Buick fell on some tough times after their astounding success of the early-to-mid 1950s; by 1960, when this Invicta Hardtop was built, they ranked ninth in sales in the United States, the lowest they’d been since 1905. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. The cars themselves were pretty good and the engineering was as solid as ever; Buick had trashed longstanding names such as “Special” and “Roadmaster” and replaced them with vaguely exotic names such as “LeSabre” and “Electra.” They staged an endurance test at Daytona: professional drivers ran a nearly-stock Invicta 10,000 miles in 5,000 minutes, but for some reason, advertising didn’t take advantage of it. Regardless, time has spoken, and the ’60 Buick has been deemed a worthy collector car; our reliable Barn Finder T.J. found this beauty on Marketplace in Utah.
The Facebook ad says that this Invicta “sat around for 40 years” and is a “survivor” except for one repaint in a color that closely matches the original. If that and the claimed 98,000-mile odometer reading add up, this could very well be original upholstery. It matches the images in Buick’s 1960 brochure, and given that there is literally one supplier left in the United States selling original upholstery for “off-the-beaten-path” collectibles, that is a huge relief.
The dashboard looks good, with its space-age instrumentation and free-standing clock. The “Invicta” name, by the way, was the replacement for the “Century”; in essence, it was the hot rod of the Buick line, although it wasn’t any more powerful than a comparable Electra. Its life as Buick’s “bad boy” wouldn’t last; the Wildcat was introduced in 1962 as a submodel of the Invicta, the Riviera was introduced as the flagship in 1963, and the muscle car era started at Buick with the Skylark Gran Sport in 1965. Such is life for some models.
Under the Invicta’s hood was Buick’s stalwart 401 cubic-inch V8, nicknamed the “Nailhead.” Don’t let the “Wildcat 445” decals on the air cleaner fool you as they’ve fooled so many in the past: 445 is the engine’s torque rating: 445 lb.-ft. The 401 made 325 horsepower, but the Nailhead was best known for smooth torque, and Buick’s marketing team always focused on that. Channeling that twist to the rear axle was Buick’s “Turbine Drive” (a.k.a. Dynaflow) transmission, which was a mainstay in the Buick line through the end of the 1963 model year. For anyone looking at this ’60, it was the final year for the torque tube and the accelerator pedal starting features that Buick had been known for in the 1950s. Trust me, the torque tube is fine until you have to remove it from the car, then it’s just heavy. I’ve done it several times on my ’53 Buick.
The 1960 Buicks have gotten the last laugh in a way; these days, finned GMs and Chryslers bring a surprising amount of money. The seller of this Invicta is asking $22,000, which probably isn’t too far out of the realm of reality. Of course, some more and better pictures of important areas would help us decide, but it’s quite possible that this fancy Buick would look great in your garage or out on the road with all four windows down. Just cover up that upholstery – it’s not growing on trees.
Gorgeous American iron. Its caretaker truly appreciated this classy ride and did a good job taking care of it.
THIS is how the wagon Todd wrote up earlier should look like, instead of the rusted/busted scowl it’s got now.
A little love goes a long way.
I couldn’t agree more. I could never understand how anyone could let a nice car like that wagon get so bad. But it happens unfortunately.
Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?
This one… Yes…. that wagon, no….
I don’t remember ever seeing one of these with
wide white walls until now.Otherwise,nice car.
What company is still selling original interiors? Can someone get a name i’m very interested!
It’s SMS Auto Fabrics, Nick.
thank!
SMS Auto Fabrics, Canby OR. Great products but slow beyond belief. Often measured in years.
SMS for one. I think they’re in Michigan. There is or was another one in Oregon. I may have the locations transposed. Both used to advertise in Hemmings.
I’ve mentioned this story before in another post, but my Dad traded his ’53 Special in for a ’60 LeSabre 4-door with the 364 2-barrel. Aaron’s right about the air cleaner #s as the 364 said 375 on the air cleaner. For years I was confused about that.
Anyway, Dad’s was a deep red/maroon color. Don’t remember the interior color. First car I ever waxed at about 6 years old. Good thing the car was in the garage when I did it. This was that old paste & I used the whole can! LOL!
I DO remember the starter being in with the accelerator which brings to mind that ’70 Olds 98s & maybe others had the speedometer cable hooked to the left front wheel rather than the transmission.
That card lines are pure class. The front fenders are so odd but it works
Cruising Vessel
In 1965, at 21 years old I went in hock to buy my first modern car. A black ’60 LeSabre 2dr. HT. Beautiful — I loved it. Talk about lemons! I replaced the trans twice, the engine once, and the gas gauge quit on our honeymoon drive of 3500 miles. Almost back home it died in Minot. We coasted into the dealership (one of those things that happen and you think your blessed with some good fortune). After the nailhead collapsed a piston my buddy, who worked for an equipment dealer, crushed it with a huge Cat and buried it in the back lot of his business. I managed to salvage the new transmission, the taillights and the clock. I still love the looks and later passed up a deal on a LeSabre convertible — afraid of that tranny.
A vast improvement over Buick’s butt ugly ’59s. What would $22K buy in a new car? I’d much rather have this beast in my garage and $1000 rat sitting out in the snow.
22K buys you a five year bumper to bumper warranty with road side assistance and 30mpg.
Bub: Where???
A throwaway car, Bub. Which this Buick is the exact opposite.
I really like this car, mostly because it is a bubble top, the look is assume. I did not know these cars had a closed drive line and a torque tube. I do know early Fords, is this year Buick like that, the only way to get the transmission out is to take the engine or rear end out. I had no idea Buick’s up of the 60’s were like that, Ford stopped it in 1949.
You’re right, Joe. You have to either pull the rear end back on the springs or remove the rear axle and torque tube assembly to get to the transmission – kind of a pain. As you said, you could also pull the engine, which is probably more of a pain.
sold.