> THE RIVIERA I RESCUED
Curator’s note: Hemmings Motor News has nominated this plush Buick as “one of the most beautifully designed vehicles ever . . . a timeless benchmark of elegant automotive styling.” Send your brickbats to them, or, are they right? Another measure: back in the day, the Corgi Toys Riviera, in gold or blue, with tiny precious stones as headlights, was coveted by every boy and some girls on your curator’s block. The car: 1964 Buick Riviera
The owner: Jack Seddon, Barrie The story: When I was growing up in the ’60s my father worked as an executive with General Motors. He got a new car every three or four months, but never a Buick Riviera.
The Riviera was a very plush car, brought out to compete with Ford’s then-popular Thunderbird. It was introduced as a separate model in 1963, with its own particularly chiseled styling. The car was a hit, and GM sold 40,000 units in the first year. I spotted this particular example in 1996 in an ad on the cover of an antique auto magazine. It was in Sudbury, in bad shape; the previous owner said he intended to use it as a parts car. The vehicle had its share of rust, despite the fact the Buick had come from Las Vegas. But it had no actual rust-through.
Not much was done until about five years ago when top-to-bottom work began and now there are only a very few small items to be added. Otherwise it’s in almost-showroom condition. This car is equipped with a 401-cubic-inch engine with 4 bbl carburetor, factory air conditioning, and several factory options that I added during the restoration.
This past summer and previous ones, the car has been to numerous local car shows. In the winter months, when the roads are absolutely clear of salt and snow, etc., it is taken out for a short spin “to keep the juices flowing.”
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