Buick Riviera

Glamorous Coke-bottle coupé represents GM’s greatest design era

FEW AMERICAN classics can match the original Buick Riviera’s mix of effortless style and luxury. But the Riviera has always remained a less obvious choice, despite the impact it made when it was launched. It’s not that the Riviera has ever been forgotten, especially in the USA, but it simply never enjoyed mainstream popularity like many of its rivals here in the UK. Adored by more enlightened enthusiasts (Octane’s deputy editor ran a 1963 Riviera during the early 1990s), the Riviera can be a stunning purchase today.

During the late 1950s, Ford defined this rapidly growing ‘personal luxury car’ class with the Thunderbird. It was a surprising success, and General Motors wanted a piece of the action. It started work on its very own upmarket coupé, the Bill Mitchelldesigned XP-715 ‘LaSalle II’ concept eventually leading to the Buick Riviera of October 1962.

When launched, the Riviera was powered by Buick’s 325bhp, 6.6-litre ‘Nailhead’ V8 which was shortly joined by an optional 7.0-litre unit. Standard equipment included potent power assistance for the steering and the all-drum brakes, and, even with twospeed Dynaflow automatic transmission, it would cover 0-60mph in 8sec and go on to about 120mph.

Based on underpinnings similar to those of the rest of the Buick range, the cruciform chassis was slightly shortened and narrowed and sat under an all-new, unique bodyshell. The all-coil suspension used double wishbones up front and a live axle at the rear, located by trailing arms. It was set up, however, to be lower and (relatively) firmer than any previous Buick.

The ‘smaller’ body (still 17ft 5in long) helped make the Riviera considerably lighter than other Buicks, so it was surprisingly quick in standard form. It would get somewhat quicker in 1964 with the launch of the Super Wildcat version, whose 7.0-litre engine gained a second carburettor and a power hike to 360bhp.

A facelift in 1965 brought concealed headlamps and the removal of some superfluous vents, smartening up what was already a very classy piece of styling. Some actually prefer the look of this slightly refined version. The new Gran Sport version was also introduced which featured the 360bhp engine, more aggressive gearing and uprated suspension. All models also received an updated three-speed GM Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission. These ultimate versions of the classic Riviera shape weren’t made for long, however; after 112,244 Rivieras had rolled off the line, the time had come for the second generation.

It arrived in 1966, with a slightly bigger body and an altogether different appeal. It went through various different styles, and despite a radical, and to some eyes interesting, ‘Boat-tail’ re-style for the third generation in 1971, later Rivieras never quite grabbed the public’s imagination as the original had done. The design magic of GM’s Bill Mitchell era had gone.

Early Rivieras have always had a following. Values have remained similar to those of the Thunderbird, but the Riviera has a load more cult appeal. For the money, there’s very little out there that can compete with a Riviera on visual drama. Find a good one today, preferably a 7.0-litre, and enjoy.