Buick’s flagship Electra joined GM’s fintastic ’59s, flaunting bold styling front-to-back. This 1959 Buick Electra 225 convertible in Marathon, Wisconsin sports a non-running but reportedly rebuilt 401 V8. It needs some metal repairs, but despite the Badger State address, it looks solid underneath. The seller here on eBay includes some extra used and NOS parts. At least five bidders have the drop-top cruiser’s market value over $9000 without meeting the Reserve. One click of Buy It Now makes this mostly complete and straight-looking classic yours for $17,500, suggesting the Reserve is within reach. Thanks to reader Mitchell G. for spotting this barn-find Buick.
Visible edges and other pictures suggest a body color change from white to this all-red scheme. Power seat and windows would have made this one classy convertible in ’59. The expansive dash features an array of instruments in an appropriately space-aged pod, plus plenty of chrome for bling. That might be a modern power window controller peeking out from the driver’s arm rest, with the crank operating the wing window.
Holy tailfins, Batman! The angled wings begin at the A pillar and extend into towering spears above the conical rocket-thruster tail lights. Generous brightwork accents the aggressive styling. The convertible top looks roached out, but the frame remains. The lower quarter panels are long-gone as we might expect from a rust-belt classic. This one’s been waiting 30 years, according to the seller. Please don’t hide it for another 30.
Rebuilt ages ago, according to the listing, this 401 cid “Wildcat 445” garnered its name from the prodigious gross torque, 445 lb-ft. I revived a ’53 “nailhead” years ago and it went from not-running to an almost silent and vibration-free idle over the course of fewer than five minutes. Hopefully this car’s new owner will have similar success, but it wouldn’t hurt to have it torn down for a once-over and (at least) new gaskets.
Silver-painted steelies recall many enthusiasts’ high-school days when rattle-can chrome saved the day if your budget couldn’t swing a set of new wheels. Let’s hope this one gets back into the wind soon, and we’d love some updates from the new owner in the comments below. What epic road trip should christen this fabulous ’59 Electra’s impending rebirth?
Surprisingly, Hagerty has a #4 vehicle at just over 25K. So, on paper at least, the 17.5K ask on this is in the ballpark. I wouldn’t pay it, but maybe someone will.
Growing up during this time, the model names always interested me. I liked the “Asian” styling of the hardtops with the flat roofs, but I recall that the more the name contained, the fancier it was. There was the Electra series, the Electra 225 series, and the Electra 225 Riviera.
No, the Riviera designation was used for the hardtop models of the two Electra series that Buick built for the 1959 model year: Electra and Electra 225.
There was no “Electra 225 Riviera” series.
My friend s father had a silver one, barely 2 inches above the ground. A low rider for sure
Walking home from school in October, 1958 I was indeed Electrified to see a fuschia? Slant eyed 59 Buick heading toward me. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but it definitely caught my eye. I believe 59 was the first year for Electra, Invicta and ?LeSabre? This poor befinned baby deserves a thorough resurrection by someone with deeper pockets than mine!
Most intimidating grille work. And awesome “tailed” rear-end on any Buick ever.
My Uncle Tommy, the family wag, commented that the 59 Chevy looked like a seagull ready to take a dump and the Buick like one that had just finished.
What a hot rusty mess!
I think this was the ugliest Buick they ever made
John
Perhaps, though in the eyes of some, including mine, the ’58 models might give it a run for its money.
The 59 Buick was a love it or hate it design (I love it) that was softened somewhat in 1960, to its detriment IMO. The 61 Plymouth tried a similar look and it was a disaster. I personally like this car better than the 59 Caddy (sorry, Angel), but not as much as the 59 Pontiac Catalina convertible (of my teenage years).
Todd – I don’t know how you can say that this car looks in any way ‘solid’ underneath. There’s rust everywhere that I can see…surface, floor pans, trunk pan, quarters, rockers, doors…it’s a mess, but mostly complete. I don’t care what Hagerty says about a #4 value, if you can’t do all of the body work on your own, including painting (let alone all of the other upholstery and mechanical), this is a multiple 6 figure restoration that will put you under water immediately. Frankly, there is no price for this car that makes sense other than as a parts car for one that needs the trim pieces, and the current ask ain’t it. Good luck to the poor sucker who buys this one. “You got a dream? Everybody got a dream. This is Hollywood” (Pretty Woman)
Not just Buick, but the ’59 Buick is the nicest looking American car ever built.
It deserves restoration.
59 Buick has the most sinister look, I love these. This one needs sooo much $$$ to bring it back. This car in black with a black stay fast cloth top and an oxblood interior would be the ultimate look. At least in my humble opinion.
All model year 1959 Electra convertibles were the longer Electra 225 model.
There was no “regular” Electra convertible.
Electra = 220.6 inches in overall length.
Electra 225 = 225.4 inches in overall length.
That’s were the 225 designation came from.
Both cars rode on a 126.3 inches wheelbase though.
These overall length numbers were already different for the 1960 model year, wheelbase remained the same….
There would have to be a tremendous up-tick on the going rate for restored ’59 Buicks for this carcass to be worth $17.5K — as it needs just about everything replaced or refurbished to even get it moving — and that means huge mega-bucks of an investment. I cannot see how it’s worth the asking price. I sure wouldn’t pay that for it. Take a zero off the end of the price and that would be more like it.
The Swedes will buy it and it will leave the US.
They love big American cruisers like this.
At the Power Big Meet in Sweden I came across 7 (seven!!) pristine 1958 Limited convertibles, only 839 were built.
I’ve never seen so many of these cars together at one show, not even at the “100 Years of Buick” show in Flint, MI (2003)
I guess the car needs to find a Swede that doesn’t have enough of them yet. — I too love the ’59 Buick style and overall looks, but not enough to go to the time and money it would take to restore this one while starting out having $17.5K in it.
The year I went to Power Meet in Lidköping Sweden I spotted 11 1966 Pontiac Bonnevilles. That really is a crazy-big American car event over there, and their owners are a LOT younger than the folks who love these big mid-century cars are here in our USA. So they’ll be keeping them up alot longer than we will it seems. (All we seem to support are hotrod and muscle cars here..)
I still have an ear worm from: “..A new generation of Buicks is here: LeSabre, Invicta, Electra…” the commercial jingle from the intros of these models.
Three models, that’s where the Buick Tri-Shield was based on.
But it didn’t appear on the cars in 1959….
I bought and restored a 59 LeSabre Convertible. Very difficult to find body and trim parts. Mine is white with the red white and silver Mylar interior.Every bit of the interior had to be one off replicated as there are zero repro parts made. Ivan take mine to a five hundred car show and it’s usually the only 59 Buick of any model there. The 225’s look a little too long to me. That’s why I chose the shorter wheelbase LeSabre. I’m surprised this car is hanging around with the 17500 buy it now.
Could it be that it pretty much needs a total restoration? And you just emphasized how hard it is to find parts for it. Maybe that has a lot to do with it being unsold too.
You’re 100% right.
I wouldn’t have a 60.
I’d kill for a 59, just not this one.
This reminds me of the kind of neat cars you’d see watching TV of the day. Like 77 Sunset Strip. I liked these Buicks then and still do. I don’t need to comment on the ask. Others have. Is this a viable candidate for restoration? I’m thinking corrosion may have too much of a claim on this one. Too bad. She was a looker in her day.
Sure it’s gonna cost some money to restore but this will be one beautiful car when done. I would like to hear from people that know how to do body work and paint on what their thoughts are on cost of restoration if they did it themselves.
Yeah I would love to have it in my collection!!! For sure!!! It’s a great potential for a restoration project!!!
SOLD for $14,500.