Buick Electra in Context
Buick Electra generations begin in 1959, but the 1961 redesign brought a cleaner, more restrained body that shed the tailfins and heavy chrome of the first cars. Riding on General Motors' longest passenger platform, the Electra 225 took its name from its overall length in inches and sat above the LeSabre and Invicta at the top of the Buick range. It competed directly with the Oldsmobile 98 and the Cadillac Series 62, offering similar interior space and a V8 engine at a somewhat lower price than the Cadillac.
Understanding 2 generation
Buick Electra body styles in this generation are the three listed here: the cabrio, the coupe hardtop and the sedan hardtop, all produced from 1961 through 1964. Hardtop construction, with no fixed pillar between the side windows, was a defining feature of American luxury cars of the era, and Buick offered it in both two-door and four-door layouts. The convertible was the rarest and most collectible of the three. Understanding the 2 generation means recognizing this as the last Electra before the 1965 redesign brought a sweeping new shape.