1970 Buick Electra 225 Custom: Power and Luxury
The Top 1970 Buick Convertible Is Unmistakable
May 4, 2009
Buick’s 1908 entry into General Motors predates Cadillac’s by a year and while it’s often approached and sometimes met the top GM division’s cars in terms of luxury, it’s usually had its own ideas on attracting customers to its high-end models. The 1970 Electra 225 Custom convertible is an ideal example of that.
The Buick Series 90 Aims High
Buick had entered a higher market with 1931’s Series 90 and eight-cylinder engines. The least expensive of the Series 90’s eight models was the $1610 sport roadster while that year’s most expensive Chevrolets were the special and convertible sedans at $650 each.
The Series 90 was obviously not targeting the mass-market and sold 25,503 Series 90 cars in 1931, when those two Chevrolets’ sales totaled 115,409 units. That was fine in the Depression and the Series 90 remained in the catalog.
For 1936, it became the Limited and dropped to four models, but two called for chauffeurs. The eight-passenger limousine and the four-passenger formal sedan each were built with one of the basic symbols of prestige, a divider window to separate driver from passengers. That Buick succeeded is shown by the Classic Car Club of America’s recognition of prewar Limiteds and Series 90s as Full Classics.
World War II Cuts Short The Buick Limited
Buick interrupted civilian vehicle-production on February 2, 1942 as American industry turned to far more important matters by helping the Allies to win the Second World War. Buick’s largest contribution – in actual size – was the Hellcat tank destroyer.
In a wartime ad, Buick stated that its 1942 line “sets the high standards to be surpassed in new models now being made ready,” but like its competitors, its first postwar cars were lightly modified revivals of its prewar offerings.
The Limited didn’t return until 1958, when it unfortunately had nothing like the restrained elegance of its ancestor. Instead, it fit the times well, as it was massively styled, loaded with brightwork and at 227 inches, eight inches longer than the mid-range models and 15 inches longer than entry-level Buicks.
The Electra 225 Arrives
Even while developing the 1958 line, Buick must’ve sensed its excess, so the 1959 cars appeared as new as those they succeeded. The outlandish trim was gone and the sheet metal, while finned and futuristic, was crisp, clean and nowhere near as bulky. Completing the break, the Limited disappeared again and the most expensive model became the Buick Electra 225, the number representing its length.
In its own way, the 1959 Buick was elegant, even in Electra 225 form. The change from the 1958 Limited signaled the top Buicks’ direction for decades to come, but as designs stayed generally low-key, engines grew. From the 1958 Limited’s 300-horsepower, 354-cubic-inch V-8, the 1962 Electra 225 offered a 325-horsepower 401; five years later, it was a 360-horsepower 430.
Taking The Highest Buick One Step Higher
The Electra 225 Custom had been added in 1965 and still led Buick’s line in 1970 as the division continued to offer a fast and luxurious full-size car. It had added the Wildcat – with its performance connotations – in 1962, but built it on the mid-range platform and reserved the biggest-engine-and-biggest-body combination for the Electra 225
That remained the case in 1970, when the Wildcat and Electra 225 each used the 370-horsepower 455, but the Electra 225 Custom was again longer, heavier and more expensive. It was marked by four Ventiports or portholes in each fender and more standard interior features than other Buicks, but status surely was the appeal to some.
Buick had read the market correctly. A 1970 Wildcat sold for $5227 and a 1970 Electra 225 Custom convertible cost an even $100 more. Since it was 127 pounds lighter and was a slightly smaller car, the Wildcat had at least a minor edge in performance potential, but Buick knew all along that it was less a matter of sheer performance than one of performance as part of an upscale package.
It was right; despite the higher price, the 1970 Electra 225 Custom convertible sold 6045 examples, but the comparable Wildcat sold 1244.
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