Retrieved from conceptcarz.com
The 1960 Buick will give you just the right reasons to become a vintage car lover.
This is an accessible luxury vehicle that exudes flair and sophistication.
Buick’s substantial revisions to its 1959 model portfolio did not result in the sales success that the company had hoped for. The new bodywork, now longer and lower, and chassis innovations, on the other hand, were greeted with enthusiasm by the press. Buick, not willing to rest on its laurels, followed up on all that acclaim with a slew of upgrades for the next model year. Throughout it all, the Le Sabre—which had replaced the Special as Buick’s basic model—remained the company’s best-seller by a wide margin.
Retrieved from conceptcarz.com
These were some of the vehicles produced by GM in a frenzy after the marketing of all-new long, low, and finned automobiles by Chrysler Corporation in 1957, which significantly altered market expectations. Given the enormous lead-time generally required to tool up automobiles, it was quite astonishing that these cars were not delayed until the 1960 model year, and it demonstrates what happens when the world’s biggest firm sets out to achieve something.
The “Special” was renamed the LeSabre after a fantastic GM Motorama show vehicle from 1951 that was so intriguing that GM displayed it for many years.
The 1959 LeSabre was an intriguing automobile in its own way. It brought to fulfillment the designs for long, broad, low, and finned. The wheelbase was barely an inch larger than the previous year’s Special at 123″, but the vehicle looked completely different. Sadly for Buick, the objective had changed — again. Following the 1958 recession, buyers desired lower-priced and more efficient vehicles, and they flocked to vehicles such as the Volkswagen Beetle.
The LeSabre began with a 364 cubic inch Buick V-8 engine capable of producing up to 250 horsepower. Their huge finned aluminum drum brakes were the greatest in the market, but their effort in 1958 to overhaul their Dynaflow automatics with a new second iteration was a mixed bag. The 1959 fins, like the dual headlights, were “canted” and unlike anything else on the road.
The automobiles were only modestly updated for 1960, with a new concave grille flanked by twin headlights on a horizontal plane and re-sculptured body sides. A 300-horsepower variant of the LeSabre V-8 became available at an additional cost. Buick’s troublesome Triple Turbine automatic was dropped from the 1960 options list, but the better and less costly Twin Turbine automatic was kept.
Solid upper-middle-class people were eager to purchase these automobiles new, and Buick had lots of return customers after their enormous sales triumphs in the mid-1950s. Who currently collects these cars? People who have pleasant recollections of them for familial reasons, or who admire the style. Naturally, convertibles in excellent condition command a high price. 1960 automobiles are also worth a little more. Meanwhile, the 2-door hardtops are still stunning but reasonably priced.
Retrieved from conceptcarz.com
The 1960 LeSabre had a dramatic overhaul, with just the roof and trunk lid shared with the 1959 model. The new Buick had a concave grille and horizontal headlights centered by Buick’s then-new “Tri-Shield” insignia, which is still used today. The LeSabre and Invicta models featured three portholes, while the Electras and Electra 225s had four. Within, a revamped instrument panel included “Mirromatic,” which reflects the speedometer, odometer, and any warning light indications from an adjustable tilt mirror inside the dashboard for easy viewing while reducing undesired glare and reflection. A new two-spoke steering wheel with horn bars was developed, replacing the time-honored horn ring that was still found on the majority of autos at the time.
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