1959 Buicks in the showroom.
1959s in the showroom.
1959 & 1960 Buicks in the showroom.
1961 Buicks in the showroom.
Vintage Dealers: 1959-1961 Buicks In The Showroom
– Posted on September 26, 2024
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Curbside Classics Archives
The 1960 Buicks looks so much better than the 59. The 1961 looks even better
Big time!
Someone had to have been really drunk to approve the canted headlights.
It’s not even an improvement over the horrible ’58 front.
Often when I see these article pop up on here about old dealership photos, I eagerly scroll through to see if the old dealer I worked for will be there. It was (is still but under a new location and name) located in Dubuque, Iowa and sold Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Honda. Maybe someday.
When I started selling in 1988, I quickly learned that placing those beautiful new cars on the showroom floor was only done by “certain” people and there was a kind of art to doing it. A nice floor display makes a huge difference. Many years later, I ran the sales department in a Chrysler (Dodge and Jeep) store in a small rural town. Before I went there, the lot always looks terrible and the showroom, although small, was a mess. Shortly after I started, locals began to stop in who had never been in there before much less purchased a Chrysler product. They were stopping to compliment the way the dealership was looking and how the vehicles were so nicely lined up outside. It was nice to get those compliments, but even nicer when I started to sell Chrysler products to people who’d never considered them before.
My Grandfather was a Buick loyalist his whole life, he normally traded on a two year cycle but was put off by the 58 59 60 excess and went from a 57 to a 61 the recession might have had a little to do with it, but he was never pinched financially as a GE executive. He loved the Electra 225 when it appeared and never bought any other model after.
I really liked the ’59 when it was new, even had a big advertising poster on the wall of my bedroom. Now they look horrible!
I think the 1961 photo may be of some sort of sales training event. Everyone is looking at the new Special
That photo is of a dealership grand opening. It was taken inside of Wiethop Buick in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Below is a photo of the building’s exterior on the same day.
While it was a grand opening, it was really a change of ownership – a Buick dealership had existed there for quite some time (Clark Buick, and before that Buchanan Buick).
Location is 201 S. Sprigg St. in Cape Girardeau.
Local “radio station” was there that day!
I like the wagon in the 3rd photo. How would one know if this was a LeSabre or an Invicta? Either I guess would be pretty rare nowadays given how few were made of either (I’m reading about 7500 LeSabres and 5000 Invictas in 1960).
On a totally unrelated note, I’m always surprised at how much wood paneling shows up in these showrooms. Ugh…I almost always hated paneling and it’s one design/decorating trend that I am glad to see sent to the fireplace of history.
The wagon kind of jumped out at me, too .
-Nate