The Park Avenue name originated as a trim level on the Buick Electra 225 toward the end of that car's days. When the "Deuce and a Quarter" was discontinued after the 1990 model year, Buick slapped the moniker on their full-size front wheel drive sedan for 1991, which shared the GM C-body platform with the large offerings from Caddy, Olds, and Pontiac.
The Regal Blue Metallic example in the photo is from the longer, heavier second generation of Park Avenues, which ran from the 1997 to 2005 model years before being discontinued and replaced with the Lucerne. They were powered by the ubiquitous GM corporate 3800 Series II V-6, which could be had in 240hp supercharged form if you sprung for the Park Avenue Ultra. The Ultra also got you some snazzy Ventiports on the front fenders, "Ultra" badges on the rear fenders, and a flush tri-shield logo badge on the snout instead of the stand-up hood ornament. By way of trivial knownledge, the base Park Avenues were the last Buicks sold in the US with stand-up hood ornaments.
Also by way of trivia, there was a third generation of Park Avenues, based on the Aussie Holden RWD platform that underpinned the Pontiac G8 and Chevy Caprice PPV, which were sold only in China.
It's interesting to me that they sold them under the "Park Avenue" name in China, although that name probably sounds as exotic in Shanghai or Beijing as naming a car "The Road", but in Spanish, does in Dubuque or Scranton.
This one was photographed in November of 2023 using a Canon EOS-1D Mark III and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.
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