Pleasanton Street Sighting - 1963 Buick Electra 225 convertible

Few cars have a reputation built on sheer size. The Buick Electra - the real one, not the silly post-1986 FWD version - was one of those cars. It was affectionately called the "Deuce and a Quarter" for its massive 225-inch length. These cars were luxury boats, loaded with chrome and convenience features, as well as what passed for "safety" items in those days like extra padding and warning buzzers in case the two-ton car's inertia proved too much for the drum brakes to stop in time.

This 1963 example is the rarest Electra 225 variant, the convertible of which 6,367 were built. I found it parked near a Goodguys car show in Pleasanton, which most of my readers seem to think is eligible as a street sighting since it was legally parked and unattended on a public street. Interestingly, Goodguys has since posted No Parking signs on this stretch of road during show hours. I figure it's more for increasing fairgrounds parking lot revenue than it is for safety.

With the exception of the headlight treatment, I quite like the styling of the '63 Electra 225. The rear angles are particularly attractive to me, with rear quarter panels styled so sharply that you could practically slice cheese on them, and taillamps set deep beyond those wonderfully useless bumpers. Clearly this is a car designed to cruise and not crash. The owner of this beautifully straight Bronze Mist barge has elected to add some elaborate pinstriping to the hood and trunk lid, a custom touch I don't particularly care for. However, the whitewall tires with chrome five-spoke wheels are perfect. It just needs a center cap on the right rear and someone with enough patience to find a good classic rock station on the AM band.