The Buick Riviera was designed to be a personal luxury car, something that was missing from the GM lineup at the time (depending upon how you classify the 1963 Cadillac Eldorado). The Riviera was one of the first projects taken on by GM’s freshly minted Vice President of Styling Bill Mitchell, after Harley Earl’s retirement in 1958.
The Buick Riviera was initially a car without a company, as it did not have a home prior to mock up. Chevrolet and Cadillac were both sailing along, so it was determined the new coupe would go to Buick. Introduced in October of 1962 as a 1963 model, the 17-foot-long Buick Riviera rode on a modified Buick Electra frame. The doors were designed to be hung and windows adjusted before the outer skins were applied to allow for proper adjustment and fitting of the frameless side windows.
The Buick Riviera could be upholstered in either vinyl or a leather and vinyl combo. It could comfortably accommodate four passengers. The front seats were buckets with a center stack that housed the radio and separate heating and air conditioning controls. It cascaded down to a center console, shifter, and continued back to house the rear passenger ashtray. The door panels each had a front and rear door handle, allowing the rear-seat passengers to let themselves out without having to trouble passengers in the front seats. The Riviera could be optioned with power windows, power seats, tilt-wheel, air conditioning, cruise control, power door locks, AM/FM radio and automatic trunk release, making it a truly luxurious car.
There were two engine choices for the Buick Riviera. The standard offering was the 401-cubic inch Nailhead V8 that produced 325 horsepower and 445 pound feet of torque. The optional Wildcat 465 V8 displaced 425 cubic inches, cranking out 345 horsepower and an impressive 465 pound-feet of torque.
Resplendent in Arctic White Acrylic Lacquer over Black Vinyl, this highly original 1964 Buick Riviera was just the second year of the new model. It is powered by the 465 V8, backed by the Super Turbine 400 three-speed automatic. It is equipped with factory A/C (converted to 134a), power steering, power brakes, and 15-inch wheel with wire covers. The engine bay is correct and complete. The interior shows light use and few signs of age. The cavernous trunk is ready to pack for an extended road trip. This Buick Riviera is available from RK Motors Charlotte for just $34,900.
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Comments
In that era, it’s hard to pick one model to represent GM’s best design work but the1963 Riviera is definitely among the very best and is often heralded as the true pinnacle of Mitchell-era cars which spanned his years at the helm (1958-1977) and covered cars launched between1961 and 1980.
The contenders in my opinion:
1963 Buick Riviera
1963 Corvette Stingray
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado
1967 Cadillac Eldorado
1968 Corvette Stingray
1969 Pontiac Grand Prix
1970 Chevrolet Camaro\Pontiac Firebird
1971 Buick Riviera
1975 Cadillac Seville
1977 Chevrolet Caprice
1979 Oldsmobile Toronado\Buick Riviera\Cadillac Eldorado
1980 Cadillac Seville
I wholeheartedly back your first 7. Numbers 8 and 9 are strong contenders.
I add to the list these beauties:
1965 GTO
1966 Skylark/GS
1968 GTO
1969 K5 Blazer
1970 Chevelle
1970 Monte Carlo
1970 Skylark/GS
Muscle alone isn’t the only reason the ’70 Chevelle SS is so highly valuable and sought after today; it was also the zenith of brutally handsome (terminally pretty) Chevrolet passenger car styling. Modern GM can’t touch any of this, but in all fairness nothing from anyone else can, either.
Everything but the ’80 Seville. I did not care for the Hunchback of Hamtramck.
Lurch,
The 1980 through 1985 Seville was built in Linden, New Jersey along with its E-Body cousins, the Toronado, Riviera, and Eldorado. The Hamtramck plant was built in the early 1980s to produce the 1986 successor cars, the FWD, transverse engine, downsized E and K bodies. As such, the bustle-trunk Seville was not, in fact, the ‘Hunchback from Hamtramck’.
I include the 1980 Seville on my list because, though controversial, it was Mitchell’s last work and harkened back to designs from Mitchell’s youth and to the Hooper-bodied Rolls Royces. It had flamboyance and an unforgettable design that GM has never again been bold enough to build. The Mitchell cars were never the proverbial wallflowers; they always tried something new and stood out. The 1980 Seville absolutely epitomized that ethos and to my eye at least, was a beautiful and remarkable design that is currently experiencing newfound appreciation and rising values in the collector market as a last of an era design.
I was going for alliteration, not accuracy with Hunchback of Hamtramck. Obviously, I disagree with you about that second-generation Seville. Lincoln’s copycat Continental was just as ugly.
IdiotBoy,
I don’t disagree that the1968 A-Body design, which the 1968 GTO, 1970 Chevelle and Skylark would be part of. are also excellent designs.
The hard part to me is picking just a few of the best designs that were the most significant or iconic. As I see it, pretty much everything GM launched from 1961 to 1980 was visually appealing; they ever built the best looking motor home (the 1973-1978 GMC Motorhome) to ever exist in this era.
The last of the Bill Mitchell cars were launched in 1980 to include the X-Bodies, the redesigned B and C bodies and the bustle-back Seville. After that, beginning with the 1981 J-Body and FWD 1981 A-Body, GM’s designs take on a more pared-down, somewhat European visage as the Rybicki era begins. All the design theatre and flamboyance that Mitchell instilled in his cars is erased by Irv for a more functional look. Since we’re talking about the Riviera here, the Rybicki Riviera of 1986 was a complete design disaster with none of the grace and elegance of the stunning 1964 variant shown above.
I would add the 1967 GTO. The grill was like a work of art. I also miss the J-frame. The 1985 Eldorado was the last best example of the 2-door and I miss those cars. I had a 1975 Grand Prix LJ, J-frame, and still say it was the best car I ever owned.
Now that was a real BUICK Riviera and a true luxury car. Later in the nines they became corporate GM cars unibody front wheel drive transverse mounted 3800 V6 and lost there appeal and identities like other GM cars.
Let’s not forget the 1967 Camaro and its sister car the Firebird. Oh, how I long for the days when cars were cars and pick-ups were made for actual work and farm trucks. The Minivan and SUV/CUV invasions hadn’t gained full steam yet and there were real designers. Yes, we had the Suburban, but they weren’t on every corner.
My best friends father was a Chevy/Buick/Oldsmobile dealer back then. He had a Riv and split window on the floor and I wanted them so bad, We would be there almost everyday until they were sold. I ended up buying a ’67 Camaro RS/SS when I turned 17 since I couldn’t quite handle the insurance on the ‘Vet that I had spec’ed out. Wish I still had my ’67, at least I know where it is and who has it with me having first refusal when he decided to sell it. He’s the 2nd owner and the car has under 40K miles it.
I remember my uncle, a Buick employee, pulling up in an all black Riv. At 13, that Riv and the split window ‘Vet made life long car loving impressions on me.
I had a definite love affair with the ’64 “Riverboat”. Fast, Furious and Indestructible. My very best friend who had enough money to buy one new, did. After 310,000 miles the 401 nailhead began to seep oil. A lot. He wanted the larger engine naturally but his wife wouldn’t let him get the upgrade because of cost. So he decided to put a brick on the gas pedal and let it rev till it blew. 15 minutes floored and it ran out of gas. The body and interior were immaculate so he kept it until he found a wrecked donor Rivera with a lot less miles.
This was in 1974. He still has the original. Last contact he still wouldn’t sell it.
Simply beautiful!
To me, the 1960s was one of the Golden Age of American cars (the 1930s was as well), and the first-generation Riviera (as its own nameplate) is one of the best of the best. It, the Lincoln Continental of that era, numerous GM cars, especially from 1965, were pinacle designs. To me, even more gorgeous than the Riviera is the interior. It ranks as one of my all time favorite interior designs, especially the wood-paneled or brushed aluminum console. buckets seats, and dash. It has the ambiance of an executive jet inside. And since the owner would be seeing that more than the outside of the car, the owner gets to experience the aesthetic beauty that passersby get. This car must have made the owners feel like a complete hero when they were new. I’d still feel like a hero driving this! A truly magnificent creation!