The Buick Electra has been in the market for almost a half century. It lasted from 1959 to 1990 providing the needs of its clientele in a full-size premium luxury vehicle which General Motors was able to find the niche for.
It consists of several models in the Electra line such as the Riviera and Electra 225. This car was designed during the times when there was a decline in the automotive sales industry. While some automobile companies would gear towards producing a more compact and energy saving car, the President of General Motors then, Harlow Curtice thought of creating and manufacturing a premium luxury car and decided to produce the street rod called the Electra. Eventually it was replaced in the year 1991 by the new Park Avenue model.
During this time, the street rod Buick Electra's were manufactured as a full-sized premium automobile which was built by the Buick division of General Motors. They abandoned a more traditional design which Buick was known for and started to introduce a sleeker more modern vehicle.
The Electra line shares the same similarities with the Cadillac, it came in a four door sedan, a two door coupe and a two door convertible. Prior to 1959, the top of the line Buick lines were Roadmaster and Limited but when the year 1959 came along, they were renamed the Electra and Electra 225. The 225 resonates the overall length of this street rod which is 225 inches or 5,715 mm thus the term "deuce and a quarter".
The interior of the Electra 225 was something to crave for during those times. As the premium luxury line, they make it a point to be sleeker and up to date with a leather interior which was something a lot of people wanted in their cars. It also had power windows and a power operated top which was ultra modern at the time it came out.
It also had super deluxe wheel covers as well as an outside rear view mirror which added to the modern and sleek new look of convertibles. It had the standard requirement for Buicks such as a padded dashboard, a good power steering system and power brakes among other options.
In the year 1965, all the Buick lines alongside of the Electra featured new styles such as a more slanted headlight look with a chrome square grille and back fins with round tail lights.
The introduction of these new additions and revision in their cars was geared to increase their sales during those times and be more competitive since their competition was gearing towards a more compact concept car. They began to introduce a "contoured style" which provided a more sleek and modern look to their line. During this time, the Buick added new additions to the Electra series to make it more appreciable to its clientele as well as allowing them to competitively catch up with their competition. As the year progressed the sale on the Buick Electra began to sink due to the oil embargo in the 70's. More compact and energy saving street rods started being introduced to the market. As a result they began to downsize the lines in 1985 which is also when they introduced the Park Avenue design, a trimmer version of the Electra series which combined both the sporty yet luxurious feel to it of which the Buick was known for.