1959 Buick Invicta, Buick’s all new car offering 

Dream lover/Bobby Darin

1959 Buick Invicta one of the most beautiful cars of all times. For me, 1959 is the golden year for American cars. Thanks Jay for this amazing Buick video. 🙂

I love this car. I love, love, love this car. When I was 15, in 1982, I bought my first car, which was a 1959 Buick Electra four-door, four-window hardtop with 42,000 miles. It was gleaming black with a powder blue interior. It had more interior lighting than the Invicta, and at night when you opened a door, the whole interior lit up in a dreamy blue blaze. It was absolutely epic. Regarding the size of the thing, when I bought it I was too young to drive it, so my next-door neighbor let me store it in one side of his two car garage until I got my license. He had a 77-ish Chevy caprice two door, which fit in the garage with no problem. But this garage, which he had built before World War II, was no match for my Buick. When I pulled it into the garage for the first time, he guided me in while my dad made sure the back end made it in. I had to bring the front bumper to rest against the studs at the back of the garage in order for the car to fit. Even then, the sliding garage doors grazed the back bumper when they closed. The car literally didn’t have a half inch of room to spare. I felt like I was the king of the world driving that car. It was sleek and fast and spectacular. This one is very loud, though. That low rumble that people love? that’s not supposed to be heard on this car. In fact it’s supposed to be whisper quiet, with two mufflers and two resonators effectively silencing the engine. I had to replace the exhaust system on mine at one point, and the amount I had to put out to replace all of that was eye-watering. Mine wound up in a car museum in Maryland, so if you ever run across a black Electra in your travels, it just might’ve been mine. Round one: I think you know which one I’m going to pick, and round to go to Dion and the Belmonts. Thanks for the walk down memory lane I enjoyed every second of it

Self energizing brakes are not the same as self adjusting. Self energizing brakes were drum brakes that allowed the shoes to wrap into the drums when they were applied, and gave more stopping power for the same pressure on the brake pedal.

What an absolute beauty. My God. She’s incredible.

My favorite Buick and body style 2 door hardtop, rear seat area is a little tight and upright, and the back window would bake you under the Texas sun, but stylish (we had a 59 Chevy in the sane hardtop body). My uncle next door had a 58 Buick Century black 2 door hardtop.loved that car too, but the 59 is a lot sleeker. Love the dash and instrument panel. Good restoration on the car. On self energizing brakes, only on drum brakes, when the pedal is pressed, the cylinder pushes both shoes out at the top until the leading shoe on the front side grabs the rotating drum first, rotating both shoes together until the rear shoe rests against the big anchor pin above the cylinder, forcing the rear shoe to grab the drum next multiplying your force on the pedal to stop or slow the vehicle down without leaning hard on the pedal even on non power brakes. This is separate from the brake self adjuster. Self energizing brakes been around since mid 50's, I believe with Chrysler corp cars. My Buick pick is the '59, cleanest style. I am not much on music before 1969, but I pick the Coasters playing "If I had a hammer" on the radio.

The moment that you drove the car, I was green with envy! Not only did you bring out the glory of the vehicle, you drew me right into the ride. Thanks for the video and the ride. Brought back some really good days.

All the 59 GM cars bring a smile to my face. The Buick leaves me with 2 memories. My second grade teacher had a 2 door LeSabre in dark green. When I used to do the Englishtown NJ auto swap meet, they had a car show on the drag strip. There was a guy who had a 59 Buick rag top in black with a red interior and top. The car was offered to Jackie Gleason after he did the "Honeymooners" show to stay on the "DuMont" television network along with cash, but he went on to CBS and eventually had his own variety show. He did drive the car around supposedly for a few days then gave it back. How sweet it is! BTW, I'd take the 60 Buick and the Coasters!

I think the reason there is limited legroom in the back - is the same as on the Volkswagen Beetle. They don't let you sit too far back - or the sloping rear windows would come down on your head too much! You have to hope for a shorter front seat passenger, so they could move the seat forward a bit for you! (Make shorter friends!) And I personally would listen to Bill Haley and the Comets, or Little Richard! I'm falling in love with the quality of this well built car! The Rose metallic paint is so right for THIS car, and so smooth! The shut lines between the panels is Rolls-Royce quality, the seats are so beautifully upholstered. This was built by people who loved their make - and sought to do it justice in every way they could think of! I wish I was sitting in it right now, but at least, (after midnight), I have been enjoying watching in my kitchen in London! Nice review!

Great looking instrument panel. Buick did a superb job with that in my opinion. Much better than the previous generation.

Damn…I completely forgot this model! 1959 was an unbelievable GM makeover year….love the new clean look. One thing that would improve in the 60s was the somewhat glunky dash that is still evident in this model.

One of my favorite body styles. A land yacht. I liked how the speedometer operates. One problem I ran into was when I had to change a rear tire. The bumper jack didn’t lift it high enough. Had to take it to the garage. So much suspension travel. Big transmission hump. Thank you for sharing 😊👋🐿

My dad had a 59 Invicta convertible he bought new. Grew up riding in that car which he later traded when he bought a new 1966 Riviera.

My Gawd!!! That car is huge! But it does look awfully sweet. Love the cleaner styling over the '58. Cool looking town too.

The 1959 Buick Invicta was one beautiful automobile. Would love a convertible! Thank you for the video, very informative, indeed!!

I love the look of this car !!! This to me should have been the real Christine ! A killer front grill !

I love the Invicta Jay, its one of my favorites.

1959 dash is exceptionally well styled! Today's so-called stylists take note!

That car is SOOOOOO long, I could shop at Walmart and the rear end would still be home in my garage!!! Magnificent car!!!

Well-done demonstration of this vehicle! I look forward to more! Thank you

When I was about 7 years old i remember hearing one of these well before I seen it as it was missing it’s muffler which was deafening and when I seen the car from the horizon that front end scared me and I had nightmares over it. Lol Today I absolulty love it! WHat an Example. Thank you so much Jay

Loved those Deuce-and-a-Quarters!

Just luv the 1959 Invicta! Thank you. Style-wise, the Invicta's front looks very masculine, almost overpowering. The entire design is sooo sleek!

Like that this car has no posts. Love the fin look front and rear. Really LOVE that dashboard

The GM line up 1959 was really beautiful !

The 59 Chevy had a wild rear-end similar to this Buick. 🚀 Thank you for sharing.

One of my two favorite eras of automobiles: the late 1930s and the late 1950s, the time of the tail fins. The main drawback of the latter era was that cars now were perceived as disposable commodities, one was supposed to replace their auto every year and a half. So, no thought was given to rust-proofing, assembly was just so so, and styling changed dramatically year to year. And to keep up with the Joneses, one had to have the latest style… and the biggest tail fin.

The car that I learned to drive on .😃

(whispering) "IN THE WILD..." 😅 you crack me up. Great review. 👏Growing up in a Ford family I never thought of any Buick as in the basement but I am glad you straightened out the model line up. 👍🏼I was always confused. 🙄

Love all wing cars ! Well done Jay

My uncle bought a brand new 1960’ Invicta soon before killing a guy who threatened his life. The car sat for 15 years at grandfather’s house. Interior was amazing but paint faded/oxidized. He got out in 1975’ and had a Buick, a 26’ ft. Yacht and $250,000 waiting for him. I hear he partied like hell till he died couple decades later. Family always said I remind them of him lol

58 Buick Special, my older bros first car was a 59 Pontiac, loved that car

When I was growing up in the 50's/60's (I'm 72)...I used to wash/wax our neighbor's 1959 Buick Electra convertible for pocket money. It was white with red leather interior. Totally optioned out. The car was like a cathedral on wheels. The 401 V8 was super smooth and torquey. Should have bought it from them....I missed so many opportunities to buy what have now become classic cars. That one took my breath away.

I like either one,the car depicted in ur video is simply outstanding.I always liked thesecars.

I love your enthusiasm for 1959 buicks my parents had the Electra 225 Robin egg blue. Wonderful car!!!!

When I was about 10, I had a neighbor that had a 59 Invicta. I thought it was the coolest looking car. It was very shiny and black with red leather. The grill and them angled headlights with the fins over them made the car say, " Get the hell out of my way"!

YOU KEEP BRINGING BACK MEMORIES FROM MY YOUTH. MY TEACHER HAD A CONVERTABLE BUICK AND I WOULD LOVE TO GET ONE, BUT I'M RETIRED AND CAN'T AFFORD ONE. IT SURE IS A BEAUTY.

Just found you're channel I'm gonna love it ❤❤❤❤❤

Great vid, beautiful Buick!!!! 😍 👍

I love the whole front, it just looks like it mean lol

Beautiful!

My Grandfather had one of these in a 4 door and gave it to my dad when he could no longer drive. We worked on it and painted it in a two tone green and my dad gave it to me for my first car when I graduated. I drove it to Ft. Sill when I was in training. The speedo went to 120 mph, and driving through OK, I had it maxed out and the speed alert was buzzing at the further most setting. Cop pulls me over and asks me about how this old car can be moving so fast. Wildcat 390, that how. He wrote me up for 85 because he said the judge wouldn't believe a car this old could go 125. It rode like a dream. The other soldiers called me Batman because of the fins and torpedo taillights. I love the gas tank inlet. Sadly, I sold it for a sing when I had to leave the base. But it was a beautiful. Those were good times.

Glad you got to drive this one Jay. 🙂

I LOVE 1959 Buicks!!!!!!

We used to have such a choice of models for each car, 2 door, 4 door, convertible, wagon. Now, you get an SUV in White.

My late friend Jack Moody had an Invicta, I think his was a 61. It was restomodded to a ridiculous level. It was in Motor Trend or Hot Rod years ago. It was silver and had an interior from a late model Caddy the color of cooked lobster. It was a spectacular show piece. RIP Jack.

The MOST Beautiful car design of the Fin era ever, period.😍

Note the chrome steering column. That was once an indication of a premium or luxury brand while standard class cars were equipped with painted steering columns. In fact it wasn’t uncommon for lower line offerings in premium class brands to offer lower models with painted steering columns and chrome steering columns in their highest models. You’re correct about the step into the passenger compartment. 1959 was the year that GM modernized their chassis to “WideTrack” and lowered their cars dramatically.

When I was 6, the neighbors across the street from us bought a new’59 Invicta four door sedan. It was a light blue. We thought it was a pretty amazing design.

I loved the looks of the '58 & '59 models. And they would MOVE OUT!!

When I was ten years old my parents bought a 1959 Buick. I don't think it was an Invicta but an entry level Buick. What I do know is that on our annual summer vacation to Montana it was in this new Buick with the powerful V8. I remember my Mom saying we were going a mile a minute. I needed to have that explained. BTW our car was the same color sans the white hood.

5:29 the 59 Buick was a great looking car and was also a great driving car.

1960 Invicta and everything playing on the radio with a smile on my face ☺️ 👍 Great episode thank you sir 👏👏✌️🍻

This car style has grown to me over the last couple years and I now love it. What fanciful headlights, and rocket exhaust tiallights! The fins are sedate yet stylish for the time. I would buy one for sure! That chrome grill - made of chromed steel, I'm sure- is worth the price of the car. Oddly shaped and arranged dashboard, but still beautiful. Love the 'fifites look. I'd choose the 1960 Invicta. Love the smooth aerodynamic hood and streamlined fins. The dash is cooler, too.

Absolutely one of the most Beautiful designs to come out of Detroit!!

59!!!~!!!!!!!!! the Coasters LOL Sweet Ride !!!!!!!!

Beautiful old Buick

Beautiful car 🚗

Very beautiful I hope to find one

I have just acquired one of those '59 Buick brochures so what a treat to see you cover this beautiful Invicta! What a wonderful colour it is too. Scott at Cold War Motors has two '59s - a 4 door sedan and a 4 door hardtop which peeked my interest in this model.

During the 1950s and the 1960s cars had style and class and looked like works of art. The styling of this 1959 Buick Invicta is really great.

You read the transmission quadrants not at all in their order shown. Love the exterior color…like a copper glow. The headliner looked to be the same material as the door panels…so not like factory.

I currently have a 1965 Riviera. This is one of my favorite Buick cars with its ‘Angry’ front end and those wings and ‘rocket’ brake lights. Beautiful car in my book.

The reason the backseat floor is low and the drive shaft tunnel is high is because all 1958 -1964 full-size GM cars have the X Frame. The Xframe allowed for the lower look. 😀

3:05 I remember seeing those grilles in parking lots when I was a kid and they always looked like typewriter keyboards. Similarly, that round fake hatch on Chrysler 300s looked like a washing machine.

The “speed alert” speedometer was a feature found in many Buicks. My dad bought a new LeSabre coupe in 1967 and it had that same feature. My 2018 Buick Regal TourX has it as well but it’s all electronic now.

My Dad's first American car was a 1959 Buick 4 door. It was black and had an automatic transmission. I'm not sure whether it was a Le Sabre, Invicta, or Electra. We had it until 1964. I only remember that it had "issues." On a trip to Yellowstone, the reverse gear disappeared and my Dad had to make sure to park so he didn't have to back out. The right rear door had a problem where it wouldn't close once it had been opened all the way. I can still viualize the nice grocery employee who would carry my Mom's groceries to her car having to fiddle inside the door hinge to get the door to close. My Dad switched to Chevrolet Impalas after that Buick.

The “typewriter” grill on the Buicks is beautiful to my eye. I had forgotten about the Triple Turbine Buick transmission. IIRC that lasted 2 years or so due to issues (it was fairly complex in design and operation). I’d have to take the 59 Buick because the interior/instrument panel are just stunning. The music choice? Can’t go wrong, I’d take all three. Thank you as always ~ Chuck

Simply gorgeous car no matter which model👍👌around 1970 my sister's boyfriend had a red Buick Invicta convertible, she's still got photo's of me beside it in dads driveway, at the time dad had a 59 Bel-Air 4dr hardtop , great video it brings back good memories of a wonderful time to be alive 😀 😊

What a beautiful automobile!!

The 59 & 60 Buicks, while their styling was exhilaratingly beautiful, they went to the used car lots for a brief time then very quickly to the Junkyards and sadly just as quickly to the crusher. The Luggage compartment didn't hold all our bags and stuff and we had to tie the trunk lid down with rope.

I would LOVE to see how a body shop repaired a collision damaged quarter panel or rearend on these cars back in those days! 🤯

1:53 "self-energizing-brakes" was a reference to the tendency of most drum brakes to use the force of the drums on the shoes to increase the force of the shoes on the drums, sort of like a mechanical booster. The action is similar to that of the "friction balancers" on some double-hung windows. The feature reduced braking effort, but tended to make the braking action jerkier and harder to control. It is one of the reasons power brakes were less necessary on older cars, even relatively big ones. So this was different from the self-adjusting feature that was already standard on most American cars by this time, and was added to VWs somewhere around 1963. PS: This "self-energizing" action was also use on early tube amplifiers to increase the gain of primitive vacuum tubes. Unfortunately, the "jerkiness" also increased distortion.

Great vid, as always. The chrome from the rear fins that end at front ‘appear’ to continue into the windshield lower molding and around to the other side to meet the other one. Thanks for your very nice vids……

I remember those cars. Pontiac had a similar look in 1959!

Gorgeous car!

Add a little Rake to that '59, raise the back by about 3" and it looks amazing.

The Invicta .. The headlights remind of Cherry's. The 58 Bucik reminds me of a lion( THE FACE). They are masterpiece 's.

So huge and the lines made it look even bigger.

The 59 Buick was an excellent design!

Wow! I just learned about that model.

I've always liked this model year of the Buick. Besides a cool name, I think this one has a nice sleek racy look. The front grill styling is so bold and different. I like the interior and dash design. I've never cared for the look of any of the '58 GM models except Cadillac. The other models just looked bulky and boring IMO. I really like the look of the '59, but totally love the '60 which would be my choice! I'd probably enjoy cruising along in it, listening to any and all of those groups, as well as others from that era! 😎 Cool Video

Nice car

Was 3 yrs. Old😮when these cars came out! I’m a Rockabilly guy 😅looking at a Electra 225 Vista(4drs. HT)in Sable Black 😊

One of the best features is the gas filler being right in the middle of the back of the car. That way you could pull in either direction to fill your gas tank. My 1965 Buick had the gas filler in the middle of the back of the car and it was GREAT! Love the close up details of your video. You missed the chrome Kleenex holder. Great, just great! I'll take the 1960 Invicta. I would be listening to Dion and the Belmonts!!!

58 Dion & The Belmonts, Man Jay That Car is Wild,Looks like a Custom Right from the Factory, I like the invicta too

I loved the '58 Limited. Less flash on the side.

Nice 🥰

My father bought a convertible new in 59, drove it until he replaced it with a 63 Wildcat. Part of the 50’s test drive ritual was to drive the car home, to see if it would fit in our 1 car garage, unfortunately, a mid 50’s Chrysler 300 failed the fit test. By 59 though, we had a new house, with lots of parking.

Very nice great car i was just lookin at the 1960 Buick LeSabre in the Go-Go's video Our lips are sealed. It was a cheap convertible rental in the 1980's they picked up for the videos

Hi Jay, from the first sweeping side shot, I can see a real design statement in the flesh, so looking forward to finding out more about this, I really like the cars you select, it's a really good mix. The still at 08 seconds is simply perfect as a side view of pure style, and what ever it was up against has been outdone I'd say. Your description of it being rolled out and flattened sounds just right. The windscreen is the same as the Cadillac, which is good for parts bin commonality, and the grill detailing is used by a Mercedes SUV, except in miniature. For this model's side view, it was crucial that no chrome trim wrapped the rear wheel, for the exact perfection of line. The interior mix of fabric and vinyl, colour and texture, are very attractive, with a look of hard wearing canvas or hessian. All interior appointments are very classy, and the instruments and controls are immediately to hand, with the only significant item missing, being the Hydramatic 3 speed for easier cruising and fuel use being the benefits. Although it needs to be said, that for a vehicle over 2 tons in weight, it really should be expected to have more than children seating in the back. As you mentioned the Viking headgear bonnet/hood design is no longer a pressing used in automobiles, with them now a single stamping of a very basic shape, lacking any detailing; which continues on the underside, where no supporting struts or structure holds it rigidly in place. (more noisy & prone to warping?) Jay, looking good in the Buick Invicta my man. Just cruising, the engine sounding at ease, and muttering under its breath, "I got you, I got you," Just in case you want to go to 'warp'. It suddenly hit me, that white wall tyres are an American thing, unavailable otherwise. They are a standout feature and without that detail the car would be diminished. 1. Buick Invicta 59. 2. The Coasters. Special thanks to the guy who gave a shot at driving this beauty.

That car looks like a custom out of the factory. I built a few models of it. Bubble tops rule!

Nothing beats the frown of the 59

As recently as 1970, if you started driving anywhere in the US, you would see a 1959 Buick within 5 or 10 minutes of driving.. I'm disappointed you did not point out the unique ignition key system used by both Buick and Chevrolet. From 1959 through 1962 or so, you could turn the engine off with the key and remove the key if you didn't turn it all the way to the lock position. You'll notice there is a flange on the key cylinder itself, allowing one to start it without the key.. a really cool feature that everyone seems to have forgotten about. Thanks for this one.

Most beatiful Buick Ever.

Looks like a mean, snarling spaceship 🚀

Great overview of a seldom seen Buick, Jay. I really like the color combination, and it was great to see it in motion. I'd take it over the '58 or '60.

No car has had quite the nostalgia hit of this one. My dad owned a '55 Ford so when this generation of Buicks hit the market they were SOOO different. My dad stayed with Ford, and our next car was a compact..a '60 Ford Frontenac (the Canadian version of a Ford Falcon with a custom grill), but 6 year old me (not understanding car prices) so wanted a Buick (or a Mercury Monterrey). 7 years later my mom bought a '65 Pontiac Parisienne, which sort of made up for it to teenage me. I'd take the '59 and I'd be playing The Drifters and Fats Domino.

Actually, the INVICTA was the model that took the CENTURY’S place . It was considered the High-Performance Buick…combining the smaller Special/LeSabre body, with the higher-Powered ROADMASTER engine. But , the INVICTA never really caught on…so it was replaced by the high-performance Buick WILDCAT an couple of years later. Here are the old Buick models , with their newer equivalents: SPECIAL- LeSABRE CENTURY-INVICTA-WILDCAT SUPER-ELECTRA ROADMASTER-ELECTRA 225.

I'll take all that Chrome on the 58 Buick Special while I'm listening to Dion & the Belmonts on my Wonder Bar am radio tuned into WLS 890