About a year ago, I posted a story called “Granny Gears” about my grandmother’s Chevrolet Beretta. I happened to come across a photo recently of my other grandma’s car. It was a 1988 Buick Electra Park Avenue sedan — an extremely comfortable car for any youngster to ride in. The above picture was taken around 1993; that’s my brother on his bike in the background.
I grew up spending a lot of time in the Electra. I specifically remember playing with the ashtrays in the rear door panels. Yes, every door panel except the driver’s had its own ashtray. Ah, the 1980s.
The sixth-generation Electra was built from 1985-90. It rode on the General Motors C-body platform. Engineering took a new approach in a few ways: The Electra was front-drive, transverse-engined, full-sized, and on a unibody chassis, as opposed to body-on-frame.
One of the magazine advertisements for the car said, “What could be better than an evening on the town in one of Buick’s finest premium American motorcars. Park Avenue is richly detailed and luxuriously appointed. Designed to enhance special evenings such as these in a way few other cars in the world can.”
For model year 1987, composite headlamps replaced the quad sealed-beam headlights. Exterior features included a hood ornament, chrome rocker trim, B-pillar-mounted opera lamps, and power antenna. One of the things I remember about the car was its clamshell-style, front-hinged hood.
The trunk lid had a power-closing mechanism, and its keyhole was hidden behind the round Buick badge, which would pivot to the side. The rear license plate would slide into a hidden vertical slot, requiring no hardware. So many fun Easter eggs with that car!
The interior of grandma’s car (different than what’s represented above) had gray leather-upholstered six-passenger seating. Features included power steering, power door locks, cruise control, lighted vanity mirrors, Delco radio, and digital gauges.
The real star of the show was under the Electra’s hood: Power came from the famous “3800” (3.8-liter) 165-horsepower V-6 mated to a four-speed automatic transaxle. The engine was praised for its longevity and smooth power delivery. It made the Ward’s “10 Best Engines” list multiple times.
All said and done, the Electra Park Avenue was a special car with forward-thinking engineering, top-rank luxury, and advanced tech for its time. My grandma was a classy lady indeed.
“If you really want the makings of a perfect evening, buckle up and visit your nearby Buick dealer and test-drive the beautiful 1988 Park Avenue. It may just be the best seat in the house,” Buick said.
