Tricked Out Survivor

[pulltostart]

I had a 1961 Buick Invicta Custom 4-door hardtop that had the smoothest automatic transmission I've ever known.  It might have not burned the tires at take off, but I didn't care and I suspect people who bought Buicks didn't care either.  That was one sweet ride!  Mine was like the one in this ad but had a silver exterior with a black interior (full leather seating - not vinyl).

 

L

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1961-BUICK-...645?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d33327a45

 

[cuffs054]

RickR,
Love your Olds! It reminded me of so many things. The tri-color ribbon speedometer, the adjustable speed reminder. (used to piss dear old Dad off if I set it and he didn't notice it till he fired the Rocket V8 up and the buzzer scared shit out of him). The "COLD" light. The flashing parking brake reminder. The separate AC/HEAT controls, real power antennas, signal seeking radios with foot control, auto dim high beams, and the early cruise controls! I have memories of humorous stories (to me anyway) and more trips to the Olds dealer. Wait, the 'resonators' that were behind the mufflers to make the big V8s sound deep and throaty but not upset the country club set.

 

[philr]

Lawrence, you owned one of my favorite cars!

 

[pulltostart]

RickR,

 

That's a mighty fine looking Super 88!  What's the story behind it?  Are you able to get it out and drive it often?

 

My Invicta - I bought it in 1978 from Don Drennen Buick in Birmingham, where it had been traded in by it's original owner for a new buick.  The car had 69k miles on it and with the exception of nicotine from the woman's smoking, was in great shape.  It had the Wildcat 445 engine, auto trans, power steering, power brakes, power windows, 6-way power seat, power antenna, factory a/c, and fold-down arm rests in both front and back.  One of the greatest features of Buicks of that era was the ability to put heat in the back seat.  I don't know how it worked, but I know it did work well.

 

L

 

[rickr]

.

Thanks for the nice comments guys! I really like the "rocket" styling of the late 50's/early 60's full size cars.
My grandmother bought the 61 Olds new, and it was a special order car. She got it Dec. 27th 1960. I got the car when she died in 1978. I drive it often as weather permits. In the 1980's I drove it to California four times. The only trouble I ever had on a long trip was a wheel bearing failure. Fuel is too costly to use this car for a long trip today, otherwise I would not be afraid to trust it on a 2500 mile trip.

 

[pulltostart]

1961 - GM

I've always felt like for 1961 the designers at GM threw caution to the wind.  They really seemed to be daring in their designs and be rather unconventional - not always successfully, either.  1962 definitely showed some retraint by comparison.  It was almost like they said "hmmm... maybe we went a little too far with that".

 

Regardless, I remain fully convinced that the 1961-1964 GM products were some of the nicest-looking cars out there.  And without exception my favorite body style is the 4-door hardtop.  Excellent proportions!

 

L

 

[norgeway]

61 88

I have always thought that the 61 was the best looking Olds ever!

 

[wayupnorth]

Once the big fins were gone the early 60's cars as a whole were nice looking. I had a 63 Rambler wagon as my first car, nothing nice to say about it, it got me around until the motor pooched at 70K. But still thought the GM cars were so much better looking and tended to stand up better in this nasty winter weather with all the salt and crap that we get here, even though my great uncle owned the local Ford dealership. My absolute favorite was my sisters 64 Olds 98 LS. That was a dream to drive, first one with factory A/C and 8 track stereo I had experienced.

 

[hydralique]

If it was a '64 then the 8-track unit wasn't factory installed. 8-track prototypes were introduced to the public about that time but it wasn't until '66 that any were offered from the factory, with Ford being the first.

 

When I was a kid my mother's best friend went from a '63 Impala two door hardtop to a '65 98 four door hardtop. She had owned a '57 98 convertible before the Impala which I remember only vaguely. The great thing about the 98 four door was that my mother and her friend could sit in the front seat while her two sons, my sister and I could all easily fit in that enormous back seat with room left over. All before seat belts of course!

 

[wayupnorth]

No, it was not factory 8 track. The factory radio was strictly AM. The previous owner had it installed and it was an RCA under the dash unit with 6X9 speakers in the back shelf. The big trunk helped provide great bass sounds. The A/C was a factory unit.

 

[wayupnorth]

Correction of #18

I had said it was a Pontiac LeMans. I meant to say it was a Tempest in Canada and it was the same as a US Chevy Corsica.