I am notorious with my friends of completely changing my car inventory if there is any appreciable
gap of time in their visits. This keeps things different and interesting for me but also causes a lot
of stress over uncompleted scores of cars. At the suggestion of a concerned friend I decided one
night to find "One Buick that I would get rid of all my other projects to own".
I had just had one of those "everything goes wrong" evenings with my project cars and I was ready
to consider unloading them all. I picked up one of my Buick history books and said before I opened
the cover "OK, I'm going to find the ONE car!". After about 15 minutes I came to the 59 and 60 Electra
225 convertibles and let out a whistle. I said under my breath "Yeah, I'd definitely get rid of it all
for one of THOSE!"
I knew this was a SAFE CHOICE because I did not have two nickels to rub together and realized these
had to be very expensive, AND other than pictures I had never laid eyes on one. 24 hours later one was
sitting at my house. I still can't believe it.
I had gone to work and started composing a fax during lunch, (very rare to get me then , as I almost
always go out) the fax said "Wanted full size 59 or 60 Buick convertible for family project car". I didn't
even get a chance to fax it when one of my friends called and said he had found "Another boat" like my
old 67 Wildcat convertible I had owned long ago, for sale in our local paper. I told him "no way" I wanted
something else, and frankly was considering selling it all to get one car I really liked instead of
all the junk I had.
He just said "OK, thought I'd ask, ad sounded good, but whatever". We small talked for awhile
and as we were getting ready to hang up he said "you SURE you aren't interested?". "Well, since
you went to the trouble to call and all go ahead" I said. It was the EXACT car I had decided
on not 12 hours before! I had never even told him what I was looking for.
I about fell over I was so stunned about the chances of this happening, I mean I could have
hung up early without hearing him out,not found the1959-60 page the night before,could have
been to lunch and missed his call etc. I asked for the phone number thinking surely it was out
of town. The area code was N.C. so I called. The car was 10 minutes from my house! A good friend
gave me the deposit to "lock the car in" and that evening while the phone was ringing off the
hook from out of state Buick National club members, we wrote up the bill of sale and terms.
Our 1960 Electra 225 convertible is a factory, black, on Satin black, with black and gray
power bucket seat interior. Very rare for that year the car is also equipped with factory
A/C and console.Other amenities are the Wonderbar seeking radio, auto-tronic headlight eye,
power windows,power brake, speed alert,first year available back seat heater controls etc etc.
The car (call her Josephine for my friend Joe who lent me the money) had been stored for
over 20 years in a Nebraska barn, had no rust, and only 80,000 original miles. The car had been
shipped around the U.S. at a cost of $1000 each time the current owner was transferred. He had
agreed to offer it for sale before their next move. The car was "Hog Tied" inside 2 nasty old
plastic truck tarps with rope, bungee cords, and tape.It was covered with Marina Blue over
spray and had not been washed in at least 20 years...and it didn't run.
Two months later I had about waxed my arm off to get down to some decent paint,
polished all the chrome interior, and exterior, installed a new set of wide white walls,
disassembled the Deluxe hubcaps and buffed each piece, and got her running like a top! Since then
all we have done is replace the incorrect and ruined white top with a brand new black one, and
from there we have been driving and enjoying her.
My wife (who has been known to drive a certain 1963 Skylark convertible - pictured here)
and I are blessed with 3 children who love the "Bat Mobile" and the cool times
we enjoy in it with the top down, 60's music playing ,going to the local drive-in to eat,
and an occasional dip into the 325 horse 445 torque 401 Wildcat V-8.
For us it just doesn't get much better than this.
John
Balmy night, top down, chrome, fins, rumble of a V8...you're right John, it doesn't get any better than that.
Bill
