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1975 Buick Electra Park Avenue: Bring Back Luxury Sedans!
As I type this, I bemoan the sad state of luxury sedan availability in America. What choices? Not many. Lincoln has not offered a sedan since 2020, effectively eliminating the brand from your author’s future consideration. Ditto Buick. Ditto Chrysler. Were I to trade in my Lincoln MKZ, new sedan options would be limited primarily to German sedans, Lexus, Volvo, and Cadillac. A shame, for the Big Three once offered substantial luxury in real colors with real style! Like today’s subject.
Buick has made some fine sedans over the decades, but perhaps their most luxurious model was the 1975-1976 Electra Park Avenue. For those of you just joining us, the Park Avenue name was originally a super luxurious package first available on the ’75 Electra Limited—and only on the four-door hardtop.
In 1975, there were four distinct Electra models: the entry-level 225 and the upper-crust Limited, both available as either a two-door or four-door hardtop. Though technically the coupe was no longer a true hardtop, as all ’75 coupes now had a fixed rear quarter window. The designation remained in dealer brochures, however.
Limited coupes started at $6352 (about $35,100 today), while the four-door sedan had an MSRP of $6516 (about $36K). Buick produced 17,650 Limited coupes and 33,778 Limited sedans for the model year—the latter figure includes Park Avenues as well. The model’s wheelbase was a majestic 127 inches; overall length, 233.4 inches.
The Park Avenue was essentially a Buick version of the Cadillac Fleetwood Talisman, with lush velour seating and a center console—unusual in full-sized American cars in 1975. This was the era of the bench seat unless you bought a Mustang, Grand Prix, Camaro, or Trans Am.
As the brochure described, “The 1975 Electra Park Avenue you see on the right is the most elegant Electra of all. The headlamps are rectangular. The roof is covered with special vinyl in a halo motif. Inside, shag carpeting and soft velour reside.
“The seats are upholstered with velour; likewise, the mammoth executive center console. Even the ceiling is lined with velour.”
The Park Avenue option group ran an extra $495 over the already fancy-schmancy Electra Limited four-door hardtop. In researching for this article, I also found a reference to a “Park Avenue Deluxe” group.
All definitely had the special interior, however, along with the “Park Avenue” scripts in the C-pillar opera windows. There must have been some serious extras with the “Deluxe” Park Avenue package, as it ran $1,675 extra—over a grand more than the regular version!
After a bit of searching, I did find a reference in the AACA online forum about the Deluxe version: It seems that extras over the standard Park Avenue package included a tilt/telescoping steering column, AM/FM stereo, automatic climate control and a power antenna among other things—though I have no way of verifying this as my ’75 Buick brochure didn’t mention the details.
But any way you slice it, this was an extremely comfortable and lush car, with a 455-cubic inch V-8 and GM’s famed Turbo Hydra-matic automatic transmission backing up the car’s elegant presence. How I wish Buick made something with even ten percent of the swank and swagger this car has!
Speaking of which, our featured car, resplendent in Ruby Red with white top and black interior, was at the BCA National meet in Lisle, IL back in June of 2022. I attended with my friend Jayson Coombes, who flew up from Texas to attend both this and the Cadillac LaSalle Club national meet, which was held the same day only a few miles away in Lombard.
This Park Avenue was the first car we walked past as we entered the show field. I was immediately infatuated and took many pictures. But not as many as I probably should have, as so many other fantastic Buicks were calling my name! But this one was a favorite, and I’m happy to finally share its Nimitz-Class, unapologetic American luxury here.
There is a reasons there are none.
Regulations on mpg and the fact people moved on.
If they sold they would make them.
Maybe. It’s kind of chicken-or-egg: are there none at the dealers because nobody will buy them, or is it nobody buys them because there are none at the dealers?
Kind of like a manual transmission.
You’re probably right, though. My wife absolutely loved her 2012 Charger R/T, but when it got totaled in 2022 she insisted on a crossover.
Oh well-happy wife, happy life.
Not even close.
We have had cars like the 300, the Lacrosse, a number of luxury, Cadillac and Lincoln models and they all lived short life’s and were sold at steep discounts.
My in-laws got a new 300 at fire sale price.
The fact is there were eggs and chickens but people were saying where’s the beef.
My wife is in a SUV and she loves it as it has room and the ability to do all she wants.
Buy a piece of furniture no mor going home to get my truck.
It rides great and handles like out SSE Bonneville.
They’d sell. But it’s all about the profit margin. Sedans have been discontinued altogether not because they wouldn’t be profitable, but because crossovers and suvs are MORE profitable.
Love it! Wanted Dad to trade in the black ’70 225 for one of these beauties-decked out just like this-so he could keep up with Uncle Russ and his brand new 98 in burgundy with white top. He of course had matching leisure suit with white belt and shoes. Dad couldn’t keep up! Turns out La Crosse wasn’t much different than the Quad Cities. Keep up the Broughamage Thomas!!!!
My uncle drove big Buicks instead of the nearly identical Caddies in case a customer would see it and figure he had enough business already and didn’t need more. They cast quite a shadow.
My dad also was a deadbeat, and I don’t really miss him. The writer of this article smells like cheese.
My Dad drove Caddies in this era. But my best friend dad drove what we referred to as deuce and a quarter’s, and as I remember he also drove Park Avenue’s.
But that 225 was always my favorite! To me it’s presence was more than Cadillacs but that was purely my choice . As I remember in sales it was Cadillac,Park Avenue and then the Deuce. But I loved it then and I love it more today! What a era.
The grand days of beautiful and luxurious cars are long gone, sadly. Look at the pricing on this car, inflation-adjusted to today. What does that buy you today? An Accord or Camry?
A neighbor had a 1976 Limited coupe, cherry red metallic with a white top and red interior. It was gorgeous. My heart told me I liked it, but my teenage automotive-sophisticate brain had been fogged by the drumbeat of “superior” Teutonic engineering.
Things are different now. I have no fond memories of the German cars (except maybe the VWs my family owned), but domestic land yachts turn my head every time.
Same experience here-a young automotive enthusiast totally brainwashed by the pro German media. The resulting VW and BMW ownership offered plenty of roadside breakdown experiences. A friend’s father picked us up more than once in a Olds 98 Regency and I had the forbidden thought.. “this is such a nice comfortable car.”
A beautiful automobile! Those were the days, always loved the 1975’s….
I had a friend that had a 1975 Buick Limited Custom,not the Electra how you could tell the difference was the Limited Custom had a smaller back vent glass and the Electra had the big quarter glass it was Carolina Blue with a 455 in it two door…
I think the author wishes for a modern era equivalent to this land yacht. These were beautiful cars, but from another era. I think he’s unhappy there are no more domestic luxury sedans. I agree with him.
The author is well known on Curbside Classic to favor these large luxury cars from back in the days and has written many an article.
Your title talks about luxury sedans but you’re showing photos of a big Buick hardtop. A sedan has a sold post between the front and rear side windows. A hardtop has no post. When the side windows of a hardtop are down there is no visible post between the front and rear doors.
The body style was, in fact, known as a “hardtop sedan” in many brochures of the era – many of which I still have. So, the author’s reference is not incorrect.
A true General Motors classic !! Some years ago a man once said ” To appreciate a Buick , you must drive one !” The first Buick I ever drove , was a ’72 Electra 4-door hdtp. Nice !
Some years ago , an older man told me that , ” To appreciate a Buick , you must drive one .” Buick has over the years built some of the finest automobiles in the world .
But still there is this nagging feeling about Buick that many still hold. What is it you ask? That the brand is an old man’s/ladies vehicle. Maybe at one time, but the brand has tried everything it can to change that mindset that some continue to have. What’s really bizarre, and goes with that backwards mindset about Buick is that as I was crossing the street one day this huge brown vehicle stopped for the light. Within it there were two front seat passengers, the driver obviously and his lady passenger. Dig this: they were silver haired, blue rinsed hair on the woman and the gent, silver haired also, seemed to wearing an outfit that the dad in Leave it to Beaver wore in that series. Ward Cleaver’s long lost brother. It was like walking through a time tunnel moment as I quickly scanned them. It was still a 1962 vibe they gave off. This is no criticism, just an observation. Wow! That was freaky. God bless the both of them! The 225 was a sort of brown. Couldn’t really tell from its corroded like exterior. Peace! 🙏🏹♐
Hard to leave out the 59 chevies!
Huh…?
This was my wife’s (then girlfriend’s) car in college, given to her by her grandfather to use away at school after he’d purchased a new Volvo. It was brown, white vinyl roof, brown “bordello” velour interior. Her family called it the “Queen Mary,” and for good reason. Its handling could best be described as “dutch roll.” You about got sea sick driving it. Her granddad, RIP, offered it to us for free when we subsequently got married after graduating but we politely said “no thanks.” I went and bought a new T-bird Turbo Coupe instead which was much more my style (and didn’t about make me sea sick).