This is a chapter we’ve been missing in our vintage image galleries, the one covering the owners, drivers and admirers of Buicks of the 1960s. These images probably fit in with what most associate with the brand, with plenty of upscale and well-to-do families appearing. Still, the swingin’ vibe of the decade can be felt in plenty of these shots. From the cars to the fashions.
Related CC reading:
Look at that. The good old days when Buick was synonymous with cars.
I like photo #3 of the 1961 Buick. It’s a great family shot (and a beautiful car).
Photo #6 looks like a Special my friend bought back in the late ’70s for $10.00. He drove it for many years and it’s still sitting somewhere on his property. Good car that lived up to its name.
The shorts bring back the memory of ‘Madras’ fabrics being a big thing in the summer in the early 1960’s. The ‘authentic’ ones had dyes that ran when initially washed, creating a more blurred pattern. They had to be washed separately, at least the first few times. Summer chic – the rough equivalent of faded jeans later on. 🙂
Great stuff. Very enjoyable! Thanks, Rich!
I’m always fascinated by the fact that in all these old pictures there are no fat people. I can only blame our horrid food supply and the sedentary nature of modern society.
And that guy in the 4th picture down sure is a dead ringer for Lyndon Johnson
Wow, you’re right, that guy is a dead-ringer for LBJ. Not flashy enough of a car for him though!
True. And anyway, this was around about the time that he was devoting his car time to pranking visitors to the ranch with his Amphicar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwwOowZc_U0&ab_channel=JuniorSpeedyThomas
https://www.businessinsider.com/lyndon-johnson-played-terrifying-prank-with-his-amphicar-2014-8?op=1
I shouldn’t say dear ringer but I just did. The cowboy hat and glasses are missing.
“Fat people”, as you put it, don’t usually clamor to be photographed.
“Purty cool” bunch a pics here. Spotted a copy of our neighbors “65 Impala” ((burgundy)) in back gorund of one!
That was, as I recall, a cool car.
The woman in photo no. 5 standing with her 63 Wildcat looks very much like my mother at the time. She was 35 in 1963 but wouldn’t have as snazzy a car until she bought her 73 Chevy Monte Carlo.
Funny – the woman in Photo #9 standing with a ’65 (or so) Wildcat convertible looks very much like my mother at the time. I actually did a double-take on that photo. Her hair looked exactly like that (for mom it was a wig, and for all I know that may be the case with the Buick lady here too). But even beyond that, she has the same expression, posture, etc. that mom did at that age. Uncanny.
Buicks had the reputation of “always” having long legs; that is, slower acceleration than their similar Olds and Pontiac siblings, but higher top speeds. A fact I proved as often as I could when driving a roommate’s dad’s ’63 Buick LeSabre 110-120 mph across Idaho highways. Dumb, but lucky, I guess.
Great photos of people proud to own a Buick. After all, “Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?” This was one of the jingles used in Buick ads at the time.
Really nice pics, -do dig them!! Dad had a -53 Super convertible back in the day so I have fond memories of ol´ Buicks. Also: has anyone noted that on the last two pic´s the -64 Wildcat/silver/ has DUAL whitewall strip tires and the last one, also -64 but an Electra 225/light blue/ sports TRIPLE thin whitewalls! I´ve seen duals before, (believe the Vogue brand had them?) ; but triple, that was something extra and most have cost extra too back in the day! The cars look impeccable, must have been photographed when they were brand new….
The triple whitewalls were General Dual 90’s. Quite expensive back in the day and usually found as an aftermarket replacement on large luxury cars.
Great pics. Photo 1, lucky dog!
Amazing, young people actually drove Buicks at one time. New ones that they actually spent their own money on. Now days if you see a young person in a Buick its always inherited from a dead aunt or something along those lines.
Of the domestic brands, I thought early to mid ’60’s Buick styling, aged extremely well. Conservative design, being an asset.
The silver LeSabre in the second last pic, is exceptionally sharp-looking.
All great photos.
Those lovely Buick “road wheels” sure dressed up the cars! I also loved the Pontiac 8-lug wheels at the time…Chevy and Olds had nothing comparable until later on! And that Wildcat convertible with the chrome wheels is a stunning car!
This photo of me and my sister was taken in the 1980s, but the Skylark is a ’63. Does this count?
I have a 65 Skylark convertible like picture #1. I bought the car in 1987 with 93,000 miles on it. The Buick was my daily driver for the next 30 years. It has more than 500,000 miles on the original engine. I still drive it at least once a week. Great car!
Buick used to be an aspirational make, showed you were coming up in the world, last step before a Cadillac. A middle management car if you will….
They made a beautiful car back then, especially the Riviera. But all their cars were pretty.
We had a ’67 Wildcat convertible for a bit. It didn’t run; the 430 block had cracked around the rear cam bearing boss. A common issue with that engine. Original owner was a pilot for Braniff. He left notes in the glovebox from when he’d taken it back to the dealership, that “it runs out of power above 120mph”. Just to get that boat up into triple digits, took some HP and torque…..
We sold it some years ago, I think the new owner did get it restored and running.
My 1966 Buick Wildcat Custom… A project in progress a survivor cat thanks everyone for looking at my ride.
Living the _good_ life with a nice shiny BUICK .
All these people look satisfied .
-Nate
That yellow skylark in the first picture. Hands down one of the best looking cars produced in the 60’s.
Just SO handsome.
Have had 5 Buicks but I was lucky enough to own a 66 Electra here in New Zealand between 1982 and 1986 ……loved the thing so much I gave my youngest daughter the middle name of Electra . My elder daughter has Riviera as hers and I hope to own one before I shuffle off.
My 1959 Invicta in AZ.
Hope picture appears
If you lived in flint during the 60s these photos would make you homesick
I love these classic Americana shots. Thanks for posting them!
I always thought the Electra in the last pic was such a stately car. I love seeing it in “Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte”. Got lots of film time in the last scene.
64 electra midnight blue painted white top 4dr. bought from klepher buick in buffalo.stunning! learning to drive or Dad would take me out in a 59 colony park black woody on red. again, srunning!
My mother drove a Roadmaster for nearly two decades. It was a reliable beast!
Pretty sure the Skylark in photo 1 is a Gran Sport. That was a rare bird even in the 60s!
A neighbor had a white 60 lesabre convertible we used to bug to take us for ice cream.. was a cool car. A friend recently bought a silver blue 63 wildcat convertible. What a gorgeous machine it is…