reminds me of our 81 Electra diesel. AWESOME car. 30+ mpg, ran all day. UNTIL the inevitable. My dad was a diesel implement mechanic so he had a love for diesels, but for all the GM engines he rebuilt (there were many ), he had someone else fix ours when it went KER-POP. He always wanted a Mercedes diesel or a small VW diesel.
It was likely the best car he's owned aside from the KER-POP and the Seville he's got now. The Electra was not as TACO inside as the PA.....the seats were attractive with grippy cloth and lacked the pillowy look of the barcaloungers in the Park Avenue.
Honestly, one of the niches that could make GM a leader again is to revive the big powerful v8 RWD diesel sedan. Think S-Class at a middle class price. The press would rehash old history but honestly, GM would have a lot of fans who would love a nationwide cruiser that would sip fuel at 80+ mph all day. Give it a 10/100 powertrain warranty to back it up. And this is one area where Buick could recarve a niche in the US. Imagine an S-class sized multi-displacement diesel large challenger that can exceed 35 mpg on a trip?
there was a sense of 'event' riding in the Electra/Park Avenue and Ninety Eight of this body style and era.....likewise with the concurrent Riv/Eldo/Toro triplets of this year. This was GM at the top of its game in terms of luxury cars. NO ONE wanted a Ford or Chrysler. These cars were what folks aspired to.
(Barbara Streisand singing 'Memories' in the background.......)
Man, I SOOOO want that car.......that and my 77 Century/Regal