Vehicle Description
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 amp; 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, courte...for more information please contact the
seller.
