The Buick product line for 1961 was thoroughly updated, largely due to the influence of newly installed design chief Bill Mitchell, rendering the outgoing 1960 Delta Wing models and their dogleg windshields decidedly passé. Built for just a single model year, the lineup’s distinctive and aggressively pointed front fenders, minimized trim, finless and flat rear decks, and altogether modern interiors – many featuring metallic hues – made 1961 Buicks a thoroughly modernized lot. The full-size cars were powered by Buick’s own Wildcat 445 nailhead V-8 coupled with the ultra-smooth Dynaflow transmission. The Electra 225 model topped the lineup and its most glamorous body style was, of course, the convertible.

Buick production for 1961 totaled nearly 280,000 cars, of which just 7,158 were Electra 225 Convertibles. The example presented here is elegantly finished in Arctic White with a neatly trimmed blue folding top and attached boot. The vinyl and leather interior finished in metallic blue features front bucket seats with a convenient center console. The adjustable Mirromagic instrument panel was a Buick hallmark and the space-age clock, designed by modernist genius George Nelson, aptly finishes the updated lines of the dashboard. The engine bay is particularly tidy, even retaining the period-correct glass refill bottle for washer fluid. Additionally, the trunk is properly trimmed, housing the jack kit and spare tire. Offered from a prominent private collection of significant postwar automobiles, this sophisticated, rare, and top-of-the-line 1961 Buick is a shining example of GM’s style-leading division based in Flint, Michigan.