1961 Buick Invicta

Description

Have you considered a Buick? This 1961 Buick Invicta 4-door hardtop makes a convincing case for GM's second-in-line marque with lots of luxury and a torque factory of a Nailhead V8 under the hood. You don't think of Buicks as sleepers, but this one pulls it off in terms of both performance and value; this is an awful lot of car for the money.

For most of America, tailfins were dying but at Buick, they were already designing the future with clean-sheet designs that were conservative but handsome, looking forward to the chiseled look that would define the 1960s. The 4-door hardtop was a sporty yet practical model, and the Invicta brought big Buick luxury in a more modest package. This one was originally code D Newport Gray, but somewhere along the line it was repainted a color a little more akin to code P Turquoise Iridescent, which makes the big Buick seem a little less formal. The pointed front fenders and "venti ports" were a Buick trademark that work really well here, and judging from the fit of the doors, the straight sheetmetal, and clean bodywork, this car has not lived a hard life. There's still plenty of big car chrome, including the front bumper, decorative side trim, and those very cool taillights make a real statement when this heavy cruiser wooshes past you. It's really a nice looking car!

Full-sized luxury is a real thing when you drive a Buick, and this highly original interior delivers Buick's version of 1960s style. We believe the seats have been reupholstered using a gray fabric that's similar to the original stuff, but the rest remains OEM. The handsome door panels are ornate and beautifully done and the dash is a combination of jet-age styling and functionality. Perhaps the most remarkable feature is the Mirro-Magic instrument panel, which uses a tilting mirror to move the speedometer into your line of sight, a very cool feature that works better than you'd expect. There's also a cool clock in its own pod atop the dash and twin cockpit styling that belies this car's staid reputation. The original Sonomatic AM radio is still in the dash and shockingly enough, it includes fully functional factory A/C! Rear seat room is massive, as is the trunk, which still carries its original mats and a recent full-sized spare that's never been down.

Buick's 401 cubic inch "Nailhead" V8 produces torque like some cars produce exhaust. It's endless, flinging the relatively lightweight Invicta forward with effortless ease. The air cleaner reads "Wildcat 445" with the "445" part denoting the torque figure, which is plenty impressive. It's quite original under the hood, wearing corporate Turquoise engine enamel and it's very clean overall, which again suggests someone really cared about this car. The idle is almost impossibly smooth and thanks to the twin-turbine Dynaflow transmission, it accelerates like an electric locomotive. The suspension is Buick smooth and with power steering and brakes, it's easy to handle around town. A two-into-one exhaust system has a suitably muscular hum that's never too aggressive and the underside of this car is all the proof you need that it's been someplace warm all its life. Simple hubcaps and whitewall radials complete the understated look.

So have you considered a Buick? This Invicta has a lot to offer and you'll probably find yourself addicted to both the torque and the space it offers. Call today!