West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely exceptional and extremely rare and desirable 1961 Buick Electra 225 401/325HP 4BBL V8 Convertible with it's original 410/445 Wildcat engine with believed to be 77K original miles in great daily driving condition and boasting all new paint in original 'Arctic White' (factory code C) color paint, a new Blue power soft top, new matching Blue leather interior, all new suspension, tires and brakes; also included are the original owners manuals from the selling dealer of 'Braley & Graham Buick' of Sacramento, CA from where it was sold and originally delivered to it's original Santa Cruz owner who reportedly later sold the car an Ohio Museum who owned the car until it was sold some 30 years later to only it's third owner, a San Diego, CA resident.
The Buick Electra was marketed by Buick as 'The Ultimate in Buick Luxury' and this is a very rare completely restyled for 1961 Buick Electra 225 Convertible with the rare and desirable options of power windows and vents and leather bucket seats with storage consolex and 2-Way power drivers seat with it's original 401 c.i. 'Wildcat' 4 barrel V8 engine with dual exhausts! The 401 cid V8 with a single 4 barrel carburetor had 445 lbs of torque, hence the legendary '445 Wildcat' engine was born! It came only with a Turbine automatic transmission. This car was one rare blend of size and performance before the muscle car era! The original factory options included the highly desirable High Performance 401 c.i. 4 barrel V8 engine, Turbine transmission, Power steering, Power brakes, Sonomatic radio with power antenna, Rear seat speaker, Dual exhausts, Oversize whitewall tires, electric clock, rear floor lamp, deluxe steering wheel, wheel covers, tachometer, vinyl bucket seats, consolex, chrome roof bows, custom bright metal exterior moldings and wheel well moldings.
The Buick Wildcat engine arguably powered Buick's first performance cars and began Buick's quest for power and even lended its name to several Buick engines of the mid sixties and Buick engineers adjusted the suspensions to improve the handling of the Wildcats. Standard power was the Buick LT401 cid V8, rated at a strong 325 bhp. Although this engine was also available in the regular Invicta line, the Wildcat came with a standard 3.42:1 rear end. A 4.45:1 rear end was optional for those wanting even more drag strip performance and a high-performance 325 hp (242 kW) version of the 401 cu in Nailhead V8, known as the Wildcat 445 for producing 445 ft lb of torque.
The 401 cu in (6.6 L) 401 was Buick's muscle car powerplant of choice, and was found in the company's Skylark Gran Sport and Buick Wildcat, among others. As unlikely as it seems, the air cleaner for the engine is annotated with "Wildcat 375" "Wildcat 410" "Wildcat 445" these inscriptions indicated not the cubic inches displaced but the ftlbf of torque produced by the engine. The "Wildcat 410" was the 2-barrel carbureted engine that was standard on the 1962-63 LeSabre. The "Wildcat 375" was a no cost option on the 62-63 LeSabre that had lower compression to run on regular fuel. Another Buick V8 had "Wildcat 375" written on its air cleaner but it wasn't a "Nailhead", it was the 4-barrel version of the 66-67 small block Buick 340. The "Wildcat 445" had a single 4 barrel carb. It was the standard engine on the Invicta, 1959-66 Electras, 1962-66 Buick Wildcat, 1963 Riviera and 1965 Riviera (the 64 and 66 Riviera models had a 425 in engine with a single 4 barrel carb. named "Wildcat 465" as standard equipment).
This particular 1961 Buick Electra 225 Convertible boasts the 401/445 example engine and is in very fine condition throughout - obviously an always garaged and cherished car since new. The car looks extremely impressive with a recent professional repaint in it's original color, a brand new Blue power soft top with matching Blue leather interior and carpet. The original 401 c.i. 4 barrel V8 engine is extremely strong and powerful and sounds absolutely magnificent and this particular car drives absolutely magnificently - must be driven to be appreciated - does not miss a beat and purrs like a kitten - drives straight as an arrow with no strange road wobbles, shakes or rattles - a truly remarkable daily driver that will give any modern day sports car a run for it's money! The transmission shifts smoothly through the gears and the car has four new correct 815 whitewall tires and the car has it's original spare wheel and jack still in the trunk! The Electra 225 nameplate was a nod to the latter car's overall length of over 225 in (5,715 mm), earning it the street name "deuce and a quarter."
The Electra 225 Riviera was the top-line model and it shared its six window hardtop roofline exclusively with Cadillac (which offered it on all of its models). The two-door convertible was only available as an Electra 225, and the 2-door hardtop as an Electra. The Electra 225 convertibles were trimmed in leather. Standard Electra features included horizontal Red-line speedometer, two-speed electric windshield wipers, trip mileage indicator, cigar lighter, dual sunshades, Step-On parking brake, dual horns, Twin-Turbine automatic transmission, Foamtex seat cushions, electric clock, trunk light, glovebox light, power steering, power brakes, full wheelcovers and dual exhaust. In addition Electra 225s had Super Deluxe wheelcovers and an outside rearview mirror as standard equipment. Padded dashboards were also standard.
The 1960 Electra and Electra 225 received a minor facelift with a concave grille and horizontal headlights centered by Buick's then-new 'Trishield' logo, which is still in use today. Reintroduced to Electras and other Buicks for 1960 were the chrome Ventiports first introduced in 1949 and last seen in 1957. Electra and Electra 225 models featured four VentiPorts on each front fender while lesser LeSabre and Invicta models had three VentiPorts. Electras featured wider rocker panel bright moldings and the Electra script on the front fenders ahead of the wheelhouse. Electra 225s featured a badge that was circled on the deck lid. The Electra 225 name was found on the front fenders in place of the Electra name.
The Electra, along with the Invicta and LeSabre, was redesigned for 1961 with drastically shrunken fins, and was joined with the all-new compact sized Skylark. Electras featured bright rocker panel and wheelhouse moldings. Four Ventiports per front fender were a hallmark, with identification spelled out on the front fender plaques. Electra 225s had four 'hash marks' interrupting behind the wheelhouse of the rear fender. Electra 225 nameplates were found on the front fenders. Electra interiors were trimmed in fabric. Electra 225s were trimmed in Calais cloth or leather trim, except for convertibles which were trimmed in vinyl. An optional Custom interior featured leather trim, while another featured vinyl with contrasting vertical stripes and front bucket seats with a storage consolex and power two-way seat adjustment.
Standard equipment on the Electra included Turbine-Drive automatic transmission, "Mirromatic" instrument panel, directional signals, full-flow oil filter, electric windshield wipers, Deluxe steering wheel, trip mileage indicator, cigar lighter, Step-On brake, dual armrests, cloth and vinyl trim, combinations, carpeting, power steering, power brakes, two-speed windshield wiper/washer system, glovebox light, Custom-padded seat cushions and Deluxe wheelcovers. Two-tone Electras had the color accent on the rear cove. In addition Electra 225s had back-up lights, Glare-proof rearview mirror, parking lights, signal light, safety buzzer, courtesy lights, two-way power seat, Super Deluxe wheelcovers with gold accents and power windows. The Electra and Electra 225 were the same length in 1961. Buick discontinued the Electra nameplate at the end of the 1961 model year, leaving only the Electra 225 starting in 1962.
This is a rare opportunity to own a great daily driving and never abused example of an always garaged and covered 1961 Buick Electra 225 Convertible 401/445 in very fine condition throughout, one of only 7,158 built in 1961 and way fewer with the buacket seats and power windows options and a highly coveted model amongst classic car collectors and obviously any Buick enthusiast! Owned since new by only three owners, this is a perfect example for any Buick enthusiast or collector to add to their collection or simply a great daily driving and turn-key ready example of one of Buick's finest year models for any classic American muscle car collector!
