In 1959, the Electra model became one of the flagships of Buick, which later earned the nickname Magnificent Electra (Luxurious Electra). The sonorous name was borrowed from Greek-Roman mythology. Electra is one of the daughters of Atlanta and Oceanides. The buyer could opt for a car or a four-door hardtop, but the most chic version was the Electra 225 two-door convertible. It cost $ 4,300 more than any other Buick car. The “225” index originally denoted the overall length of the car in inches (in our opinion it is 5.72 m, versus 5.6 m for other Electra cars), hence its colloquial name - deuce-and-a-quarter (two with a quarter).
Externally, this car was different from the others with a wide lower molding, which entered the rear wing. At the front end of the molding there was a large chrome pad with a stylized letter V, which, according to tradition, marked the engine with a V-shaped arrangement of cylinders. For the Electra 225 series, only one, the most powerful power unit with a power of 325 hp was assumed. Automatic transmission was standard equipment. She had a triple turbine and torque converter, as well as a device to slow the descent from the mountains. Electra 225 also had ornate wheel covers, and tires with wide white sidewalls were standard equipment.
Interior decoration could be thirteen color combinations. Separate front seats were standard. The main option was the system of automatic adjustment of the headlights - a special relay switched headlights from the main beam to the dipped beam, when another car came forward to meet it. It is clear that among the options were air suspension, just started to enter into fashion, air conditioning and a radio with an electric antenna. The body of the Buick Electra was straightforward: long, low, with characteristic delta-shaped wings, a diamond-shaped radiator, and a side-mounted sidelights.
Aluminum air-cooled brake drums were installed at the front, ribbed steel drums with a diameter of 30 cm were installed at the back. The steering was equipped with a servo amplifier. In addition, the design of the car used a fundamentally new anti-roll bar. Electra 225 consistently changed its appearance in 1964, 1967, 1971, 1977 and 1984, not counting the annual cosmetic updates. The car has always been characterized by a spectacular element of the exterior, whether it is angry-slanted headlights in the fifty-ninth, or a unique relief of the sides in the sixty-seventh.
Twilight thickened in the 70s, when, in order to achieve fuel economy, the degree of compression was sharply reduced - after that the engine power fell. In the 1977 model year, in response to the oil crisis, General Motors cut the dimensions of its full-size models. Buick Electra 225 is back to its original length of 225 inches. In 1980, followed by a new reduction in size, caused by another oil crisis. Electra has lost the traditional index "225". Models of this generation (1980-1984), if they were passing an annual facelift, then it was so imperceptible that, outwardly, they all looked almost the same.
In the mid 80s. began a massive transition of American cars to front-wheel drive. Since 1985, Electra has moved to the new front-wheel C-platform from the B-platform. But this generation already had little in common with its gallant predecessors.
