1995 Buick Riviera
The Riviera name first appeared on a special 1949 Roadmaster that made the history books as the first hardtop coupe, providing an open greenhouse with no B-pillar. Still, most old-car fans consider the Riviera to have been born in 1963. The 1963 version Riviera was designed to compete in the hot new "personal luxury" segment launched by the 1958 Ford Thunderbird four-seater. These powerful, intimate, well-appointed cars were selling well-92,798 T-Birds in 1960, a big jump over the 21,380 two-seaters sold in 1957. Style and flair sold cars in this market, so Buick design chief Bill Mitchell specified a "Ferrari-Rolls-Royce" look with a long hood and a short deck-aggressive, yet elegant. Thx to Csaba Csere from CnD for his help on this script!
For consignment, a low mileage, (30,545), supercharged, European emulated aero design 1995 Buick Riviera. There are a few faults on the cosmetic front, and it may be in our dancing noodle section of Classic Auto Mall, however the design and supercharger lends this luxury coupe merit to occupy our Hallowed Halls.
Exterior
It's an adventurous design in both profile and detail. The overall shape is relentlessly curvaceous, with hardly a flat panel to be found. Both ends of the body are strongly tapered, particularly in front where you can see just as much of the nose of the car from the side as you can from head on. The rear end also tucks in, though somewhat more modestly, to firmly grasp the full-width tail light assembly. From the side, the Riviera looks to have a touch of cab-forward design, with the greenhouse set substantially forward on the body. It also has the downward curving trunk line that Buick employs on the LeSabre/Park Avenue and that appears in more exaggerated form on the Infiniti J30 and several other models. The long, smooth curves of the Riviera's body are unusually free of cut lines and extraneous chrome trim. There's some brightwork around the grille, the taillights, and the side windows, but otherwise, there's only a neat body-colored trimming set into the sides. The full length character line that runs atop the fender breaks up the smooth flanks nicely. Platinum Beige Metallic bathes the panels which have well minded gaps. The body does contain some overall scratches and dings, as well as on the rocker there is an "ouchie" of pulled away plastic. The mid section 3 dimensional trimming has peeling paint, The wheel hubs look like the Weather Channel hurricane logo on the radar, and these wheels are a bit rough with some peeling paint on the edges and they have been curbed.
Interior
Buick designers continued on the same adventurous path when they styled the Riviera's interior. The only traditional touch is the large cowl that extends from door to door and overhangs the entire instrument panel. On the other hand, the new-look dashboard is flat, simple, and decorated far less than any other Buicks. Visual interest centers on the large, round, white-on-black instrument dials, the round warning-light clusters, and the round air vents. In fact, the theme uses 16 such circular elements. Except for a slight offset between the steering column and the main instrument cluster, the layout is symmetrical and coherent. The climate controls and the stereo system are easily reached in the center of the dash and everything is nicely accessible and easy to see. Some of the vast, plastic surfaces may seem uninviting in a premium car, but Buick has applied plush materials judiciously, ( like large grain walnut appliqu© peppering the dash and doors as well as the console), where they work to the best effect. For example, as the dashboard wraps into the doors, the facing material switches from veneer to soft plastic, and the panels near your elbows are luxuriously padded. The seats offer similar evidence of intelligent design. Their padding and shape were developed after extensive research into seating-pressure distribution, the goal being to avoid the pressure points that can cause discomfort during long drives. The back seat is comfortable and decently roomy for a two-door car. Two adults will find ample legroom and adequate headroom in the outboard seating positions, while the center position is best reserved for small fry. This rear seat is easily as good as any offered by its competitors. Beige carpeting is below and shows a bit of staining and discoloration, and above is a fuzzy beige broadcloth headliner which has a few wrinkles on the edge of the retractable sunroof panel.
Drivetrain
Under the hood is a factory correct 3.8 Liter supercharged V6. It has EFI and on the back is a 4T60E 4-speed automatic transmission, and a 2.97 final drive axle. Dual exhausts are on for the easier exhale. All fairly clean and corrosion free and considering how much cast aluminum no corrosion is a real plus.
Undercarriage
Underneath rust free framing and stamped floor pans are noted. No rust whatsoever is on this undercarriage. Independent Macpherson struts are on front, and on back independent coil springs for the suspension. Power disc braking is all around.
Drive-Ability
As I slipped inside it was luxurious in an American way, although it appeared as a European car would. It fired right up and off to the test track where it performed nicely with bias free braking, and good acceleration. The horn button is now on the dash, (which begs the question why wouldn't one just fix the damn thing?!), the ABS light is always illuminated, and the windshield washer has given up on squirting. Also noted the dash top is a different color than the factory original which could be a replacement due to sun fade.
A Euro design, some supercharging to add excitement, and a nicely appointed interior leave me with a smile as it is decidedly Buick, but with a European look. The dinner bell is ringing.
1G4GD2217S4711108
1-USA
G-General Motors
4-Buick
GD-Riviera
2-2 Door Coupe
2-Manual Belts, Front Airbags
1-3.8 Liter V6 Supercharged
7-Check Digit
S-1995
4-Orion, MI Assy Plant
711108-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
