There I was, minding my own business driving down the road like the honest, upstanding citizen that I am when this evil son of a you know what started staring me down. I was forced to pull over and confront my attacker and I am glad that I did, but it sure made me sad that I was not driving off with this big fellow on a trailer behind me. What you are looking at is a 1959 Buick Invicta four door hard top. Only 11,451 examples of the four door hard top sold that year, so this big guy is a keeper for someone out there.
While it may be weird to say, seeing the current state of this particular car, but back in 1959 the Buick below was very hot stuff. The Invicta was a factory hot rod by the standards of the day with a 325hp, 401ci Nailhead that had 10.25:1 compression. The Invicta model was released in 1959 to replace the Century series of cars and it combined the “mid-size” car with the hottest engine in the line up in an effort to appeal to consumers who were financially “on the way up” and wanted some zip in their respective steps. Stylistically these are some of the coolest cars ever made. From the slanted headlights that give the appearance of the most pissed of front fascia in automotive history to the fins which begin their growth at the front quarter window and stop at the tail of the car while jutting both up AND out at the same time. This look was for ’59 only because in 1960 the lights were changed to a horizontal design and the fins got tamed down as was the style all over the automotive industry. With all of that low end torque it was probably a fun car to stand on while pulling away from lights or rolling down the highway.
So now, here’s the question. How would you build a car like this? Would you simply restore it back to factory stock and go cruising? Would you take the Nailhead out and dump in a late model engine and transmission? Would you work the Nailhead (as much as you can, anyway) to wring more power out of it and slam a six speed behind that cool old engine? Would you put it on some big-ish wheels and bag it? Our combo would probably be a healthy combo of the three, plus there would be a blower coming through the hood.
Hey, we know this is a four door, but who cars? Four door hard tops are bitchin’ especially when they look like this 1959 Buick Invicta.
The car is there for a reason, its junk! IMHO, 1959 and 1960 were the ugliest cars ever made, doesn’t matter if it was GM, Ford, or Chrysler.
Just drive away and don’t look back!
Bag it on big steels (something like detroit steels 20’s)
Paint it, strip off some of the more unnecessary trim, bag and put it on some classy wheels. Maybe put EFI on the nailhead and an overdrive unit behind the trans. Cruise everywhere and not give a damn
looks link that’s zions in Middleboro
I’d paint it kandy green with Von Dutch style white pinstripes, air bags, and whitewalls. This one needs to be a cruiser.
Restore it stock appearing and put a modified nailhead in it. then go Chevy hunting.
^^^ this… but i thought there were two door versions… this one has too many doors.
lets see if i can get this picture to work… http://www.jims59.com/miscphotos/images/08Newport59Invicta.jpg
See? much better with less doors. use that one to supplement a two door build.
As a dedicated Buick Guy I’d take the “Car-Evil” 4dr and build it the following way.
Continue with the airpower theme and leave the body largely stock but I’d lower it and add an airdam, roof rails, tuck the rear bumper much closer to the body, and some other minor streamlining much like Sean’s huge by large “Coupe de Kill”. Paint it a deep dark green with an anthracite grey tail panel.
Keep the nailhead but do it up a’la Troy’s “Nailed” with much better internals. Instead of the turbos though I’m torn between a screw blower and twin TB’s being feed from twin rotax superchargers. Either way, EFI with water/methanol injection would be a given. I don’t like sticks really, maybe it’s because I drive in stop and go traffic or have lived places with lots of hills but I’m not really into the manual transmission thing. I’d put a 4L80/85E with a tight converter and as big of a lockup clutch as possible in it. Ditch the torque tube driveline for a 31 spline 8.5in 10-bolt for a compromise between strength and efficiency on a torque arm rear suspension. Front suspension would probably get a hybrid of modern design using GM’s original frame side mounting points. Older front suspensions “drove the tires around a point” with huge scrub radius’ while modern tires let you “turn them on a point”.
Interior would be a mash up of modern functionality with classic styling. Probably use 99-03 Audi S8 seats and something like TSB’s dash screen idea to keep the existing gauge structure but still get all the information you’d want.
Wow. I had one of those, thing was loaded with wild power options you’d never expect them to have had in ’59.
Still have the title to mine….no car to go with it. Those cars are beyond massive.
Make an Elcamino out of it, mount the body on a late model Silverado and use it to haul all my crap in style and comfort
Way cool… build the nailhead and go DRIVE that thing…..
pearl white shot over a silver base, white leather interior with black glitter vinyl inserts in the seats, 421 nailhead with efi, factory wheels painted black with a silver microflake, with spider caps and trim rings, full hydraulic suspension, shaved door handles and key locks, and a full custom painted patterned / paneled roof
Drop it on bags, with bigger wheels. Laser straight body metal, with a deep dark color, either blue or green. Burnish the stainless a darker shade, rechrome the rest. Matching dark interior with all the original fittings. Build a shatterproof motor out of the nailhead with a newer automatic, disc brakes and a killer sound system.
Paint it flat black, lower it to the max, steels with moon discs, twin turbo caddy big block – a smidgen of salt with my Buick methinks!