Time to downsize? Oh, the horror! Yet that’s the situation Detroit found itself in in the 1970s. Such a change was beyond the paradigm of both automakers and consumers but, when the dust settled, we had better cars that lost nothing in the process. Our Pick of the Day, a 1979 Buick Electra Limited Coupe, is one of the benefactors to this crash diet. It is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Hopedale, Massachusetts.
General Motors’ downsized full-size models debuted for the 1977 model year. For Buick’s flagship sedan, the Electra lost over 11 inches in length and over 800 pounds in weight—this was way before “The Biggest Loser” was even a thing. What we were left with was a large sedan that maintained or even exceeded interior dimensions compared to its behemoth-sized predecessor, which originated from 1971. For a car with a 118.9-inch wheelbase, you still scored a trunk with a robust 20.4 cubic-feet. Don’t worry, folks, everything’s gonna be alright—it’s still rear-wheel-drive, right?
For 1978, the most noticeable change was the wrap-around taillights. For 1979, the front end was slightly squared off, with the wrap-around parking/side-marker lights now two separate units—casual observers may not have noticed this change.
The base Electra was the 225, with Limited and Park Avenue being ascending trim levels. The Limited featured wide rocker appearance moldings and a fancier interior with 55/45 notchback seats in Custom cloth or vinyl. Drivers had a two-way power seat, and all passengers could use the dome reading light to identify their location on the AAA TripTik. Deluxe wheel covers were standard (shared with the Electra 225), but three other designs were available, as well as Buick’s famous chrome-plated wheel. If you really wanted, you had a choice of four CB radios along with several others sans CB. Coupes could be equipped with a “heavily padded” Landau top for the rear portion of the roof.
Thanks to its new physique, Buick didn’t need a 455 to push the pounds. Standard was Buick’s 350ci V8, with Oldsmobile’s 403 V8 as an option.
Buick continued to build better automobiles, and the Electra was not an exception—121,631 were built in 1979. Of those, 34,236 were coupes. This 1979 Buick Electra Limited Coupe may have been built in good numbers, but you don’t see many of them anymore, especially in this condition. Sold new at Len Immke Buick in Colombus, this vehicle has been in the hands of one family since new and shows only 25,000 miles on the odometer. “Always garaged, never driven in foul weather. Always pampered,” says the seller. It features the 350 V8 backed by (naturally) a three-speed automatic, with other features being air conditioning, power steering and front disc brakes, power windows and door locks, tilt wheel, cruise control, rear defogger, remote driver’s mirror, AM/FM radio, fiber-optic lamp monitor, tinted glass, door edge guards, bumper guards, wire wheel covers, and more. Even the quartz clock still works!
“100% original silver paint that looks amazing,” adds the seller. “All chrome, glass, trim, and grille are outstanding.” With a red velour interior “that looks amazing,” this is my kind of Malaise. Is it yours? It will take $20,000 to bring this home to your climate-controlled garage.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
