Buick introduced the Invicta in 1959, a full-size car sandwiched between the LeSabre and Electra in the lineup. It was only in production until 1962 and was replaced by the Wildcat (which sounded sexier). The seller’s first-year example looks quite nice and might be an older restoration, though there’s no mention of that (the wording sounds more like that of a dealer than a private individual). This beauty is in Glen, Mississippi, and it was available here on eBay where a bid of $22,100 didn’t crack the seller’s reserve and it may have been sold.
The car’s name comes from a Latin word that Buick said stood for “invincible, unbeatable, or unconquerable.” It replaced the Century nameplate when GM redesigned its bread-and-butter vehicles going into the end of the 1950s. A broad range of body styles were offered, including the 2-door Invicta hardtop like this one. Nearly 11,500 of this configuration was produced in ’59 as the industry began to rebound from an “off” sales year in 1958 (economic recession).
This Invicta is said to have a 401 cubic inch V8 under the hood (though no photos of that compartment are provided). It has a 4-barrel carburetor, good for 325 hp when paired with Buick’s Dynaflow Triple Turbine” 2-speed automatic transmission. The odometer reading is 30,000 miles, indicating a seldom-used, well-kept machine or one that may have traveled 130,000 miles. No documentation is offered.
We wish we knew the history of this sweet ride. Instead, the seller talks about “black-painted steel wheels” and “Golden Fury radial tires”. All good points, but not quite as important when talking about a 65-year-old classic. The Buick has power steering and brakes, as well as air conditioning, which would have been somewhat rare in those days. The body and two-tone paint look great, and the interior is equally nice with carpeting that looks like it may have been installed yesterday. If you like Buicks from the days when tailfins ruled, could this one light your fire with its slanted, almost evil-looking headlights?
Good chance it was a fraudulent listing being that this car sold on BAT just ten days ago for 59k. You never know, but seems odd someone would be trying to flip so soon. Personally, I’ve reported at least a half dozen eBay auctions in the past couple of months, usually cars that were previously listed and sold on BAT. F’n scammers are everywhere now. FB MP is chock full of fake “dealer” ads with lower than market value prices. Remember, if it’s too good to be true…
It can’t be a scam. I already paid for it using $50000 of iTunes gift cards. It will be shipped once the prince has returned to his rightful throne. Right?…Right?…
OK Mike, I’m with you on this. I have seen a lot of shaky listings over the last 10 years, mostly on Facebook and CL. I have bought several cars on ebay, and never had a problem.
So how does the scam work? Does the winning bidder on ebay send money to the listing seller, then all communication stops? How is there not a paper trail through ebay? Ebay has a pretty solid machine set up to protect buyers, sellers, and it’s own interests. I can’t help think someone would have to be pretty naive or just plain dumb to get snagged in such a scam.
There’s a sucker born every minute, according to the irascible W.C. Fields, and now they’re all accessible via the InterWeb. 😉
Bunky – that quote is typically attributed to P.T. Barnum but there is actually no proof that he ever said it.
W. C. Fields famous line from “The Bank Dick” is “The value of this car will be nil”.
Yep! Same photos as the BAT feature. Always a red flag. @Rex – the seller would likely ask for a deposit outside of eBay’s protected transactions. A wire transfer directly to his bank account, for example (a huge red flag). The trick is, this account was opened with fraudulent ID, so once the seller gets the money out of this account, the trail goes cold.
For me these are the coolest cars ever made. A land yacht with perfect outrageous style and presence. It’s an art object that rolls.
Shady selling aside( big surprise) I think every person that was a kid I the 60s, remembers the ’59 Buick.. It went from the goofiest styling in the early 50s, to just the most beautiful of designs. It retained the “Fashion Aire Dynastar” grille from ’58, only not as gawdy, and it’s canted headlights, probably the most photographed car of the time. I read( J.D. Power) lists the cost of a base Invicta at around $3,400, gussied up, probably closer to $5. A ’59 Galaxie was half that, but a totally different group that bought a ’59 Buick. Next was the Caddy, the Galaxie owner could only dream about. Everybody knew someone with a ’59 Buick that lived just a bit better than them.
`59 was an excellent year for Buick, and this one appears very tidy. However, any ‘originality’ stops at the paintjob, as GM never two-toned the `59’s in this fashion, although they did in 1960. So at least that much is not from new. 30K miles “is” possible given the overall condition, but in mind the interior is offered aftermarket (maybe by SMS?) So is it worth $50K as mentioned it selling recently? Only a buyer can determine that.
Gee, listing isn’t found. What do you suppose?……………
These are stand out cars. Hard to mistake it from anything else on the road. As a child these and late fifties Mercurys used to frighten the stink out of me. Cracker box GMCs, too. Such an aggressive ‘face’ coming up in the rear window. Now I think it’s one of the best looking cars of its time.
Love to have one my favorite car along with the 59 Cadillac
I remember seeing a 1959 Buick hearse for sale in Collectible Automobile magazine for $4,500 back in September 1986. It was black and looked brand new. I remember the add saying that only 48 of those hearses were produced and this was probably the only one still out there. The next week I flew to Kansas City on business and while waiting for a coworker to pick me up outside of baggage claim a white 59 Buick hearse came around the corner. I was shocked as I had never seen one before. I remember thinking that was the best looking hearse I had ever seen, especially in black!!
I remember back in September 1986 reading a Collectible Car Magazine which had an ad someone posted for a black 1959 Buick Hearse which looked brand new for $4,500. I remember thinking At the time that was the best looking hearse I had ever seen. The ad said that only 43 or 46 were built and this was probably the only one left. Ironically I flew to Kansas City the very next week on company business and while waiting for a co worker to pick me up outside of baggage claim a forlorn white 1959 Buick Hearse came around the corner and totally shocked me as I had never seen one prior until that ad, and I have never seen one since.
Read the latest comment under the original listing on Bring A Trailer. The original seller explains that this eBay listing was fake and he informed eBay about that.
I had a 1960 Invicta. Sweet ride.
I remember the first seeing a 59 Buick That front end was a mean looking design. My uncle had a 60’ Invicta
Pop quiz- how do you start a 59 Buick? I had a black LeSabre 2 door hardtop about 15 years ago. Traded it straight across for a 59 Chev sedan delivery. Wish I’d kept the Buick. Starting that car was always a mind altering experience.