In hindsight, witnessing the replacement of long-heralded model names during the late Fifties shouldn’t have come as a surprise to the public. A case study is Buick. While Special, Super, Century, Roadmaster, and Limited spoke volumes about each model’s purpose and division hierarchy, those names–which began appearing in 1935–had inevitably lost some punch. Like it or not, the Jet Age was soaring, and its influence could be seen in ever-lower, wider, and racier automotive designs. Attaching Special to a completely redesigned chassis, fitted with a sleek body sporting swooping rear “delta wings,” just wasn’t going to cut it anymore.
LeSabre however, French for “the sword,” conjured a modern and vibrant vision of open road driving and boundless travel adventures. As did Invicta, Latin for “unconquerable,” when it supplanted Century; and Electra, Greek for “brilliant,” when it replaced Roadmaster (it’s said that the luxury-trimmed Electra 225 replaced Limited). The international vibe was merely a bonus, especially so with Riviera styling firmly cemented as a pillar of Buick design. Add to that an all-new 401-cu.in. engine in the division’s V-8 arsenal, which simultaneously provided ample power to match the exotic, swift-sounding nomenclature.
True, Buick had to survive both the public’s polarized view of the 1959-’60 visual redesign, as well as the 1959 steel strike that impacted production, but the tactical move to reimagine the division from top-to-bottom–initiated by then-general manager Edward Ragsdale–would eventually prove fruitful. The Flint-based division of GM began a slow climb up the market recovery ladder in ’61, aided by further styling updates, the return of the Special as a compact (later moved to a new intermediate platform), a 425-cu.in. engine, and weak performance by other brands. By the time the ’66 model year concluded, Buick was in a tight race for fifth place in the domestic industry, a position held by Oldsmobile.
Buick had clearly shed its heavy-looking past, and in the upper medium-price luxury car market segment the Electra 225 had attained a revered reputation for quality accoutrements, a pillow-soft ride, and unbridled power, much like its predecessor. The Electra 225 and further-upscale 225 Custom, available in multiple body styles, also featured fine contemporary styling that was attracting “fresh and vital” faces who were, “young enough to enjoy a luxury car.”
To keep momentum moving forward, Buick delivered what was billed as an all-new Electra 225 line to the 1967 market in both base and Custom-trimmed variants, though most would argue it was merely a progressive revamp. Crisp, horizontal body lines were replaced by an old Buick tradition: a delicate “sweepspear” design element stamped into the car’s flanks. The “W” shaped front fascia was retained, but it was updated with a stately split grille, and smaller rear wheel skirts were used. However, the rear fascia kept a full width taillamp assembly, while the quarter panels ended with sharp, angular lines that delivered a tailfin hint of yore, all seen on ’66 editions. A coup de grâce, one could contend, was a new standard 430-cu.in. V-8 engine that could produce 360 hp on command.
Whether it was truly an all-new Electra 225 or merely a progressive update, the public welcomed it with open arms. Total series production jumped from 88,177 examples in 1966 to 100,304, helping Buick reclaim fifth position in the industry. Among them were 6,845 base model two-door Sport Coupes–the rarest body style offered in ’67–as exemplified by this original, unrestored example now owned by Nicholas Pastushan III, of New Canaan, Connecticut. It’s also a family heirloom, as Nick explains.
“My grandfather and namesake bought it new in 1967. I’m not entirely sure if he was a Buick man or not, but he was a car guy. I’m told that he started working for one of the automotive factories in the Syracuse, New York, region in the late Twenties–I don’t know which one; whichever it was, it’s long gone–and he saved enough money to afford not only a big home with a carriage house in nearby Auburn, but eventually opened his own oil-and-gas business. I can only imagine that Buicks must have been on my grandfather’s radar prior, because my father always had a later Electra or Park Avenue when I was growing up.”
The elder Nicholas drove his Electra 225 with regularity, reportedly rolling roughly 10,000 miles into its odometer in the first year of ownership. It would have been higher had he not died a year after purchasing the two-door hardtop, and it stands to reason that both the Buick and the business would have been sold, but such was not the case.
“My aunt assumed the estate and maintained both the house and the business. The Buick lived in the carriage house. Every time I used to go up there with my parents for some kind of visit, or during one of the holidays, that Buick would just be tucked in there with a cover over it. I would see it outside periodically, but basically hardly ever being driven. My aunt would take it maybe once or twice a month to church on Sundays, or maybe an errand–that’s it,” Nick says.
And there it sat, until five years ago when Nick received word that his aunt relocated to a nursing home, which necessitated the sale of her estate’s assets to offset costs. This included the Electra 225, still sitting in the carriage house under cover. In lieu of the Buick being sold to a random stranger, Nick arranged a fair purchase price to keep it in the family.
“When my son and I got there with my truck and trailer, the Buick was exactly where I had last seen it. I was expecting to see it had deteriorated some, but I was amazed when I pulled the cover off–it was remarkably preserved. The odometer was just shy of 19,000 miles and judging by the stickers on the windshield it had last been registered in the Eighties. To anyone else, it would have been an unbelievable barn find. Instead, it was a time capsule.
“Normally any vehicle that’s been in upstate New York would be all rusted and rotten. I don’t think the Buick was ever out in the winter, or even a rainy day. It doesn’t have any corrosion–it was never given a chance to corrode. It just sat indoors for 51 years. The only time it probably ever got wet was when it got washed,” Nick says.
Unfortunately, Nick’s trailer wasn’t equipped with a winch. The dormant heirloom had to be driven aboard for the trip to its new Connecticut abode, but that didn’t mean Nick didn’t arrive unprepared.
“I purchased four new tires thinking that, because the car has been sitting for so long, they would need to be replaced. Believe it or not, the rears are the original bias plies; they had enough air in them, so I didn’t bother changing them. The front tires had gone flat, so I replaced them. Then I installed a new battery, drained the oil pan and poured in fresh oil, and flushed and filled the gas tank. I turned the ignition and the engine cranked and cranked and cranked for a while and then it caught. I was really happy that we were able to back it out of the carriage house and load it up. If it hadn’t, it would have been a scramble to find a come-along and more able-bodied help to push the car to the trailer,” Nick says, adding that the Electra 225 required only basic maintenance to make it roadworthy again. The Buick still lives a pampered life today.
“I have to imagine that of all the 1967 Electras, or even similar-type cars that are around, very few were locked up in a garage in 1968 and left untouched. So, this has got to be the most original one out there. I don’t have any evidence of that of course, it’s just a hypothesis. Because it is a time capsule, I don’t drive the car as much as people would think I would. The Electra now has 20,000 miles on it. I drove my son to his senior prom in it, but most of its travel these days is to the local Caffeine and Carburetors gathering, where everyone here brings their exotic cars. And then you have me with this old, all-original land yacht. Some might call it a novelty there, but I enjoy showing my family heirloom.”
The post A Sheltered Life In Upstate New York Turned This 1967 Buick Electra 225 Into A Time Capsule appeared first on The Online Automotive Marketplace.
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