This also means it was the car’s final year on the 126-inch wheelbase as the 1969 and 1970 cars gained an extra inch between the wheels.
It appears that this car sat for a long time without being driven, as all four hubcaps are present and match in terms of wear. There is a uniform patina on most horizontal surfaces, none of which look to have ever been under a vinyl top and because the upholstery has no splits, it wouldn’t guess that the car spent very much time under the sun. I would love to meet the owner and ask about the car’s history.
It would seem Buick was somewhat resistant to the “Coke-Bottle” styling of the era. As I pointed out in my capsule on the 1972 Skylark, that car–with its unflattering horizontal taillight treatment–was the least famous and remains the least desired of its A-body siblings.
The horizontal taillights were also present on the Electra, but on the more expensive C-body, shared with fewer divisions, Buick was able to integrate them somewhat more effectively.
If buyers didn’t care for the Electra’s styling, GM had enough money to go around to fully distinguish all its full-sizers. For those who wanted swoopier, sportier styling, there was the Bonneville, Impala, the Olds 88 and the LeSabre/Wildcat. Chrysler, on the other hand, offered much less distinction between, for example, the 1968 Newport and Monaco.
The General was able to poach buyers from all its rivals, who were forced to focus their efforts in fewer directions. So while I might point to a 1968 Bonneville as being quite distinct from a 1968 Monaco, there is greater commonality between this white Buick and a 1968 Chrysler, both of which aim for a linear theme, with Buick doing so in a more heavy handed–but dissonant–fashion. Olds managed to pull off the square look just a little bit better than its sister division, but in any case, Chrysler decided to go all curvy for 1969 (I’m still looking for one of those cars).
While the front and rear ends have a very horizontal treatment, the center section of the car has a sweeping crease beginning above the front wheels, continuing to the bottom of the rear door.
Two feet above that point, another piece of chrome trim, which continues from the ridge above the rear quarters, defines the curve above the rear wheel well, itself obscured by a plastic skirt. Overall, square ends on a curvy car.
The severe rear styling lets the rest of the car down, looking static while the from the C-pillar forward, the overall shape suggests motion.
Looking at its B-body siblings, the LeSabre and Wildcat, the front half of the Electra makes much more sense. What’s likely is that Buick stylists wanted to exaggerate the illusion of length, while still making a sporting impression. If this was the rationale in using two separate themes on the same car, the result speaks for itself.
In fact, you might even call it an honest presentation of the car’s nature. On one hand, this was an enormous, heavy car, but with a very big, very new V8 engine, it wasn’t entirely sedate. The 430 CID engine produced 360 horsepower (SAE gross), but as this was a Buick, the focus was on torque and with 475 lb-ft, it delivered. A 455 would be made available in 1970, but in 1968, this was the best an Electra 225 buyer had available. Not that the 430 lacked power, with sixty miles per hour reached in the seven second range (which admittedly seems like an unrealistic figure).
Depending on the buyer, braking was less dramatic than before, with front discs available for the first time. Regardless of what was ordered, bringing this heavy car to a stop would obviously still be a handful compared to what we are used to these days, but I like to think drivers were more skilled forty-six years ago. At the same time drum brakes were on their way out, the automatic’s variable pitch torque converter stator was discontinued, as the Super Turbine brand name would be in 1969.
The Electra hadn’t been built on the X-frame since 1964, and the new full-frame platform was fairly conventional. Although GM began an honest effort to improve chassis dynamics during this period, buyers in 1968 would be better served by Chrysler.
Of course, whipping around corners in a car this size could only be so fun, so declaring these late ’60s Buicks as genuine crowd-pleasers is easy. New Yorkers and Newports were in their final “good” year, and Chevys, Pontiacs weren’t quite as flossy. The cultural baggage Cadillacs carried also contributed to Buick’s success, along with the Riviera’s popularity, so the Electra found many happy owners during this period.
It’s not as though Buick had easy competition. The Mopars, as we’ve seen, were incredibly elegant and the Ford LTD and its Mercury sibling were better than GM’s full-sizers when it came to being soft and quiet, which really was the point of a full-size sedan. The Chryslers weren’t as isolated, though, and the Fords were wallowy, even for this class, so the solid Buick fared well against both.
A basically equipped version like this, while somewhat prestigious, was still relatively easy to attain in the less stratified 1960s and it’s very easy to see how this car’s legacy sold Buicks up through the brand’s very recent reinvention. There’s a domestic charm about this car lacking in some upscale rivals, giving it surprisingly classless appeal. Whether a buyer stretched his or her budget for a very basic LeSabre or made an economical choice in choosing a fully-loaded Electra 225, the outside world was given the same impression.
This was likely lost on some owners, many of whom I imagine would have voted for Nixon the year this car was built. The pudgy model which followed in 1971 mirrored these more anti-social aspirations, while its lean, progressive 1961 predecessor may have never seen them coming. A confused looking but attractive car, this late-sixties Buick represents the changing of the guard more faithfully than its creators ever intended.
Seven seconds 0-60 for this car seems very unrealistic. I don’t see any ’68 tests around here, but I have a Car Life test of a ’67 Wildcat with the 430 that’s in the mid-8s and Motor Trend test of a 1972 Electra 225 with a low-compression 430 (315 hp/450 lb-ft) that managed mid-9s. Given that a ’68 Deuce and a Quarter four-door hardtop was something like 250 pounds heavier than the ’67 Wildcat with the same engine, I’m thinking an even 9 seconds sounds about right.
I know; I don’t know where they got that number.
It’s a calculation they do with all of their cars, based on formula that undoubtedly involves mainly hp and weight. Thes 430 Buicks, in the ir high0cmpression, pre-smog trim, were hard runners, and could make even a big Electra hustle down the straights. But that guesstimate is a bit optimistic.
I’ve also noticed that, to my constant frustration, many European and British historians are not so good at distinguishing between gross, net, mechanical, and metric horsepower. If the 430’s rated output had been a DIN figure, then 7 seconds would be more reasonable.
No, it isn’t…for a 1967 225, the last year for the variable pitch Turbine 400 transmission. The 430/thm400 variable pitch was a solid 7 sec 0-60 car (my ’67 Electra convert was) and 0-100 in 18 seconds. When the 425 nailhead joined Buick in 1963, Tom McCahill rolled off a 7.2 second 0-60 in a ’63 Wildcat. My ’63 Electra convertible does 0-60 in 7 and 0-100 in 18 seconds with the fully variable Turbine Drive/Dynaflow trans, my ’64 Riviera with 425 and THM400 VP(admittedly, with pumped engine/510 ft-lbs torque) runs 0-60 mid 5 sec. The nailhead didn’t meet some smog regs, so, crash program on the 430 and better breathing (don’t overheat a 430 badly or the car turns into a 4500 pound paperweight)
In a Car Life road test of a 1965 LeSabre coupe (4500 lbs) with 250 hp/335 fp torque it covered 0-60 in 9 sec, which they pointed out it would have never done without variable pitch. Buick used a 2 speed VP trans in the ’65 Skylark Gran Sport, with 0-60 in 7.8 sec, I had one we put the 3 speed THM400 VP in, the only change, brought 0-60 down to 5.3 sec. Haven’t mentioned fuel mileage, usually 17-21 mpg at 70-80 mph with THM400VP. In a 1966 Riviera 425 test with THM400VP 0-60 on the 4874 lb Riv was 7.7 sec. A’67 Skylark GS400, same trans ran 0-60 in 6 flat.
Then came 1968, GM stopped the variable pitch because it cost more than without, Wildcat and Electra’s with THM400 trans now did 0-60 in 8.5-9.5 sec, fuel mileage was 7.5 to 12 mpg. The 1967 and 1968 Buick’s were identical in all specs and body on full size, The only difference was loss of variable pitch. My friend Alan had driven Big Buick’s since getting his license. He bought a new ’67 Electra Limited coupe, which got broadsided in ’68, got a new twin to his ’67, except it was slower and gas mileage sucked. I told him about the VP. He had a 1967 THM400VP trans put in, o=60 dropped to 7.2 sec, fuel mileage up to 17.5 to 22.5 mpg at 70-80 mph. The big Buick’s handle well, and the finned aluminium brakes were the best in magazine tests (I drive rapidly and have never managed to fade the brakes, even descending from 11,000 feet, to Durango Colorado at high speed), they were rated comparable to disc’s. I’ve had my ’63 Electra convert since 1966 and 30,000 miles, with 458,000 miles now, 51,000 original miles on my ’64 Riviera. the most dependable cars I’ve had.
LRF, I see you’re back with your predictably optimistic memories. Unless you can show me scans of those reviews, I’m not buying it. 0-100 in 18 seconds! That’s mighty fast indeed, for the times.
I do happen to have a C&D test of a ’64 Riviera (425/360hp) and their times are 0-60 in 8.3, and 0-100 in 25.5. Still pretty good, but a huge difference (especially to 100) from what you’re claiming.
I wrote a piece quoting 60’s magazines showing from 1963-1967 most tested big Buick’s ran 0-60 in 7 to 7.7 seconds and got 17-22 mpg 0-100 was 18 sec or less these were largely because of the variable pitch trans, variable pitch was ended in 1968 0-60 went to 8.5-9.5 and mpg from 7 to 12 mpg a friend put a ’67 vp trans in a ’68 and 0-60 went to 7.2 and mpg 17 to 22. when I entered post the article disappeared
I remember my Dad saying the ’68 Electra (which he bought) was tested 9.0 0-60. If the ’67 was that much faster and more economical, he’d have bought a used one.
In that era 7 seconds was about same as
– Porsche 911 S
– Lambo Miura
– Ferrari Daytona /365
– AC Ace (“Shelby 260”).
This is unrealistic.
Nope, my ’67 Electra (photo above) was faster than this 365 GT and even with Doc’s Daytona.with variable pitch were very fast
Great writeup.
Neighbor lady owned a ’68 LeSabre when I was a boy. Another neighbor lady owned a ’68 Impala. Both were sedans. I love, love, love that roof they shared. But that curved crease along the Buick’s bodyside dripped elegance.
I think the LeSabre’s overall styling worked better than the 225 in these years.
Thank you for a fascinating read Perry – I have a request on behalf of us overseas readers though: when you include pictures of other cars for comparison throughout an article like this, could you indicate clearly what the cars in the comparison shots are please? (in the case of this article I mean the cars in pictures 6, 7, 11, 12, 16).
I’m fascinated by your comparisons of the featured Electra with some of its contemporaries, but am at a complete loss to identify the pictured vehicles! These simply never feature in the automotive landscape for those of us reading outside the US. So as I can’t match the pictures to your observations about various contemporaries in the text of the article, it feels like I’m missing out on a substantial part of a really engaging article.
Thanks in anticipation 😉
I’ll help: Picture 6 (clockwise from top left) Pontiac Bonneville, Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Monaco and Chrysler Newport, all 1968 models.
Picture 7: 1968 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight (shared the C body with the Electra 225); Pictures 11 & 12: 1968 Buick Wildcat (the B body Buick); Picture 16: 1968 Ford LTD (2 views).
much obliged JPC!
My grandparents had a 68 Wildcat Custom which they ordered. It was fast, drove great and rode like a dream. It was the same color combination featured in the 68 sales brochure for the Wildcat Custom. They had kept it as an extra car for years. I was sad when they replaced it.
Funny you should say that… my first car was the same burgundy ’68 Wildcat custom 4-dr. It was me family’s daily driver but became mine later on. I cherished it but niavely sold it in ’77 and replaced it with a new Camaro which I soon came to regret!
Foolishly I still search for a mint condition one but have yet to ever find one that meets my lofty standards and my (probably) unrealistic memories of it.
I posted some pics of it years ago on Wikipedia…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:03-1968_Wildcat_Custom_-_Frt_3-Qtr_View.jpg
I agree that the look of the ’67-’68 came off better on the Wildcat/LeSabre then the Electra. The ’65-’66 Electra look better with the straighter lines
My parents were a good example of buyers who bought into the aspirational appeal of these Electras. They had a 1967 sedan (my first car trip was in this car as it brought me home from the hospital after I was born). I have only the vaguest memories of the car (it had black vinyl seats that got really hot–basic little kid memories). My father’s side of the family were big Buick fans, and so my parents had a natural pull to the brand. They had gotten a 1963 LeSabre as their first new Buick (they had driven some used ones they bought from my grandmother prior to that). When they got the 1967 Electra (basic trim, not loaded), it was still seen as a huge “step-up” car and I know they were very proud of it. The car’s mission was to be a really nice family car, and it served that purpose well. When it was time to trade it in, I know my parent’s first choice was another Buick Electra. While shopping, however, the salesman gave them a really hard time about price and wouldn’t negotiate (the all-new 1971s were out and perhaps supply constrained after the big UAW strike?). The salesman made the cardinal sin of letting my parents walk out, and they stopped at the Olds dealer on the way home. Long story short, a new 1971 Ninety Eight came home with them, which started the Olds years in my family and Buick was locked out for quite some time.
One question I have from Perry’s write-up is regarding the rear fender skirts. My very limited recollection of our ’67 was that it was ALL metal, and I can’t imagine it had plastic fender skirts. I know Pontiac was starting to deploy grilles and Endura noses in this era, but I am not sure plastic was used much beyond that for exterior trim at that point in the 1960s.
The skirts on this are definitely steel. The subject car shows the typical rust hole that could develop dead center in the skirt – common to all GM C body skirts for years. It think that is the point where the latch mechanism is mounted, so more ice and crap probably gathers there.
My friends parents had two C-body Oldsmobiles and his dad would pull the skirts off in the winter and store them in his garage so he could keep things cleaner in the rear wheel well.
I’m fairly certain that Chrysler did do a few fiberglass or plastic skirts during the fuselage years, but I can’t find the doc to verify that – and which years. For some reason I think it was ’71 and that may have been about it.
I know that the skirts on my 68 Newport Custom were steel, and those on my 77 New Yorker were fiberglass, but cannot speak to those on the fuselage cars. I can also say that the skirts on my mother’s 74 Luxury LeMans were fiberglass.
Yes, skirts would rust. My understanding of the flaw is that dirt would collect and pack round the latch mechanism, and would be kept moist by periodic application of road spray on wet days. Throw in some salt to speed things up, and voila.
Mine are plastic. There is no “latch,” just a wing nut on a threaded post, plus a couple of plastic pegs.
I owned a 1968 2 door 225 limited, the fender skirts were steel. I also owned a 67 Chrysler 300, I liked the styling and the power from the 440 much better over the big Buicks, good memories!
Mopar started plastic skirts on theirs around 70-71, through ’78 plastic, still have a set of ’67 Electra steel skirts in the trunk of my ’57 PLYMOUTH, was not a fan of the wingnut skirts on 75-78 Mopars, have a flat on narrow freeway and lay on the lane of traffic to reach wingnut
A 1968 Buick 4 door hardtop went for $4330 in 1968 ($28,985 in 2014). The modern equivalent would be the Lacrosse ($33,535) as I’d assign the current Regal sports sedan to the Riveria category and the Verano to the Skylark group.
Air conditioning—manual $421
Air conditioning—automatic $500
Cruise Master speed control $63
Soft Ray tinted glass $44
Deck lid remote release $14
Tilt steering wheel $45
Power driver’s seat/bench seat, 4-way $74
Power windows $110
AM radio $88
AM/FM stereo $268
Vinyl roof $139
White sidewall tires—standard size $47
Hmmm, the current Regal is a mid rung car in the Buick line up today, where the Riviera was the most expensive. I would equal todays Regal with the LeSabre, the Verano with the Special/Skylark, the LaCrosse is the most expensive and largest sedan in the Buick line up, which equals Electra.
Though by 1968, automatic was standard in the Electra, it was still optional on the lesser LeSabre and Wildcat.
My personal experience with the C body was usually with the Olds 98, but I very much appreciate these big Buicks. Long, low and sleek, this was still the post war dream car for the Veteran crowd. Kids riding in the usually air-conditioned back seats knew they had it good.
This low optioned base model in white does not do the car justice. Buick sold about 45 thousand base models in three body styles, but about 110 thousand Custom models that brought in a much plusher interior and much better standard equipment including power windows. Many Custom two door and four door hardtops also came with the Limited trim package, identified by a Limited script on the sail panel.
Darker colors and the very common vinyl roofs really bring out the lines in this car and better illustrate the more typical owner experience. Here’s one of about 30,000 Custom two door hardtops built for ’68……….
Does white do any car justice? Certainly not one with interesting sheet metal sculpturing like this Electra. A great car, the tension betwen the flowing lines and the formality of the roof is very Riviera-like.
White doesn’t work well on any big car,full size cars need some colour.Don’t believe me?Check out the Wildcat pictured in this article.A contrasting vinyl roof also works well on a big car
White can look good on a large car if the lines are simple. Think ’61 Continental or ’65 New Yorker.
But each if those looks better in a draker shade. For me, white will forever be the “colour” of utility company vehicles.
IMO white only looks really good as part of a two-tone combo (see – late ’50s white cars with a red or turquoise flash down the side) or when enough parts are blacked out as part of the design that it’s a de facto two-tone (current non-ST Ford Focus). White needs a contrast to play against.
I generally agree; there’s a blue-over-white two-tone combination that Ford used in the late ’50s (I think it was called Bermuda blue) that I find particularly pleasing.
There are occasionally cars that look surprisingly good in white provided that they’re reasonably clean. One I wouldn’t have expected was the Volkswagen Corrado. It looks best in black, I think, because it’s such a blocky thing, but white works too. I’ve seen them in red and even yellow, but those feel like trying too hard with that shape and conservative metallic blue or burgundy ends up making it seem sedanish.
Another car that works well in white is the air-cooled 911. The water-cooled cars I think really want to be silver, but the air-cooled models look very purposeful in white. You can pretend you’re just driving it around to break in the engine a bit before painting numbers on the doors.
Don’t forget the hundreds of thousands of Ford pickups and SUVs painted white with contrasting tan accents on the wheel wells and/or on the bottom of the doors. Still looks good today.
White is for utility vehicles
The ’69 deuce and a quarter, as immortalized by Sir Mix-a-Lot:
You know that song was running through my head the whole time I was reading this CC post. I wonder what became of that car?
I have mixed feelings about these. First, they are very attractive cars. I like the combination of boxy and flowing lines. These GM C bodies were the embodiment of “Establishment Luxury” in their day. They were not as smooth and quiet as the stuff from FoMoCo, nor as mechanically stout as the Mopars. However, they were extremely appealing and sold very well. Their job was to transport their owners in both physical and societal comfort.
However, I never found these all that mechanically interesting, nor that rewarding to drive. Before I bought my 68 Newport, I drove a 68 LeSabre. My reaction was “meh”. It was smooth and quiet, but not extremely so. It was not as tight in the body and frankly, it was not as well trimmed inside as I had remembered them as being. It was certainly an attractive car, though.
I much preferred the driving dynamics of the Mopar. I knew two people who owned the 69-70 version of this car. My Lincoln-driving father drove my Granddad’s and reported that it resisted his every input. My Studebaker-loving neighbor borrowed his father-in-law’s for a family vacation and reported that every piece of the car wanted to head in a different direction. I would say that this car is more about presence than driving.But I could do presence if the right one came my way.
This car benefits from GM’s ability at that time to make its vehicles look more appealing on the showroom floor than the competition. I can see where someone would walk right past a contemporary Chrysler New Yorker to check out this car in 1968. Now, with the passage of time, we look at all of them with a different set of expectations and knowledge, and this car doesn’t quite seem like the slam-dunk choice it was in 1968.
I love the Electra, the ’67 wall to wall tail light (I installed a Thunderbird sequincial turn signal). Unfortunately the standard LeSabre had a 210-250 hp 340 cu in engine with a two speed automatic in a 4500 pound car, that, plus different rear suspension from Wildcat and Electra left them lacking. I owned and own Electra’s, but also had Newport’s, 300’s, New Yorker’s and Imperials, all, from base Newport up, were beautiful comfortable, superb handling cars. The upper Buicks were also, I couldn’t believe Buick sold the underpowered base model, in 1967 by optioning the variable pitch THM400 performance was adequate, but it wasn’t available after ’67
I feel like we’re in an in-between phase now where we’re seeing drivable examples of these cars for the last time. In 10 years or less, these vehicles will either be in junkyards for their precious acres of steel, or lovingly preserved by a collector or museum.
I would say this car is more Silent Majority than Great Society……..
NIXON NOW!
Buicks are definitely Republican
I always picture Sarah Palin driving an Enclave for some reason
If that was the case my grandparents would have NEVER ordered one.
I agree; the title was more of an analogy for the attitudes of country as a whole. Buicks are very Republican.
I am from Chicago. Popular Buick town.
Democrats, each and every one of them.
I’m surprised how much I love the rear-end treatment on this..but looking closer, I realize it bears more than a passing resemblance to the 67-68 Lincoln Continental rear…
I think it looks like the Lincoln Continental front flipped around to be the rear.
The 2 second method for identifying a 68 Buick is the one year only Tri-Shield emblazoned, large, round rear side markers. 67s had no side markers and the 69s went to a small rectangular marker light.
The skirts are all steel.
The 1969 Buick Electras also had a large round rear side marker,
Thanks for an enjoyable read. The one thing I thought GM did exceptionally well in the mid sixties was creating a strong brand identity for each division through the styling. Buick owned the ‘sweepspear’ side crease (and ventiports) features continued from the mid-fifties, yet thoroughly modernized for the swinging sixties.Variations were used on each model: Electra, Wildcat, LeSabre, Riviera in ’66, Skylark in ’68. I loved seeing this look updated again for the current Buick LaCrosse. I remember when the ’69 Cougar came out and ‘stole’ the sweepspear. unsuccessfully in my opinion.
Oldsmobiles were defined by the muscular, powerful, circular shapes of the wheelwells, with their exaggerated flares- first seen on the Toronado, and then migrating to the 88, 98 and Cutlass. I loved the continued evolution of this emphasis on the wheelwell at Olds, especially on the Starfire, where the hop-up in the beltline mimicked the powerblister wheelwell.
I know my 1955-80 big GM cars like back of my hand. ’68 for sure.
Anyway, my Grandparents had bought new Buicks every 4 years from 1950-73. They got first Electra in 1965, and then a 1969. Parked next to a ’68, their car looked like a futuristic spaceship, to me at 8. My teenage uncle got his licence with it and drove it like he stole it.
It was special ordered with towing package and no A/C! They wanted power to tow and cruise highway at 75. I think by 1971-3 A/C was standard on the ‘Deuce + 1/4’?
Probably not even by 73, a/c still wasn’t standard on Cadillacs until 1975, though about 99.99999999999% of Cadillacs had air conditioning, the only Cadillac made that late without air that I’ve ever seen was a hearse.
My aunt had the ’67 version of this car, a Limited four-door hardtop in gold with a black vinyl top and a champagne colored interior just like this: http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/buick/el67/bilder/3.jpg.
It was super plush, especially compared to the Chevy and Plymouth station wagons my family had at the time, and it just floated down the road at whatever speed you put it at.
I can’t warm up to the front ends on these…I find the Cadillacs, Chryslers, Mercurys, and Lincolns more attractive. Although the quality of the ’71-’76 models is often stated to be grossly inferior to these (as well as their acceleration), I think they are much better looking cars, especially ’72-’74. My only Electra experience is with my ’77, base 225 model. The outside still retains the sweeping lines, the sharp fins, and that unique shovel front clip that say “Buick”. But it does share a few characteristics with this, its ancestor– as JPC put it, it is neither notably smooth and quiet nor notably well-trimmed. The interior is not a letdown so much for its cheapness as for its “meh” ness. The inside of this ’68 is obviously different but seems to have similar characteristics in that way. I feel that if I owned it, I would view it with the same conflicting feelings I have for mine; I believe it is the most uniquely styled of the GM Cs, and yet it kind of bores me.
I think the ’71-’76 B body hardtops looked damn good, with big, bowed out sides and a nice wrap-around rear window. But the fast-back B-bodies from 67 to 68 were truly gorgeous.
Electras after MY 1962 both benefit and suffer from the stylistic mismatches inherent in upgrading the ‘sporty’ mid-market LeSabre/Wildcat styling with luxury car rear quarters, rooflines and general details. One might think of this approach as the ’49 Frazer Manhattan school-of-design i.e. eggcrate grille, axle-level wide stainless side trim, large unique tailights, plus model-specific quarters and roof in GM’s case.
The 1967-68 Electras were, according to Buzz Grisinger, Head of Lincoln-Mercury Styling, the styling benchmark and inspiration for the 1970 Lincoln Continental then in development. The greatest affect of that inspiration can be seen by comparing the rear three-quarter views the ’68 Electra and ’70 Continental sedan, the similarity is uncanny.
Of the folks who bought those Electras, in my small hometown, an owner of a small printing company had a handsome ’68 Electra Limited in dark blue-gray with matching vinyl top. He and his blue-haired wife, dressed in their Sunday best, were the very picture of post-depression and optimistic postwar prosperity.
My old uncle Ernie had one of these and he called it deuce and a quarter.
Deuce and a quarter was all I ever heard them called in my Midwestern town among the car nuts.
Sir Mix-A-Lot made these famous with his song called My Hooptie. I like the styling of the 68 Buicks, they have a certain pizzazz.
My father bought the pillared sedan version of the 68 Electra. We had the base model, which did not have center armrests like this one’s. It had a huge back seat and several inches more legroom than the hardtop. We drove cross country in it twice–it did not like the desert.
My father said 0-60 was 9 seconds, which was respectable for a big sedan. He also looked at a Plymouth Fury, but he’s bought nothing but Buicks for himself since (my stepmother made him buy a Ford 150 and Trailblazer for her).
These things were huge beasts compared to today’s full sized cars. I happen to know of a “68” that has been sitting in a garage since the mid 70’s. However it’s in need of some serious TLC. It is a pale greenish cream colored car with a light tan interior. Sadly, as I understand it, the car will more than likely be sent out to be crushed.
I like these cars, but the ’68 is a low point for me. Mainly because of the rear end, which looks like it’s trying to ape a Lincoln Continental. Fortunately – as with the more “upright’ Cadillacs, things righted themselves for the last two years of the series. The egg crate tailights separated by a centered license plate recess was very well handled, and I can still picture the impressive mass of my Great Aunt Ruth’s ’70 white-on-black with a black vinyl roof 225 2 door hardtop sitting in her driveway, around the corner from my house.
Hi Shane here in south Australia, I love American classic iron. I think the 67 and 68 Buick electras were the best 60’s Electras/buicks they made.. I own a 1968 four door hardtop custom badged ‘limited’. Its a real beauty. I’ve just finished restoring it after seven years as all the parts had to come from the u.s.. although it was frustrating a lot of the time and calling American car part supplyers at three in the morning plus taking a lot of chances on eBay. It was really worth while. I have a very rare 68 limited hard top Electra. Because its a factory right hand drive with power every thing and front wheel disc brakes. Its got the blue brocade fabric with its new electric blue paint. And four inch white walls and tonnes of chrome.all the running gear is new but modernized and the matching numbers 430 is stroke to a 523 cube. I turned down 50k the other day although its insured for 45k. I live this Electra and the 68 is the only one with tail lights in the bumper which makes this rare again. I don’t think Americans really apreaciate the four door hard top like us Aussies. I hope more electras are saved and lived by people. There’s too many hero’s with mustangs and camaros. Cheers from Shane in paradise,south Australia.
I love Electras, just about all of them from 1967 to 1984. As far as the 68, I remember it well. Our neighbor was a dentist and in Spring 68 he was trading his dated looking 62 Cadillac for something new. I was a kid fascinated with cars, especially big cars. The dentist and my father looked at GM brochures one afternoon and allowed me to page through them as well. The 68 Cadillac Sedan DeVille, Olds Ninety Eight and Buick Electra were the dentist’s favorites. To me they were all beautiful luxury sedans. He wound up buying a dark green Buick Electra Limited with a black vinyl roof. It was loaded with air conditioning and power accessories. That 68 Electra Limited outclassed most other cars in our neighborhood. I loved it. One day in 1975 that beautiful 68 Electra was no longer in his driveway, replaced by a tacky (to my eyes) 75 Marquis Brougham which I thought wasn’t half as sophisticated looking as his 68 Electra Limited.
This is definitely a 68 Electra. I own a 68 Electra myself. Bought it a while back from the original owner’s estate sale. I’ve always loved this car. Some complain about the styling oddities, but I’m a fan of it inside and out. Someone else mentioned the Electra’s of this era outclassed most others, and I agree. It’s easy to see how it could’ve accomplished this with its attention to details.
I got a hand me down 69 Wildcat with the 430 4BBL. That thing was a screamer but you could literally watch the fuel gauge drop with your right foot pressed down.
As a young curbivore in the 60’s I learned my tells very early.
68- side marker lights become required equipment (different than cornering lights)
I then followed the changes each year, at least on GM where they changed a lot.
69- as you said, vent windows give way to “Astro Ventilation”
also the first year of column mounted ignition for anti-theft measures
While I do love the 1965-70 Buick Electra I thought Oldsmobile and Cadillac pulled off the styling for the 1967-68 C cars better than Buick did.
That Limited is for all practical purposes a Cadillac. Maybe even better,
The Cadillac was larger but had a smaller turning radius. The pillared Electra sedan (which we had ’68-’79) had more rear legroom, however. It was the first car I drove on a public road, on a narrow 4 lane city road at rush hour.
I owned a 68 Duece 2 door hardtop fully loaded, bought in 1985 with 46k miles on it. Silver with black interior and black vinyl top in excellent condition. It was a great car and every bit as good as a Cadillac. 0-60 time? I never timed it but I blew a Nailhead 425 dual-quad 65 Riviera into the weeds early one morning in San Francisco.