Big Boat Cruiser: 1970 Buick Electra 225

Beginning in 1959, the Electra was Buick’s top-of-the-line automobile for more than three decades. It replaced the Roadmaster, which would make a return in the 1990s. The Electra would share its C-body platform with the likes of the Oldsmobile 98 and Cadillac De Ville. These land yachts were redesigned by GM’s Bill Mitchell in 1965, so the 1970 models, like this convertible,e were the last of that generation. Located in Kamloops (cool name), British Columbia, this big drop-top is available here on craigslist for $34,500 OBO (USD or CDN?).

Big, luxury cars were in demand in 1970, and Buick sold 150,000 of the two varieties of Electra 225 (regular and Custom). The rarest, perhaps, was the Custom convertible at just over 6,000 units. This year would be the last for open-air Electras. New for 1970 was what was under the hood – a 455 cubic inch V8, which replaced the previous 43,0 and it was rated at 370 hp. That was plenty of engine for these heavy machines, es but would be powerhouses when installed in the smaller Skylark-based GS models.

We’re told this Bamboo Cream beauty originated in California, but we don’t know when it made the trek north. The body and paint look great in the so-so photos the seller provides. So perhaps a full or partial restoration was done at some point, int as the car now has 119,000 miles. This is a well-optioned vehicle, including a factory 8-track tape deck (do you still have a few of those? I do, but with nothing to play them on).

We don’t see a great deal of the interior, but we wonder about the upholstery under the steering wheel. It looks off compared to the rest. The seller describes this Buick as “rolling architecture,” which is a great caricature of cars from that era and before. Today’s new cars all look alike, and most of them are cookie-cutter SUVs. Thanks for the cool tip, “Curvette”.