Original California Survivor - Impala style TRI-POWER - 47,000 miles - 1 owner

     

-401 cubic inch "Nail-head" with Tri-Power-

Ian and Fern Evans special ordered and purchased this Invicta Convertible from Bone's Hamilton Buick in Van Nuys California on June 15th. 1961. This car slept in the very same garage on Armstead Street in Granada Hills since the day she came home from the dealership until only a few years ago. Almost 45 years with the original wealthy owners. I have California registration cards from July of 1961 through 2004 with gaps occurring only during periods of non-use and all showing the exact same address since day-one. Sunny Southern California since new. The Evans Estate was eventually dispersed and the Buick went to a neighbor. I have some hearsay documentation that states the mileage reading as actual. Fern and Ian were already in their 40's when they bought the car new. As a true "Survivor". the car retains much of it's original components. Just 3953 Invicta Convertible's were manufactured in 1961. Twice as many Electra's and three times as many Le Sabre's were produced. Only the Invicta was offered in Tu-tone color schemes. The Bimini Blue and Arctic White exterior is largely factory original and very rare to find. The 3-tone blue interior is primarily original as well. The drivetrain has been serviced and updated as needed. I have been involved with 1961 and 1962 Buick's all 46 years of my life and although my personal collection consists of mostly GM products from the late 60's through the early 70's. my father's passion was these cars. His love for them transferred to me. I currently have 6. Yes. 6! In between my Camaro's. Chevelle's and 409 Impala. the Buick's proudly sit among them in my garage. As time has gone by. the Buick's now generate more comments and attention than the rest of my collection. Apparently. my dad was a man of great vision! This '61 is the newest member of the family and definitely one of the most beautiful. I have more than enough to care for and since many of them have been with me almost my entire life it would difficult to say goodbye. I need to find the Invicta a new home before sentimental value takes over and she gets a permanent spot with the others. Even when my dad was buying these cars in the 1970's they were rarely this rust-free and rock solid. The undersides of this car are spectacular. Every aspect supports a gentle and well cared for existence. The photo display below will finish the story but I will continue my long-winded written description under the upcoming photos.   

I will also make a few brief comments under certain pictures throughout the photo display. All of my eBay experiences have been enjoyable over the years as I've sold members of my collection. I'm grateful for the kind words and compliments I've received. My opinions have guided me well and I stand behind them but please keep in mind that these are my personal opinions and observations and they may differ from your own. I welcome showing my Cadillac in person to anyone with genuine interest. I live very near the Portland Oregon Airport and would gladly pick you up. Each of the 129 photo's show the car clearly and accurately from every angle I could think of. It is my intention to make this as close to you seeing and touching the car for yourself as possible. Feel free to click on the "ask a question" link here in the auction and I will respond to all polite questions. Phone calls are great too. My telephone number is 503-575-0404 and calls between 8AM and 9PM Pacific time are just fine. My auction runs for 7 days and is scheduled to end on Monday evening. the 30th of September at 7:30PM Pacific.  

I reserve the right to end my auction early in the event I accept a genuine offer and the car becomes no longer available.               

*If you are outside of the U. S. or Canada. PLEASE contact me to confirm your bidding activity as genuine. *

Everyone. please be sure to read my terms of sale located near the bottom of this screen. I'm a reasonable person but I will not bend on  these basic terms unless previously discussed during the auction. A little communication goes a long way.  
             

NO RESERVE AUCTION

I did not set a reserve price on my Convertible. All that I ask in return is for your bids to be real and your intent to purchase be sincere. I took every picture you're about to see 2 days before this auction started. No photo has been altered or enhanced in any way. This is my car and these pictures are true to her in-person appearance. Thanks for your time. DAVE         

 I have a close friend that is an even bigger Buick fanatic than I am. The engine compartment was already gorgeous due to the quality care she has always received but he took it to the next level. Under the hood is simply stunning. You could just about operate in here.   With the exception of a small front seat repair and carpet replacement in the 1990's. the interior is entirely original and in wonderful condition.  *NEVER UNDERCOATED* There is no substitution for a lifetime in Southern California and never being exposed to the elements. Garaged literally every day of her life. Light rubbing with a cotton towel shows the factory red-oxide primer everywhere I touched. The original undercarriage of this car is second to none. They aren't found like this anymore. Simply amazing. One hour with a pressure washer and light degreaser would bring the undersides to near new.   The rare factory Tu-tone option of Bimini Blue and Arctic White is a beautiful color scheme. A large percentage of the lacquer paint is still original. Absolutely no dents or damage and NO rust of any kind. ever! Under close scrutiny. very minor blemishes and imperfections can be found. Light touch-up's have occurred over the years and tiny paint chips and superficial scratches have been color-matched in just a handful of areas. With that being said. the car is beautiful. I have discovered no evidence of accidents and all body panels are original. She shows and presents herself extremely well. They are only original once. The slight patina to the original 52 year old finish is nothing short of endearing and adds to her authenticity of low mileage and always being loved. The exterior holds a nice shine and the car more than deserves every compliment it receives. Altering the originality of the car would be a crime. She is gorgeous just the way she is. Whether it's just a quick glance or thorough walk-around. she's a very pretty car in every respect.   Both bumpers. exterior stainless moldings and all chrome items are in beautiful condition.  Looking down the sides of the car is impressive. She is extremely straight. No waviness or washboard effect.   Pitting and tarnish are all but nonexistent.   Again. the original chrome and trim are incredible. The top of the rear bumper is slightly faded but still very nice.  The BF Goodrich wide white wall tires are new. even the spare.  She has NEVER even had a rust blister. pimple or wart!     Both day-one license plate frames are still in place. In fact. the Bones Hamilton dealership building is still there in what they now call Sherman Oaks. Both original Black California plates are MINT.    The entire grille area is excellent.    My favorite view from my front porch.   All 4 headlights are original.    There is another CHP sticker on the other side from 1971.    
       Even the wing-vent windows and their chrome housings are excellent. The rubber seals are still soft.  Stainless and brightwork are gorgeous.   2 small scratches.  Tail lights and chrome housings are near mint. Top of bumper shows slight fading.  The chrome side glass frames are also excellent. These chrome items are always pitted. NOT on my car.   All windows roll up and down smoothly with 2 fingers.  The Convertible top is new. The original was getting brittle from age. The power top motor and lines were gone through. A little lazy at times but always goes up and down just fine.   Stunning car even with the top up.      Top is PERFECT.     They are rarely found like this anymore. Interior chrome and brightwork are very nice and the steering wheel is mint. Some light aging on a few of the knobs but in excellent original condition.    These small blems on the side panel occurred when the back seat was removed to rebuild the power top components. Of course. no one fessed up.  Original door panels are outstanding. These items are not reproduced.   The plastic covers still protected the seats until a few years ago. The front seat had just a little edge wear so I had it repaired. The shiny darker area is from Fern's butt sliding in and out.   The dashboard is excellent. With the exception of the factory clock. absolutely everything on the entire car works. All lights. gauges. idiot lights. speedometer. heater blower. wipers. horn and even the radio plays perfectly. Even the back-up lights work. I had the windshield wiper system rebuilt. Also. the fuel gauge and related systems were gone through so that the reading would be accurate. It is! Full to empty is spot-on.  Original dash pad is MINT.  Yep. it tunes in stations clearly.  I only looked away from the road for a second. The speedometer functions smoothly.  As disclosed previously. mileage has been stated as actual by the Estate and the neighbor that acquired the car. Be that as it may. I do not have what I would consider "iron-clad" proof of this claim. Therefore. I am simply providing information that was passed on to me.    The steering wheel is spectacular.   Have you ever seen a nicer door jamb? Never repainted.      This is a little out of order but I almost forgot to show the insides of the Convertible top and it's framing. bows. etc. All excellent. of course.   Trunk light.  Never touched. Simply 52 years old. always dry and 100% solid.  It broke my heart to pull these areas back but I had to show how nice the trunk is. Spray adhesive will put it back in place.    NOT rust. Car has no rust. The original paint has flaked away exposing the primer and matting glue. Below. I provide an underside view of the trunk pan. It is gorgeous.     Correct "Wildcat 445". That's how Buick designated the 401 cubic inch engine. I know. it confuses everyone. The 445 rating relates to foot pounds of torque. My dad would be proud of my memory.  I have personally seen the internals of the engine with the valve covers removed. You can eat off the insides. No sludge build-up of any kind. In all honestly. it looks shiny new inside like it just came out of the box. The rocker assembly. etc. appears as if it was put together yesterday. I have no explanation for this.    Even all of the factory original wiring looks like the car is 5 years old. Just another amazing thing about this car.  Factory power steering and power brakes. The brakes were completely gone through and stop on a dime.      The heater core has been replaced. The heater will roast you out of the car if desired.   All Tri-Power linkage is in proper working order and operates smoothly with just your big toe on the accelerator pedal.  Mechanically. she's a sweetheart. Always starts easily and performs well. No ticks. misses. hesitations or vibrations. She's an older lady. not a hotrod. so I treat her with respect. I have stood on the gas pedal just once to verify the correct operation of all 3 carburetors. Um. yes. they come alive as intended. Tune-up components. etc. are new. I also had the Dyna-flow transmission serviced with new fluid and filter. Tires are battery are new. Brakes have been gone through and all suspension components feel tight and sound. She drives and handles as she should and is a joy to sit behind the wheel of. Nevertheless. she's 52 years old. Please expect repairs and service due to her vintage and continue the care she's obviously always received.     Front and rear carburetors engage correctly with appropriate throttle. The electric choke is also in proper working order and the car starts easily when cold with just the right idle speed.    These markings have nothing to do with the year 2006. These are factory assembly line markings from 1961.       Every square inch of the undersides is outstanding. That red line in the trunk pan is where I rubbed a clean spot to show how incredible it is.  Everything is smooth. There isn't even any rust scale or surface crud. It's simply smooth and gorgeous everywhere I lightly cleaned with a cotton rag.    Again. this was very. very little effort. Light wiping with a rag is all that I did to expose the gorgeous undercarriage. Making the undersides look near new will be an easy and rewarding task.    Backsides of both rear quarter panels are beautiful as I'm sure we all expect by now.  Even the body mount rubbers are fully intact.  This technicians writing from May 23rd. 1976 was horrible. The mileage is 35771. Yes. his 3's look like 8's but look at the S. A. E. There is no such thing as 10/80. It's 10/30. Based on the documentation I have. the car sat untouched for part of the later 60's and from 1984 to 1989 and then again from 1991 to 2002. In any case. she was used gently and sparingly all 52 years of her life.   Assembled at the Southgate California plant.    Among the records I have is the first service at 1000 miles. All of these original books and manuals are like new.  Mr. and Mrs. Evans kept the registration cards in one envelope. That envelope is definitely from the 60's. The oldest is 1961. The newest is 2004.  The brochure is from 1961 and in perfect shape. I'm hoping that your impression of the car is clear at this point. I apologize for the abundance of photos and comments. It's just such an easy car for me to get excited about. I don't think I left any stone un-turned or forgot to share anything pertinent. But. still feel free to contact me for any further clarification or to just discuss the car. Thanks again-____________________________________________________________  

 Terms of Sale: 52yr old vehicle being sold AS-IS:

Please read and agree with the following:

I have described my Buick Convertible honestly and to the best of my ability based on 25 years of owning and driving classic cars. This is a rare and nice car but certainly not perfect. I have faith in the drivability of my car. I enjoy driving this car without concern but she is a 52 year old vintage automobile and as such. routine service and repairs should be expected based on her age. If you are not comfortable with a sight-unseen purchase. please come see the car for yourself or have an independent inspection performed  PRIOR to bidding. I will not be responsible for the decisions of others. I have the free and clear Washington Certificate Of Title in my possession.  I would appreciate the winning bidder contacting me immediately upon end of auction just so the lines of communication are opened.  My telephone number is 503-575-0404

PAYMENT TERMS
A $1000. 00 deposit is due within 24 hours of auction ending preferably through PayPal just so we are both protected. Wire transfers and verifiable cashier checks are also acceptable. I'm an easy going person so if you need to make special financial arrangements please contact me BEFORE you bid and I'll try to help.  I have been with the same bank here in Portland Oregon for over 9 years and the Management staff knows me. You are welcome to contact them for your own security if you like. *The remaining balance in-full is due within 7 calendar days of auction end in the form of secure funds. * Some banks and credit unions do not finance vehicles of this vintage. Make sure if you are financing that your financial institution accepts the year and value of this vehicle before bidding and that my payment time-lines can be met. Please have your method of payment arranged prior to auction ending.

TRANSPORT - SHIPPING

I am happy to be an active and hands-on part of this entire process from start to finish but the buyer is ultimately responsible for pickup or shipping of this vehicle and any pre-purchase inspections need to be done BEFORE auction ending. If you wish to have it shipped using a service. I will gladly assist in loading and be present for the transport condition form and other reasonable help. Locating a transporter is the buyers responsibility but I can make recommendations and share the relationships I've built. Vehicle transport has become very reasonable.  I personally use a privately dispatched trucking company. They have handled my transport needs perfectly for the last several years with careful handling. excellent rates and fast service even all the way to the East Coast. I will provide contact info at your request. Dependable Auto Shippers (D. A. S. ) is a transporter that eBay recommends and my experiences with them before I started using only private carriers were just fine. My location zip code is 97214. Coast-to-Coast transport is around $1200. 00 and even less the closer you are to Oregon. Shipping to Australia. Europe and other Countries has also become affordable and easy to arrange.

*If you are outside of the United States or Canada. you  MUST contact me to confirm your bidding activity as genuine. * If you are an eBay member with negative history or have a (0) or even a low transaction score. nbsp;I need to hear from you just to verify your sincerity and accept your bids as genuine. We all started from (0) and I'm happy to give a leg up. I reserve the right to cancel bids at any point for these reasons. Email or phone contact is fine. Communication is all I ask.

I reserve the right to end the auction at any time if the vehicle is no longer available or otherwise SOLD.

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