'Deuce and a quarter' wasn't just slang — Buick named the Electra 225 after its actual length, over 225 inches bumper to bumper.
Median 83 hp across 153 similar cars
Lead trim: Electra 401 cu in Wildcat V8 (325 hp, 10.25:1, 1959)
Buick Electra / Electra 2251959–1960
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Buick Electra / Electra 225 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
Fact'Deuce and a quarter' wasn't just slang — Buick named the Electra 225 after its actual length, over 225 inches bumper to bumper.
The Buick Electra is a full-size luxury car manufactured and marketed by Buick from 1959 to 1990 over six generations, introduced as the replacement for the Roadmaster lines and serving as the flagship Buick sedan line throughout. For 1959 the Super was renamed the Invicta, the Roadmaster the Electra and Electra 225, and the unsuccessful Limited was discontinued; the Electra 225 name was a nod to the car's overall length of over 225 in ("deuce and a quarter"). The Electra and Electra 225 used the GM C-body shared with the Oldsmobile 98 and Cadillac (designer Bill Mitchell) on a 126.3 in wheelbase, longer than the B-body LeSabre and Invicta (123 in): 225.4 in long (Electra 220.9 in), 80.7 in wide, 55.9 in high, 4,700–4,900 lb, with a 4-door 4-window hardtop, 4-door 6-window sedan, a 2-door hardtop (Electra only) and a 2-door convertible (Electra 225 only), plus 144 stripped chassis built in 1959 and 1960. The standard and only available engine was the 401 cubic-inch Wildcat V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, 10.25 to 1 compression and 325 horsepower with a two-speed Dynaflow, power steering and power brakes with Buick's 12 in finned aluminum drums; 1959 was the first year that not all Buick hardtops were called Rivieras.
Collectors Spotted in the Buick Electra Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Buick Electra yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electra 401 cu in Wildcat V8 (325 hp, 10.25:1, 1959) | 1959–1959 | 6.6 L V8 | 325 hp | 445 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
GM's 1977 downsizing crash diet shaved over 11 inches and 800 pounds off the full-size Electra in one model-year leap.
The 1975 Electra 225 was the longest Buick ever built — over 19 feet nose to tail — right before downsizing shrank the whole lineup for good.
A 4,700-pound land yacht doesn't sound quick, but the dual-exhaust 1969 Electra 225 Custom Convertible ran the quarter mile in 15.5 seconds at 90 mph.
Buick only sold a base Electra alongside the Electra 225 for one single year. By 1962 the plain Electra was gone, and the "225" name carried the whole lineup.
'Deuce and a quarter' wasn't just slang — Buick named the Electra 225 after its actual length, over 225 inches bumper to bumper.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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