1979 Buick Electra

The Buick Electra was named heiress and sculptor Electra Waggoner Biggs by her brother-in-law Harlow H. Curtice, former president of Buick and later president of General Motors. The full-size Electra was produced from 1959 to 1990 over six generations before it was superseded in 1991 by the Buick Park Avenue.

In 1977, all C-body GM cars were downsized, and the Electra lost over eleven inches in length and a substantial decrease in weight. The newly redesigned Electra continued to use the base 225 and Limited trim packages and added a top-of-the-line Park Avenue option package, available solely as a coupe. Hardtop body styles were no longer offered.

The base engine, until 1979, was the Buick 350 with four-barrel carburetion. Between 1977 and 1979, an optional Oldsmobile 403 was available, and a 350 diesel was added to the list of options beginning in 1980, along with an Oldsmobile-sourced 307.

The 1979 Buick Electra coupe had a base price of $7,580 and the sedan listed for $7,760. The same body styles were offered on the Electra Limited and the Electra Park Avenue, with the Limited priced at $7,990 for the coupe and $8,160 for the sedan, and the Park Avenue selling for $8,425 (coupe) and $8,600 (sedan). A total of 5,358 examples of the base coupe and 11,055 of the sedan were built. The combined production of the Limited and Park Avenue reached 28,878 for the coupe and 76,340 for the sedan.

The front-end styling of the 1979 Electra had quad rectangular headlamps and new vertical-style wraparound taillamps. Below the quad headlamps were horizontal parking and signal lamps. The crosshatch pattern grille was divided into a dozen sections by five vertical and two horizontal bars. On the squared-off front fenders were the four-section 'ventiport' trim strip paying homage to the portholed Buicks of the 1950s. Between the wheel wells, above the rocker panels, were a bright bodyside molding.

Three new colors were added to the list of fourteen standard colors. The new additions were gold, gray, and saffron. The interiors received a new simulated butterfly woodgrain trim on the instrument panel, and lighted indicators atop the dashboard displayed fir high beams were on, gave information about the engine operation, parking brake position, and seat belts.

The 90-degree, overhead-valve, 350 cubic-inch V8 had hydraulic valve lifters, five main bearings, and a four-barrel Rochester carburetor delivering 155 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. The optional 403 CID V8 delivered 175 horsepower at 3,600 RPM and 310 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 RPM. A Turbo-Hydramatic was standard. The wheelbase measured 118.9 inches, the largest in the model lineup (which included the Skyhawk, Skylark, Century, Regal, LeSabre, Estate, and Riviera. Its length of 222.1 inches was also the longest in the lineup. It rode on GR78 x15 tires and came with numerous drivetrain and convenience options including an engine block heater, high altitude emission system, California emission system, automatic level control, trailer towing flasher and harness package, and heavy-duty alternator. The steering was by a power-assisted recirculating ball, and front disc and rear drum brakes provided the stopping power.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2020