Buick Electra & Olds Super 88

[@radioguy1620]

That curved back windshield made it easier to see all the rockets we were shooting off those days on a cool winter evening. what a time to be 9 yrs old..

[@eleven57icare]

Beautiful Electra 225! Fully loaded with factory air, power windows, Wonderbar radio, rear seat speaker, power antenna, etc. Thanks for sharing!

[@2201Duluth]

You are right, they are works of art. I'm so glad i grew up in the 50's and 60's where style was everything. You can't them apart these days

[@charles1964]

Both those Flat Tops just scream Americana...My old man had a white '60 225 with the "Vista-Roof" that I was in love with. I was amazed with the little magnifying glass for the gear selector, the "Mirror-Matic" speedo, and all the creases on the body evoked something inside of 7 year old me. When I was older I asked him about it, and he was surprised that I even remembered it "Yes it was beautiful and it rode like a dream, but that nailhead was a gas guzzler" So when the ball joints went he sold it and bought a black '64 Mercury Marauder...

[@davidnikulka1437]

Love the windshield with no blind spot pillar's .

[@glennso47]

Totally unlike the Buick of today.

[@petergniech4631]

This is when cars had class .not the cooky cutting plastic junk being sold today. Totally Awesome cars.

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I've always said that I was born 40-50 years too late. I was born in 78. I missed all the good vehicles. I would love to visit the NPD collection.

[@mikeweaver8790]

Those are two beautiful cars. I really loved all the Buick years from about 1952 to 1963. As kids, we used to call them "Hoovers" because with those never shifting "Dynaflow" turbine transmissions, they sounded like Hoover vacuum cleaners when they were accelerating. They were fabulous cars to look at in my opinion, especially 1953-1960. I also greatly liked the 1954-57 Oldsmobiles and the 1959 and 60 models. The 50's were great years for car lovers.

[@robertphillips6296]

Thank you for showing us a couple of beauties.

[@bry4950]

The 1959 and 1960 GM 4 dr htps were my all time favorite cars. The 1959 Electra 225 4 dr htp is my all time favorite car.

[@jeffwilson8702]

Dennis - - thank you for giving 4-doors their due. I'm a 4-door fan and I'm appalled at how many 4-door classic cars were sent to the wrecker because they weren't popular with the collectors.

[@Never-mind1960]

Perhaps at least one of every car made should be saved for history. Although, I wouldn't feel too bad if there were no more Ford Granada's. ;-)

[@1969CampEvans]

Or a GREMLIN😎😎😎😎😎

[@paulnadratowski3942]

Jeff Wilson i agree with you 100%!

[@steveespinola7652]

Or one of those big station wagons from the 80's, I loved those.

[@artjones2498]

@@Never-mind1960 buba comon now ive hah many granada"s even restored 2 back in the day.....they wernt the worst car on the road....lol

[@guardguy1963]

Just found this. I had a 1960 Super 88 nearly identical to this one. Mine had a painted white flat top with every bell and whistle, power windows, 6 way power bench seat, safety sentinel speedo, wonder-bar radio Gosh I miss that car!

[@stevenelson160]

The Buick is a car that will never be reproduced, beautiful.

[@shedjammer87]

When the camera panned around the collection, that Toronado sure does stand out!

[@jeffreymccommon2998]

Giant hunks of splendid car.

[@MrModelworx]

2 beautiful cars, great show Dennis really enjoyed it.

[@cuzz45]

I had two of these in my teens and early 20s. A 1960 4 door Dynamic 88 and a 2 door 1960 Super 88. Both had the 394cu engine. Loved them both! Best cars I have ever owned! Wish I still had them.

[@johnkarl8373]

The Buick Electra 225 4 door sedan is like one of my most favorite classic sedans, thanks so much for this video. Buick cars even back then were luxury, big, and spacious, classic Buick cars are one of the best!!

[@mikkilawrence7520]

Beautiful cars! We restored a 1960 OLDS dynamic 88 4 door FLATTOP 5 years ago and take it to all the local car shows. People will walk right past that '57 Chevy parked next to it to look at something REALLY beautiful and unusual! We have seen NONE like it at any show we have gone to. All 5 divisions of GM made the flattop in 59 and 60. Find one and restore it!

[@radioguy1620]

Those windshields have to be Detroits biggest and hardest to produce. My Dad's 59 Merc had almost the same .

[@michaeltipton5500]

When I was growing up we had a 60 olds 88. That car seemed like a boat but boy was it fast. We always loved that speedometer than changed color.

[@gojoe2833]

With these cars you didn't need "infotainment " systems...the interiors themselves were entertainment!!

[@DSGNflorian]

As owner of a couple of GM flat tops, one of which has been used as a fair-weather daily driver for over 15 years, I can attest to the "there's nothing like it" feeling when you sit inside one of these. With all four windows down on a pleasant day, the driving impression is just so wonderfully futuristic, breezy and gratifying that it quickly becomes addictive. It is SO disappointing having to be in a claustrophobic contemporary vehicle after experiencing the "utterly bearable lightness of being" in one of these. You quickly get used to the perfect visibility that makes judging traffic and parking a snap, and enjoy the gentle rush of air that keeps you comfortably cool on hot days but never creates unpleasant drafts. The world around you whooshes by like some Technicolor movie on a Cinemascope widescreen. While the 2-door coupe body styles generally get all the collector love (and why not, most coupes are gorgeous), these classic 4-door hardtops looked as sleek, elegant and attractive as their 2-door stablemates and I find them a lot more interesting to boot.

[@MyClassicCarTV]

Well stated!

[@8000Christopher]

Thanks Dennis for you videos. I'm 73 and remember all these cars, as a young fellow I used to go to the dealer's show rooms and look at them and learn all the engine stats. A great period for the American auto industry.

[@MyClassicCarTV]

Truly!

[@paulnadratowski3942]

When I was a kid, that Buick Elektra grill scared the crap out of me.

[@zephead843]

The '59 was real scary looking.

[@glennso47]

zep head So were most 1959 cars except the Fords and AMCs. I will except the Edsel. They were scary.

[@swabby429]

The 1960 Buick was softened considerably from the 1959...which is my favorite.

[@emjayay]

Yes. Both have their aesthetic virtues. The 1959 is the original.

[@mikerafone4736]

the 60 was longer than 59

[@buckyflywoodie3905]

Yes I love the 1959 better myself. my mom had a 1959 4 door hardtop Electra 225 bronze-colored, when I was in high school and I drove the dogshit out of it, she drove it from Des Moines to Omaha through Omaha traffic with no brakes in 1970.

[@timerewind]

Two gorgeous vehicles from the era when auto manufacturing was a true art form.

[@frankcasatelli4078]

The 60 Buick is one of the all time beautiful cars ever made. The 59 came close.

[@789pokey]

Frank, they had a smaller interior and sales were not good. My Dad had a '56, we went to a dealer in '59 because of the different styling, my Dad got in and found he couldn't wear his hat inside. He didn't buy his next Buick till "65.

[@kdm71291]

Those are two gorgeous cars!

[@josephsolis3018]

GREATEST CARS! Nowadays you cannot tell a Hyundai from a Mercedes from a Chevrolet!

[@Porsche996driver]

That’s even more true 5 years later lol.

[@jpjp6233]

I have pleasure of owning a 1960 Buick Invicta, and as a family we are all enjoy it very much. Sure is a head turner.

[@erichite4871]

Anyone else planning to binge MCC during this whole COVID quarantine?

[@MyClassicCarTV]

Sounds like a great idea!!

[@zephead843]

Dennis-I'd like you to do an episode on NPD's entire collection. Just you and Rick in the warehouse. BTW, in the museum of mustaches, yours is the Mona Lisa.

[@KMGWorryFree]

I am happy to say I just purchased a 1960 Oldsmobile Super 88 and absolutely love it. Same color as this one! But a four door. The only differences I see are the rear windshield is not the “wrap around “ style that yours is. And there is body frame between the front and rear side windows. I love that Buick Electra as well!

[@dadsc10]

just love 59 and 60 GM vehicles , thanks for this video

[@glennso47]

thomas ankner Starting in 61 the fins disappeared from every car except Cadillac.

[@paralyzes]

I have a 1964 Electra with the 401 & 400 Hydromatic. The Nailhead has phenomenal torque, is whisper quiet and velvety smooth. I had a 1962 with the Twin Turbine and really liked it, but the 401 mated to the 400 Hydromatic added a lot of performance; the 64 will totally smolder the tires!

[@markl7380]

2 Great cars Dennis, I just love those classic cruisers.

[@nonelost1]

What a treat Dennis! A twofer! Especially that 16k original mile Olds. I always loved those 1959-60 GM 4 door flattops. IMO, four doors are underrated. In 1984, I briefly owned a 1960 Cadillac 4 door flattop. My sister and I called it "The Great White Shark". It did not look bad, but it ran poorly. A lot of people might have junked it. But I kept lowering the price of it in Auto Trader magazine until a collector finally bought it. Keep them Ancientmobile vids a comin'!

[@ustinman8446]

My aunt had 60 OLDs drop top, same color. My Dad had a 60 olds bubble top 98 in maroon. Whole lot of memories here. Thanks

[@artjones2498]

boy about 1/2mi. down the road from me a 59 baby blue flat roof olds 4dr sdn..is sitting at a shop...right across the road is a guy that has some mid 60s conv. ponchos along with some very nice mopars.....i make sure i pass that way every day on my way to work..😍😍😍

[@larryhernandez752]

I also like the 88, the color scheme is incredible!

[@thetreblerebel]

That Electra is really cool

[@earthorbiter5290]

The Pontiac Bonneville was another outstanding car in that era and would fly.

[@Porsche996driver]

I remember seeing these as a kid still on the road beaters in the early ‘70s. That Pontiac in the Olds light blue was in Fast Times ha.

[@citibear57]

Awesome cars from the days when it was all about design. The flat top roof was very cool. Just don't roll your car! 😁. I was just 3 years old when the 1960's models came out, but I remember one of the doctors in town had a '59 or '60 Cadillac DeVille with the flat top roof. As a kid I thought it was ugly. There was nothing better than having a 2 or 4 door hardtop, driving it in summer with all of the windows down. I am so disappointed with many of today's vehicles having gun slit windows, and then the owners put heavy tinting on them sdo no one can see you. If you want privacy then stay home 😄. Sorry to make this a longish reply, but I loved the old days when the new cars always had some minor tweeks from year to year. I could recognize a car from a block away and also tell you the model year. Sadly, that is not something you can do today. Thank you for your awesome videos. Keep 'em coming (but stay safe!).

[@markbehr88]

Great cars. I like the look of the Olds best but they are both lovely cars.

[@earthorbiter5290]

My 1st car, a 1960 Oldsmobile Super 88. It cost me $12.50. 3 speed on the column. I loved it.

[@gfoursux9]

Arguably the best looking cars ever built were GM Full-Size from 1959 & 1960. And I'm a Ford guy. Wish I could find 1:18 Die-Casts from 1960.

[@Daveinet]

And 61 delta 98. I liked the tail end better n the 61 98 than these. The curved styling of the pillars that hold the top just made the car. The rear speaker in the back seat was way cool too.

[@jamessimonds7362]

I prefer the Buick. I have,a,soft spot, because I owned a 60 Buick

[@Scpa10]

I'm glad tto see 4-door old cars and I have a 4 door chevelle not just convortible or choped cars.

[@johnoflaherty2598]

Mr. Ed-- I think what you're also seeing is the hobby mature in general. There was a time when people would scoff at older 4-doors, and say "that's too many doors". Today, as older cars in general get more rare, and one is lucky to find what they want in decent condition, 2 or 4 doors, they're grabbing them regardless. Plus, as the rising price of the classic coupes are pricing out a lot of the younger collectors, the sedans are filling the demand, with a lower asking price. A win-win as fewer 4-doors are being crushed today, and actually wanted by those who appreciate all classics.

[@Scpa10]

Thanks Mr.B3burner I bought my chevelle 20 years ago for 1200 in running coundtion little rust. My dad was a smart man and told me to buy who won't ever find one like that again and he was right. My car only half way restore try to finish restoring but exspinceive. Just body of cars going for 3000 or more. Good to talk to you

[@JamesVaughan]

The Buick was the more beautifully and tastefully styled car in my opinion. The Oldsmobile 88 was not really comparable, it had a plainer interior and was priced considerably lower than the top-of-the-line Buick Electra 225. The Oldsmobile 98, however, was on a par with the Buick Electra 225 and offered similar luxury features but wasn't as superbly styled as the Buick. Were I buying a luxury car back in 1960 I think I would have chosen the Buick Electra 225 over Cadillac, Lincoln Continental, or the Oldsmobile 98.

[@LouisSantos-vu4kr]

My dad had a 59 super 88 flattop baby blue,when I was 8 years old,my uncle had the same car in white only his was a 60 ,god what memories wish I had one today.

[@woody6750]

I just bought a 1962 Buick Electra 225 4 door to restore with my wife it is a really a clean car for its age. I would take a 4 door anytime

[@jeroenjansen2709]

Beautiful cars. I like the interior and dashboard and the square low slung look. Probably will go for the Olds. The 4 door sedans makes more sense than the 2 door land yachts.

[@wpcampbell491]

Dennis, you're the luckiest automobile enthusiast I've ever seen. If you don't own it, you always find someone who does and will let you take it for a spin! Please find a 1969 Buick Skylark or GS 400 Convertible? If you drive one of those, and it's white over light Buick blue, (mini metal flake/metallic), I'll get to see you drive my personal dream car! I've wanted one since I got my license at 21, in 1985. I came close, having bought a '69 Buick Skylark Custom (Hardtop), with a 350 ci engine, and matching 350 turbo transmission. It had Buicks Olive Green metallic paint under a black vinyl top, which led me to spray paint her olive drab body with a few cans of satin black primer paint from the hardware store! I bought that first car in 85, for $200 dollars! We could never find a fender for that little these days! Keep up the good work, love your channel!

[@geoben1810]

Yeah, the 2drs were the bomb. I remember these in both models. They (2dr) were gorgeous! 😍💕

[@rizzlerazzleuno4733]

From 1957 through the last of the hardtops (2 or 4 door) GM, Ford, Chrysler stylists had fun with the roof designs, the A and C pillars, the windshield and rear window. A few designs only lasted one year. 4-door hardtops could look just as good as 2-door models, and were sure a lot easier to get in-out of the back seat. Unfortunately hardtop windows were not as well sealed as sedans and with age or just poor fitment they could leak water and made whistling noises at freeway speed, but they sure looked cool when the windows were down.

[@jime386]

when I was a kid, the Buick looked angry

[@joehammond2586]

'60 was a very special year for B-O-P.

[@Dukemeistro]

Beautiful color

[@carldavis6902]

We had a 1962 Super88 when we first married in 1981

[@tomfrazier1103]

These cars had a high survival rate among retired folks in temperate climates. I was a supermarket bagger in the 1980s and a car nut too. Thought I'd be given a '69 Bonneville original harvest gold, but her son wanted it. There were a very few 61s with the flat roof. They were 2 door hardtop. The blade roof was on the 61-6 trucks too. Buicks got all new series names for '59. The old names started to filter back starting in the '70s.

[@geraldsobel3470]

Inside was a portable transistor radio, it came out of the glove compartment and you could take it to the beach or more accurately, the shore. Olds, Pontiac, and Buicks were all made on the same assembly line, in the BOP plant in N.J.

[@ronbrock6153]

Very cool that the 88 has kilometers marked on the speedo.

[@glennso47]

One of my uncles had a 59 Buick Electra like this one.

[@jeffreydooley3745]

I know envy is a sin BUT I am extremely envious right now.

[@SpockvsMcCoy]

In addition to the Electra 225 there was a plainer Electra that had the same wheelbase but shorter 4.7 inch rear quarter panels. The Electra 225 Convertible had the same length as the shorter model. Production of this flat top model was 4,841. The cheaper Electra models did not have the distinctive ribbed lower body trim. Also all 1960 Buicks used 15 inch wheels while all 1960 Oldsmobiles used smaller 14 inch wheels. GM management encouraged inter division rivalry thus different engines and transmissions among each make. The 1960 Electra 225 Riviera Sedan was a 6-window rather than a 4-window design like this example. At the time the 6-window design was more popular because it looked more formal and the same roofline was available on a Cadillac. The 1960 Super 88 flat top sedan had production of 33,285 and shared its engine with the Ninety-Eight. The Ninety-Eight did not offer an extended rear deck model like Buick. By 1960 sales of both Buick and Oldsmobile were way down from the mid-1950s. More customers wanted smaller sedan and coupes, often as a second family car.

[@Mercmad]

I did a partial resto on a 225 some years ago. Mostly original the car had been parked since 1969. But damp storage meant it was rusty underneath .The biggest issue the fact that the flat top Buick was a low prouction number,around 3500 I think.( I stand corrected if wrong) and finding clips for the trims was impossible because the Electra had it's own clips,none of the other makes or models come close . And Torque!! they can really get it on if you want to.

[@tertessa]

beautiful cars...

[@glennso47]

tertessa I never cared for the 59 Chevy. The taillights look like eyeballs. The 60 was a bit better because the tail fins weren’t as pronounced. 61 was even better because they got rid of the “dog legs “ on the front doors and the fins were gone.

[@glennso47]

Somewhere on KZbin there’s a comparison of the crash worthiness of a 59 Chevy and a 2016 Chevy. The 59 Chevy was a death trap compared to the 2016 model. So much for “style “ 🤭

[@lesizmor9079]

My dad bought the '64 version of this Olds, same 394 quad carb engine. It was my high school date car! Until I was stoopid and wrecked it.

[@fehlrock]

If ya didnt know, the headlights are styled after the engines on a B-52

[@lewissantos4901]

loved the video my dad had a 59 super 88 baby blue, my un cle had the 60 super88 in white they drove great,very smooth you could turn the steering wheel with one finger god i miss driving and riding in one

[@randallfrank5682]

Four door hard tops like these two are just great looking. I have always heard them called "glass houses."

[@discerningmind]

The 1950's opened up a design of windows into the world. Windows started appearing in everything, oven doors, clothes washers, picture windows, drive-thru windows, glass walls and doors. And this concept made it's way into cars as well.

[@p47thunderbolt68]

@@discerningmind I think every model or most every model back then and for many years had a 2 door hardtop, 2 door sedan . 4 door hardtop , 4 door sedan and a station wagon . Sometimes there was a 2 door wagon . Days are gone .

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

I LOVE THE 394 ENGINES.

[@beenbeatenbybishops5845]

The Dynaflows always felt a little sluggish to me, almost like there was a ton of lead in the trunk. Imagine the Buick with a dual coupling hydramatic. with the extra torque produced by the Buick engine, it would have been a factory hot rod.

[@Thierry787]

They are very two amazing cars, but for me, i prefere the Buick electra !

[@willjones7132]

The exteriors are cool, but those interiors are awesome, it's cool to see them intact clean, and with clear non-yellow plastic. Funny how the high end cars of today have gone back to these complex interiors.

[@doggjns4411]

Man they need to bring these same cars back with the same body with a futuristic inside 👍🏾and I’m for real too

[@henrybourdon6712]

I had a Canadian 60 lesabre with a 364 , no 401 available for that model, 3 speed on the fly 2 door sport roof style for a few years in Quebec city that was unique because it was the only one in the city and i miss driving it . Miss starting it by turning the key on and pushing the gas pedal to the floor for the new first timers to see how it is done. Trunk space was limited if you could call it that but the bat wing design made you put everything to the back or the lid hit it. short people use that rear bumper for a ladder, still if you took apart a Honda and packed it like a moving van, you could still see out the back window with a bungee cord or two. Torque tube drive line was different. Just remember back then G.M. parts at times interchanged . I needed a drive line part that was no longer available but tri -5 drive line part are so by cutting a key way i found my non available part very easy. Hope it is still alive and being enjoyed.

[@garywood9525]

Dennis did a feature for the 4 door hardtop wagons that also had really narrow pillars for that panoramic view.

[@chakrazoo]

didnt catch it was missing mirrors till you said something Dennis. :P

[@emjayay]

I can't think of any 1950's - 60's American cars I've driven that didn't have a driver's side door mirror, even the most basic models. The convex right side mirror, which is hard to imagine doing without today, wasn't even thought of. A regular flat mirror over there would be an option, but not all that useful with its narrow view.

[@JamesBond-pb2qy]

love the 4 door and wagons . we make wagons out of sedans

[@glennso47]

James Bond 007 If you find a low enough overpass you can make a convertible out of a sedan. 🥴😁

[@tombrown1898]

If you're still doing these segments, there was a 48-50 "bathtub" Packard shown in the background when you did the 1960 Bonneville episode with Jim. I'd love to see that old Packard featured

[@gene978]

Lets take this ROCKET for a BLAST! Famous Words from Your Truly Dennis Gage! I would try everything in my powers to be friends with Rick Schmidt and his Dad. Truly I would think I had died and gone to Car up to Car Heaven. I know I watched this before but it is So Awesome a Second Or maybe 3rd viewing is very necessary especially during this CoronaVirus Lock Down. God Bless you for being a Out Standing CareGiver to these automobiles.

[@robertsnyder5149]

The 60 Olds was the prettiest ever made.

[@paulnadratowski3942]

GM’s of that era were amazing

[@cycle47hall20]

The 1960 Cadillac and Buick shared doors and front windshield to share /cut costs. Very expensive electric doors.

[@raymondkunkel9615]

I have a 60 Buick. Lesabre 2 door ht love it

[@MyClassicCarTV]

Beautiful car!

[@johnmiller9024]

The four speed Hydramatic versus the two speed Twin Turbine Dynaflow

[@PhilRacicot]

The Twin Turbine Dynaflow didn't shift automatically between the low and high range, if you wanted a quicker acceleration, you had to use the low range. The complex 5 element torque converter took care of the torque multiplication, not the gear shifts. The Hydra Matic of the time, while having 4 speed changes didn't even have a torque converter. It had fluid couplings. The later Turbo Hydramatic 400 and Super Turbine 400 transmissions combined a simpler 3 element torque converter and 3 speeds and was also more reliable than the early Hydramatics and Turbine drive transmissions. The 1965-67 400 transmissions installed in Oldsmobiles, Buicks and Cadillacs also had the variable pitch torque converter like the previous Buick Twin Turbine Dynaflow transmissions.

[@andrewcolsen]

The Hydromatics during this time were 3 speeds. Four speed Hydromatics didn’t come out until the early 80s.

[@cdstoc]

@@andrewcolsen , you're thinking of the Turbo Hydramatic 4-speeds. The original Hydramatic (no "turbo") was a four-speed with fluid couplings, and originally came out in 1939, first on Oldsmobile then on Cadillac. They were used on several tanks in WWII.

[@789pokey]

@@PhilRacicot, the problem with the Dynaflow was if you ("power shifted", kept the throttle to floor from Low to High) pretty soon the transmission convertor wouldn't "kick down".

[@blacquesjacques7239]

My Brother had a stock 60 Impala 4 door with the flat top and the 348 cid engine . The original bias ply tires were still on it when he bought it .

[@sacooper802]

I bet that was Ricks kids waving toward end of video, Rick is such a great guy, we have exchanged several emails, good down to earth guy.

[@califdad4]

I love those flattops , especially on the Cadillac but this Buick isn't bad. I actually like this Buick but never was a fan of the 60 Olds. I believe that Buick transmission was still called the Dynaflow. interesting to see 2 1960s which were kind of left over 50s cars, the 61 on both Buick and Olds had a great new look, a bit trimmer and styled nicer

[@johnoflaherty2598]

How old are these episodes? (I mean the TV show, not the date the KZbin channel owner uploaded this). I haven't seen Dennis Gage in years, and the last time I've seen "My Classic Car" on regular TV was probably around 2000. Is he still doing this? If so... good for him. I always dug that guy and thought he's done a great thing for vintage cars and the hobby in general.

[@MyClassicCarTV]

We're still going strong and now in production for our 22nd season! We're currently posting new episodes every Wednesday on our KZbin Channel. Check out our TV airtimes here - www.myclassiccar.com/episode/airtimes.php

[@MinutemanOutdoors]

Noop noop I'm in your pocket

[@glennso47]

The cars had the hood release under the grill instead of having a remote hood release inside the car. Really good opportunity for thieves to steal your battery. I had a 1970 Chevy where thieves stole the battery with no problem.

[@richardnapper2074]

Beautiful cars. When cars were cars and not beer cans.

[@arnoldberk7686]

We didn’t appreciate what we had. Just picture a car show in twenty five years from now. There are three guys walking around and suddenly one says o.m.g. There’s the same car mom had what’s the last time you saw A CAMRY AND ITS A SILVER ONE. . The next guy becomes as excited as he sees his family’s long departed Hyundai Santa Fe this is the rare all wheel drive model and better yet its a scarce champagne beige. Finally the third guy gets excited because he saw his fathers Bel Air bubble top 409 and the other guys say what’s a Bel Air 409 what’s a bubble top ?

[@enriquenietojr5452]

Hello; What state are you in and can I see what you have for sale.Thanks

[@automatedelectronics6062]

Yep. That's the problem with Buicks. The DynaFlow non-shifting automatic transmission. Ofcourse you can shift it into "Low" for a quicker take-off or for engine braking. They had to have large engines to keep up with their contemporaries for acceleration. Buick didn't have a "real" automatic transmission until 1964 when the came out with the ST-300(2-speed) and the ST-400(3-speed). The ST-300 shared internals with the Powerglide and the ST-400 grew up to be the well-known TH400. With their first shifting automatics, Buick carried over a similar torque converter as the DynaFlows with the variable-pitch stator. This provided a seamless kick for acceleration off the line. The Oldsmobile used the Jetaway 4-speed Hydra-Matic, shared with Cadillac and Pontiac. A couple of years later, Oldsmobile came up a pair of Roto-HydraMatics, which were 3-speeds. With twin internal fluid couplings, it multiplied torque at take-off. An exclusive feature, both fluid couplings dumped their fluid during the shift into 2nd gear, ending with a bump as the internal gearing went into a lock-up mode. Without the cushion of a fluid coupling, it shifted into 3rd gear with a bang. Olds shared these transmissions again with Pontiac, but Cadillac was smart enough to stick with the Jetaway Hydra-Matic until into the 1964 model year when it was replaced with the ST-400.

[@TomSpeaks-vw1zp]

I never understood what took Pontiac so long to come out with the V8. They had the Hydra-matic and could have been more competitive. Chevy wasn’t even in the ballpark with their power-glide and inline 6

[@larryhernandez752]

I'll take the Electra 225

[@TruckTaxiMoveIt]

Nice

[@TooLooze]

They rounded off all the creases of the 1959 Buick for the`60.