1960 Buick LeSabre Flaunts Rust With Pride, Looks Every Inch a Mafia Car

The car has been under the current ownership for over five years. He bought it in July 2019, trading in a 1962 Buick Invicta Wagon. When he bought it, it was running and driving, but it came with a lot of issues. The absence of carpeting exposed rusty floorboards.

A customer in Philadelphia ordered the car as new through the Corleto Buick dealership in 1960. The dealer's name in handwriting is displayed on the rear end. The current owner repainted the original wheel covers, which had the paint peeled off. The whitewall tires are the ones the car drove with through the factory gate 64 years ago.

The new owner put in new brakes and also came up with an air ride. Now the Buick sits so low that it makes you wonder how in the world it even got there. He says it has been a pretty reliable cruiser. He invested money in it to make it more reliable and driveable. And probably for the heads turning every time he takes it for a spin around town, because one thing is sure: you can't possibly keep a low profile in this car.

The Buick is painted black, complementing the fighter jet-like silhouette, sporting chrome detailing. The rockers and fenders still have rust eating out at them. But, hey, look at the bright side. This car runs and drives while others like it are rotting away in barns and backyards. And that rust screams "patina!"

The six-decade-old LeSabre still has the original V8 engine
The doors have some scratches that one of the previous owners must have paint-sprayed to cover them up, but it was obviously a poor job. The scratches are still there, more visible than they have ever been.

The 1960 Buick is still powered by the original engine, a two-barrel 364-cubic-inch V8 with 250 horsepower, while the Invicta and the Electra came with the larger 401-cubic-inch unit. Back then, GM also offered a toned-down version with 235 horsepower, but also the range-topping four-barrel, dual-exhaust variant with 300 horsepower.

The owner considered converting it into a four-barrel but eventually decided to keep it as original as possible. He rebuilt the carburetor. "It needed it bad, it was leaking gas," he says. The water pump failed, so he had to fix that issue as well.

The car sports an aftermarket driver's side mirror that he paid 27 bucks for, because the original one was only hanging from a prayer. The trunk floor of the four-door sedan shows a bit of rust and huge storage space.

The cabin in red, white, and black brings retro vibes from the 1960s
The car comes with a colorful interior in red, white, and black. The attention to detail back in the 1960s was amazing. The "LeSabre" handwriting shows up on the vinyl-wrapped door panel. The Buick logo still shines on the steering wheel, but the chrome spokes seem long overdue.

The radio still works. The owner carved the shift knob himself from a piece of wood for some extra customization. He first placed it in his Invicta and transferred it to the Buick when he traded the wagon in.

The model now features a red carpet that looks lightyears away from the rusty floorboards and it is also going to need a headliner. The 64-year-old Buick had no factory seatbelts, there was still a long way until they became mandatory on cars in the US. So, the owner bought some on eBay.

The odometer of the LeSabre reads 50,277 miles (80,912 kilometers), showing that it hasn't exactly been a garage queen over the years. Meanwhile, the mirrored speedometer facing upward is scaled up to 110 mph (177 kph). Despite its age and all that it has been through while being exposed to the elements all those years, the Buick wears its crown with dignity.