Last summer MyStarCollectorCar attended a large car show in Penticton, British Columbia Canada and encountered a stunning 1960 Buick Electra 225 convertible at the event.
A fiery red vintage domestic convertible from the Sensational Sixties is an immediate rock star at any car show, particularly when the car in question is a rare ride in 2023.
Jim Sutherland
A 1960 Buick retained the wild design of its 1959 predecessor, complete with front and rear delta wings to give the car a fast-while-at-a-standstill vibe. However, the 1960 Buick was a more rounded version of the ’59 and even had parallel dual headlights instead of the canted (tilted) headlights of the 1959 Buick.
The result was a smoother overall style for the 1960 Buick that kept the wild design of the ’59 Buick, but with a subtler flow to the car’s appearance.
As mentioned in the title, the 1960 Buick was an Electra 225 edition, a model designation that made the car the largest and most prestigious Buick in the lineup that year. The most important number in the Buick’s name is “225”, because the car was a little over 225 inches long, a length that requires a cab or Uber to get from the front to the back of the big Buick.
A couple of other important numbers were under the hood of the Buick convertible because the car still had its factory powertrain, including its 401 cubic-inch Nailhead V-8 engine with its well-advertised 445 ft lbs of torque. The famous Buick engine was coupled to Buick’s Turbine Drive 2-speed automatic.
The proud owner of the 1960 Buick Electra 225 convertible is Joe Mitchell, although the car was registered in the Penticton show by his granddaughter Monica, a third-generation car girl who shares Joe’s enthusiasm for the vintage car hobby.
A 1960 Buick Electra 225 was manufactured many decades before Monica, but it has been in the family for the past 25 years, so she grew up with the car and has driven it on numerous occasions.
The car has a long list of power everything, including power windows, power brakes, power steering, power convertible roof, and even a power antenna. It was clear a 1960 Buick Electra 225 was built for upscale buyers who wanted more luxury and creature comforts in their lives.
Joe is a fan of the big Buicks from a bygone era when freeways were new and gas was cheap, so his ’60 Buick Electra 225 convertible is an excellent fit for him.
He left a ‘Twilight Zone’ bumper sticker placed by a previous owner on the car and we at MyStarCollectorCar heartily agree with Joe’s decision to keep it. Somehow a classic TV show from the early 1960s on the back end of a classic Buick convertible from the early 1960s just seems right to us.
Joe added aftermarket wide white radials to the Buick for better handling and the investment is a success, according to his granddaughter Monica. She described the car as “really good at 60 mph (100 km/h)”–and she comes from a younger generation that is used to 21st century automotive engineering advancements.
The big difference is a bright red 1960 Buick Electra 225 will break the dial on the cool meter, a fact not lost on Joe or his granddaughter.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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