I’m a sucker for classic American station wagons. I know they aren’t as exciting as a muscle or sports car, but I like that wagons are often overlooked simply because they were family haulers. Yes, most were just that, but some had innovative and unique features. Just take a look at this 1971 Buick Electra Estate. It not only has a 455 V8, but also the rare power clamshell tailgate. You read that right: this wagon has a motorized tailgate, and it’s way cooler than the power tailgate of any modern SUV! I’ve included a video below showing it in action, and it’s really impressive. If you’re interested in owning this one, you can find it here on eBay in Anaheim, California, with a BIN of $15,000.
When I first spotted this Buick, I quickly dismissed it. The photos aren’t great, and I’m not a fan of wheels, but while I was writing up a different car, this one came back up in my feed, and I noticed the seller mentioned a power tailgate. Growing up in the ’90s, that was a feature you never saw on affordable family vehicles. Heck, I can’t think of a single luxury vehicle from that era with a power tailgate. I’ve always been fascinated with the dual-action tailgates found on some late ’60s and early ’70s station wagons, but this clamshell design might be cooler.
Here’s a different Buick’s power tailgate in action. You can see that the glass slides up into the roof and the bottom section rolls under the floor. It’s probably not the best use of space, but it sure looks awesome. The seller doesn’t say what condition theirs is in, but there are photos of the trunk, so it probably works correctly.
This Buick was really well optioned, with all the power options, fiber-optic dash lighting, and the big-block engine. The 455 V8 has a 4-barrel carburetor and is said to be the 365 horsepower version. Yes, this is a big, heavy vehicle, but that’s a healthy amount of power to have on tap. There’s no word on it’s history or if things like the A/C work properly.
I’m really not a fan of the wheels or lowered stance, but the original wheels are with it, and this thing is so cool, I could live with it not being perfectly original simply because of how the car was optioned. The seller is including some spare parts, including a third-row seat, from a parts car.
This wagon is sure to be a hit at car shows, both with people that grew up riding around in big wagons like this and us younger gearheads that rode around in boring beige SUVs. If your like me and appreciate the novel features of this Buick, be sure to take a closer look at it. So, who here grew up with one of these Buicks and its clamshell tailgate?
This car was reviewed by Russ Dixon on July 9 and the price was $17000. They’ve lowered it to $15000.
Is that a ’78 Silverado staring at in the video?
It’s a Chevy squarebody pickup pre-facelift yes, either ’73 or ’74. Not a Silverado. No telling what the trim level is though so it could be a Custom, Custom Deluxe, Cheyenne, or Cheyenne Super. I don’t think the Silverado trim existed until the 1981 and up facelifted trucks.
Silverado was the top trim available initially in 1977.
Wow, the rare power tailgate!! I would buy this wagon just for the tailgate!
That gate is boss Holmes!
Very cool, grew up riding and learning to drive in long roofs. Hope the wheels that come with are Buick roadies, IMO that would make this perfect.
I love this wagon!
I didn’t know of Buick’s powered clamshell tailgate. That is very cool.
I doubt the AC works, see no belt on the compressor. If better documented (or closely inspected) this could be a neat usable old car, as long as you don’t mind feeding a 455 v8 with an 8.5:1 compression ratio (some warming of the v8 is probably a good idea, and may be necessary if work on the engine has been only as good as the paint on top of it). That back window also looks a little off on the left… better get a shop manual that covers the clamshell system!
I did my drivers test in my mom’s shiny new Buick Estate wagon back in 1973. Back then, where I lived there was only 2 types of DL: Regular & Chauffeurs.
The Chauffeurs licence meant you could drive anything….including heavy commercial vehicles!
16 year-old me took the Chauffeurs test. All was going well until the parallel parking segment. Due to the angled, tall clamshell tailgate, and protruding rear bumper, I found it hard to judge where the rear of the car was. I apparently wasn’t so good using the side mirrors. I backed over a few cones. To my surprise, I passed. I got my Chauffeurs Licence! A few months later, they changed the rules and introduced separate classes for commercial vehicle DLs. My days as a Chauffeur ended quickly.
Lovely looking car. 1971 is my favourite year for the full sized Buick, including the Buick Electra 225 and the LeSabre. I hope whoever buys this car enjoys it and takes care of it. 🙂
all the clamshell tailgates were power. this has been eBay for a while. price is in the ballpark, but they just can’t find a buyer. personally, i would lose those wheels for the factory Buick wheels with some white walls.
The power tailgate was definitely an option. The standard clamshell had an obvious handle in the center of the chrome strip along the top of the tailgate.
My godfather owned a couple GM dealerships (my dad was a silent partner). Our family always drove new “demonstrator” station wagons. Most had the power tailgate, but some did not. Lots of photos online to confirm this.
Hi hairyolds68,
Not all clamshell tailgates were power. GM introduced the clamshell station wagon in 1971 and it ran through the 1976 model year until downsizing in 1977. Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Buick all had them.
All had power glass, but the tailgate part could be power or manual. If it was power, you saw a keyhole to the right of the tailgate. If it was manual, you saw a small “handle” on the chromestrip on the tailgate and an extra chrome “ring” with “flippers” around the keyhole. You would turn the key to raise the glass into the roof but then turn the outer chrome ring to release the manual tailgate and it would drop under the bumper. To raise it you turned the chrome ring again and lifted the tailgate with the small handle at the top of the tailgate into the closed position. Then used the key again to lower the glass.
I had a 1973 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon with the power tailgate. There were two toggle switches on the dashboard, one for the window and one for the tailgate. You could lower the tailgate without raising the glass but I wouldn’t recommend that.
I’m looking for a 1971 through 1974 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser with a power tailgate and all the power assesories. Preferably in a gold tone paint.
This is the manual tailgate apparatus
An uncle near Dayton, Ohio had one of these with the 455. Whether it had the clamshell tailgate idk. It did have 3rd seat & window strips on roof to let sun in. Just enough between those two features made me puke once. I was about 14 & never allowed back in. 😂
I’m guessing by the wheels someone figured out that 455 meant business when put in L
Oh my my !
Barn Finds, wow what a selection today !
I was excited about that ’77 Olds with PW till i saw this.. this is the wagon ive been waiting for .
and after closer attention, i realized that Olds is a bid and up to 12k..
ya
never mind that..
im all about this wagon,
im on it ! and its close enough i could pick it up today .
Just dreamy 😃
Oh my my !
Barn Finds, wow what a selection today !
I was excited about that ’77 Olds with PW till i saw this.. this is the wagon ive been waiting for ..
and after closer attention, i realized that Olds is a bid and up to 12k..
ya
never mind that..
im all about this wagon,
im on it ! and its close enough i could pick it up today .
Just dreamy 😃
I thought all clamshell tailgates were “powered”, how else would you open them?
Counter weights and/or springs, similar to a garage door, so the weight of the tailgate counteracted those just barely enough to let it drop under gravity when unlatched, allowing for a fairly light action to raise it up again by hand.
It makes for a neat demonstration of the difference between mass vs. weight (mass X gravity). The counter weights/springs counteracted gravity nearly enough to offset the effective weight, but you still needed to deal with the mass, giving it enough oomph to overcome inertia and give it enough momentum to hit the latch plates, without having to lift the full weight by muscle power alone.
We had a 1975 Oldsmobile custom cruiser that had one of those tailgates, I just love that thing, it was a great hauler, had a key switch on the outside if you turn the switch one way the glass one up if you turn it the other way the glass and the tailgate work at the same time, was afraid the thing was going to break or screw up in a tailgate would be down wouldn’t be able to get it up that would be a nightmare, but never did damn thing always worked great love that car, this Buick is cool I’d buy if we were closer to it
The Chevrolet-Buick-Oldsmobile dealership where I worked ordered more wagons with the power option than without, especially on Buicks and Oldsmobiles. And you know, as complicated as those things look, we never had to do many warranty repairs on them.
All the GM wagons had the clam shell tail gate in the early 1970s as I recall. It was a Big Deal back then …
Was that the same year and model as the one that was used in the scary movie called the tank?
The first time I saw this power tailgate, was on my Uncle’s 1969 Chevrolet Caprice. It was cool then and cool now.
That’s pretty cool Ed, I don’t remember any warranty repairs on those, however we didn’t sell a bunch, I got mine because it was crashed so it was cheap and I was a heavy line tech and a body man, what a lot of fun over the years a lot of stories,I work for an Oldsmobile dealership from 1977 to 2004, then I was discontinued,that sucked, the writing was on the wall when they came out with the slogan with the. 91 trafeo not your Father’s Oldsmobile, that was actually a very cool car, then they tried to pump it up again with the 95 Aurora which was actually slated to be a Cadillac and it turned it over to Oldsmobile
The last Oldsmobile built was an Alero, I’m like really ….
I seem to remember all of them in that series of wagon were power tailgates (except Chevy). But the Pontiac, Buick and Olds all had the same setup 71-73 then 74 came and the 5mph bumper did away with it (fowled the operation). Am I just not remembering correctly?
You are not remembering correctly. A quick Google search you will see the clamshell tailgate was a GM staple on their full size wagons from 1971 through 1976.
And not all were power operated. All glass was power operated but the tailgate could be power or manual including Chevrolet
Great year smaller bumpers, also, the 455 is a major plus!
I wonder if it came without the fake wood vinyl panels or factory delete.
I don’t remember seeing many without the wood?