Buick billed the 1959-1960 Buick Electra & Invicta 2-Doors as the best of the "Buicks so new even the names had to
be new!" The '59s were a sharp break with Flint's recent past -- along with
other '59 GM cars, which comprised a hasty response to Chrysler's instant-hit
'57s.
The Buicks were longer, wider, and much lower, but also shapelier and less glittery. Hardtops had Chrysler-like thin-section rooflines, and Buick's huge canted tailfins were tasteful, if startling. The latter were rounded off on the clumsier-looking '60s.
Invicta picked up from Century as the "hot Buick"; Electra/Electra 225 were what Roadmaster/ Limited had been. Engineering advances ran to a lower-riding K-brace frame (ousting the '57-vintage X-member affair), a V-8 enlarged to 401 cubes (low-line LeSabres retained a 364), and two '58 options: "Flight-Pitch" or Triple-Turbine Dynaflow automatic (an alternate to the Twin-Turbine unit standard on Invicta/ Electra) and "Air Poise" suspension, a troublesome $188 extra that vanished after 1960.
Models not included here have also begun rising in collector esteem, but we think these two-doors have better investment potential.
1959 Buick Electra hardtop sedan.
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The Buicks were longer, wider, and much lower, but also shapelier and less glittery. Hardtops had Chrysler-like thin-section rooflines, and Buick's huge canted tailfins were tasteful, if startling. The latter were rounded off on the clumsier-looking '60s.
Invicta picked up from Century as the "hot Buick"; Electra/Electra 225 were what Roadmaster/ Limited had been. Engineering advances ran to a lower-riding K-brace frame (ousting the '57-vintage X-member affair), a V-8 enlarged to 401 cubes (low-line LeSabres retained a 364), and two '58 options: "Flight-Pitch" or Triple-Turbine Dynaflow automatic (an alternate to the Twin-Turbine unit standard on Invicta/ Electra) and "Air Poise" suspension, a troublesome $188 extra that vanished after 1960.
Models not included here have also begun rising in collector esteem, but we think these two-doors have better investment potential.
Pluses of the 1959-1960 Buick Electra & Invicta 2-Doors:
- Wild '59 styling epitomizes tailfin era
- Smooth, no-sweat performance
- Comfy
- Still very affordable
- Low original production of some models
Minuses of the 1959-1960 Buick Electra & Invicta 2-Doors:
- Big, clumsy, and thirsty
- Workmanship way down from mid-'50s Buicks
- Hammed-up '60 styling
- Not considered "great" Buicks
Production of the 1959-1960 Buick Electra & Invicta 2-Doors:
- 1959: Invicta htp cpe 11,451; conv 5,447; Electra htp cpe 11,216; Electra 225 conv 5,493
- 1960: Invicta htp cpe 8,960; conv 5,236; Electra htp cpe 7,416; Electra 225 conv 6,746
Specifications of the 1959-1960 Buick Electra & Invicta 2-Doors:
Wheelbase, inches: 123.0
(Invicta), 126.3 (Electras)
Length, inches: 217.4/217.9
(1959/60 Invicta), 220.6/221.2
(Electra), 225.4/225.9 (Electra 225)
Weight, pounds: 4,275-4,570
Price, new: $3,447-$4,192
Engine for the 1959-1960 Buick Electra & Invicta 2-Doors:
| Type | Size | Horsepower | Years |
| ohv V-8 | 401 cid | 325 | 1959-1960 |
Want more information about classic cars? See:
- Classic Cars
- Buick Muscle Cars
- Muscle Cars
- Sports Cars
- Consumer Guide Auto
- Consumer Guide Auto Used Car Search
