Many consider the first generation Buick Riviera Series Coupe to be a design icon of the 1960s and one of the finest creations made under the legendary General Motors designer, Bill Mitchell, who replaced Harley Earl in 1958.
General Motors launched the sharpened Riviera on the market in late 1962 (as a 1963 model) to take on the highly successful Ford Thunderbird, which managed to compete but never outsold it in sales.
As was customary at the time, each year brought several design changes to the original chassis. This particular example dates back to 1965, which was the last year of the first generation of the Riviera.
The most significant design changes introduced from the 1963 model include hidden and vertically stacked headlights with power-operated clamshell doors, the removal of fake side trims and new taillights integrated into the chrome bumper, all of which are able to reach to give the Riviera a sharper, cleaner look than the original model.
This fully restored example on is finished in a Ginger Moon Dust color and comes with Buick’s 445 Wildcat engine and is a 325-horsepower version of the 401 cu.in. The (6.6 liter) Nailhead V8 takes its name from the 445 lb-ft (603 Nm) of torque it produced. The seller says he’s been 59,212 miles (95,213 kilometers) since new till 2011.
