1957 Buick Century R | Riviera Package | Floor Starter | Classic Cars of the 50's

This 1957 Buick will knock your socks off! Even though it’s unrestored, this ’57 Century R is a wonderful example of a classic that gets some time on the road. Its upscale classic design certainly stands out, but what really sets this 2-door hardtop apart is the original 364cu.in. Nailhead V8 engine. This beautiful Buick Century R transports you back to the 50’s as soon as you hop behind the wheel.
Watch the full Devil's Run Car Show episode here - • Flame Throwing VW Beet...
#Buick #BuickCentury #1957Buick #50s
S13E03

[@pilsudski36]

Anybody who drove a car like this in 1957 was "King of the Hill!"

[@LyndaWhite-ju1gj]

What an American beauty.

[@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS]

I like this guy and his car... HE's no nonsense!

[@mistermusic140]

That car was born the same year as me but it's in a lot better shape than I am.

[@gringo4x4do]

This was a far better looking car than the 57 Chevy, you know, the one EVERYBODY drools over, not me ! Loved the full, open rear wheel well openings , and that Three piece rear window. My other Favorite 57 is Olds

[@1940limited]

I like them all.

[@MarinCipollina]

The 1957 Oldsmobiles and Buicks look so much better than the 1958 versions. Only Cadillac and Chevrolet didn't look worse in 1958.

[@aaronburratwood.6957]

This car is like an old actress, lots of original parts but the important stuff has been cleaned up a bit.

[@RossTrittipo]

What a gorgeous vehicle. Showstopper!

[@mikestang679]

Sofa cars are KOOL!

[@peloi111]

Gee, what a car!

[@richardmorris7063]

Cool color,Riviera used that belt line on the 70s cars.as a young boy in the 60s I couldn't wait till the new model yrs. came out,not so much anymore.

[@davidjenkins1958]

Same here, every September my father and I headed to the Buick Dealer.

[@richardmorris7063]

@@davidjenkins1958 yep,dad was a Buick pontiac man,the apple didn't fall far from the tree.I currently have a Cadillac & a Colorado.love em both.And if that new buick looks as good as what I've seen I might have to look!

[@davidjenkins1958]

@@richardmorris7063 same here, currently drive 2004 Buick Rainier, same as Chevy Trailblazer. Still love it after all these years.

[@hensleyshobbies-doug7761]

Absolutely beautiful automobile! Love the old Buick’s!

[@garenmcvay2695]

My father had a 57 Century, in Biscay Blue!

[@robbiejones4933]

The Chevrolet Buick and Pontiac tri fives are some of the coolest cars ever made

[@davekostka7151]

Growing up in a Buick family in Flint, MI, my Dad would bring home these cars as "company" cars. I can remember the awe as a child looking at the chrome exterior and interiors that were so beautiful.

[@happyraccoon4791]

Grandpa bought a new 1956 Century in this same green.

[@jakespeed63]

Stunning automobile and color combo. Riviera package included that 3 piece back window. Dad used to be a Buick man, back in the day. Love the ND accent..."don't cha know"

[@MyClassicCarTV]

Yah sure.🙂

[@frankgiaquinto1571]

Sounds very much like a Minnesota accent...

[@danielulz1640]

No such thing as a Riviera package, Riviera simply indicates pillarless hardtop body style. All Junior 1957 Buicks had three-piece back windows same as all 57 Oldsmobiles.

[@pault.mccain6637]

Wow...beautiful.

[@adriantomlin2902]

I drive mine too to every car show!! When they used to have them of course!! I still think you can spend some time under the hood and detail it like he has the rest of the car!

[@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS]

He'd probably say "You can... " then he takes it and does some monster donuts in the dirt turnaround out by his farm.

[@johnsebastianmontoya3697]

Looks lovely

[@larrykittell726]

My Grandfather owned a Buick dealership in the 50s. He said the early Buick V-8s had a problem with hot-start flooding and couldn't get people to floor the gas to un-flood the engine. So the engineers put the starter switch on the throttle linkage to force people to push the gas all the way down to engage the starter. After a few years they improved the carburetors to prevent flooding and the starter switch was returned to the key switch.

[@dflf]

Larry Kittell so only Buick’s had the floor starter?

[@frankgiaquinto1571]

Buicks went back to a key starter in 1961...

[@1940limited]

All Buicks from 1934 to 1960 had the gas pedal starter. They went to key start in 1961, probably as an economy move. That eliminated the starter vacuum switch and relay in the starter motor circuit. I've always thought 60 was the last real Buick.

[@1940limited]

@@dflf Packard had it through 1953, but I'm not sure what the first year was. Pontiac used it on big series models in 1937 only.

[@hotrodray6802]

Pontiacs had it too.

[@samuel4713]

A REAL BEAUTY 🥳

[@trainroomgary]

Congrats on the Buick - A fine ride from Flint, Michigan 😎 • Cheers from The Detroit & Mackinac Railway 🚂

[@terrygarvin1980]

Another great show, thank you!!

[@kennethwise7108]

GREAT JOB DENNIS AND CREW!!!

[@pissbridge]

Great job dennis and crew!!!!

[@joeschlotthauer840]

I wish someone would reproduce these cars and parts as much as the Chevrolet...

[@1940limited]

All buicks from 1955 on had 4 portholes, except Specials. They retained 3. In 58 and 59, no portholes were used. All buicks had the gas pedal starter from 1934 through 1960. I see this has an alternator, which isn't original. In 1960 Buick went back to 3 portholes in the LeSabre and Invicta, but 4 in Electra and Electra 225.

[@hotrodray6802]

Centurys had 3

[@1940limited]

@@hotrodray6802 Yes, in 1954. After that Centuries had 4 except 58 that didn't have any.

[@1940limited]

@@hotrodray6802 Yes, in 1954 only.

[@dukeallen432]

Wonderful car. Liked the two lines over roof going down between back windows. Nice vid Dennis, keep them coming. Cheers

[@bondisteve3617]

Thanks Mr. Dennis...love your stuff.

[@apachehalloween]

Not so sure for 57, but for 55, all series except series 40, “Special” had four ventiports.

[@erneststorch9844]

My first car was a 1960 Lesabre . It also had a nail head and the starter in the gas pedal. I pretty much hated the starter arrangement. You had a switch on the carburetor that connected to a starter relay in turn connected to the starter solenoid. The I had was I couldn't get a good enough contact from the starter relay. I could jump across two of the terminals with my keys and get it started but I had to lift the hood to do it. Very embarrassing for a 19 year old kid . I tried a replacement for a junkyard and didn't help much. Then put a brand new one from the dealer and it was definitely better but it still occasionally would do it. My next car was a 64 Buick and by then they went with the same type of setup as Chevy in the key. Never a problem with that one.

[@1940limited]

I've owned tons of buicks from 1937 through 1960, plus a few newer than that and never had any problems with the gas pedal starter. M last 37 had a starter button wired in. I found an NOS vacuum switch, installed it and wired it up and it worked perfectly. So I converted it back to gas pedal starter as new. I removed the button.

[@1940limited]

Te only reason Buick went to key start in 1961 was to save money - cheaper installation. No relay on the frame and no vacuum switch on the carburetor.

[@fernandoromero3724]

PRECIOSO!!!

[@bradcarroll3719]

That is the perfect 50's car! The lines, the styling, and Definitely the color. If it only had a 4spd manual, but I doubt Buick offered one.

[@dflf]

Brad Carroll Corvette didn’t even get a 4sp. Until the end of the model year. Buick just wasn’t that kind of car in the 50’s

[@bradcarroll3719]

@@dflf I thought so. I guess automatics just go along with Buicks and their cruiser design.

[@edwardpate6128]

Not sure about 57 but I know on 55 Centuries you could get a 3 speed on the tree!

[@frankgiaquinto1571]

The vast majority of these cars,I'm sure,had the Dynaflow automatic,but they could also be ordered with a 3 speed stick on the column...

[@JW...-oj5iw]

N.D. PEACE GARDEN STATE. N.J. GARDEN STATE. I think I prefer the former over the latter.

[@lashondatalbert8271]

This 1957 Buick looks like flo from cars

[@dflf]

Armstrong power steering

[@albertosalvi3617]

Ciao grazie per la tua bella Buick e fantastica piace molto anche in Italia io ho una Buick del 1963 convertibile motore cc 3500 è piccola ma bella io la tengo come ricordo del mio papà che lui mi portava a spasso con questa macchina meravigliosa io ero un bambino e ho sempre amato le auto americane e credo di amarle fino alla fine dei miei giorni ringrazio per tutti i bei video che fai ciao a tutti grazie buona giornata....

[@ron5935]

I learned to drive on my parents `57. All over green and Special, not Century, but had Riviera package. No idea what engine. Dyna Flow trans.

[@danielulz1640]

No such thing as Riviera package. Riviera simply means pillarless hardtop body style.

[@flatbeavergarage7692]

The Century's, Roadmaster's, and Supers in 1957 all had four portholes and the Specials had only three. Unless you have one like my 57 buick special riviera special estate wagon which has four portholes cause I added one to each side for the added length look. The Riviera was the designation for the hard tops........see a 1957 Buick dealer brochure. The Roadmaster and super were different in size than the some what shorter and taller century and special.....Why Buick did that is a mystery to me? Build two different models that look basicly the same .

[@craigjorgensen4637]

Very nice car BUT no power steering? I can’t imagine!

[@SG-sz5vh]

Floor starter?! Odd... my dad had a ‘56 and it had a key ignition

[@1940limited]

It had to have been changed. All Buicks from 1934 through 1960 had the gas pedal starter. I've never seen a 56 that didn't have gas pedal start.

[@frankgiaquinto1571]

Some people converted them over to key start.I had a. '54 Century that had been changed to a key start...

[@1940limited]

@@frankgiaquinto1571 I never understood that. I've owned more Buicks than I can count and never had any trouble with the gas pedal starter. It's not a Buick without it.

[@mikemullay5622]

The Riviera designation is generally accepted to mean the two-tone paint. NOS bumper ends on a '57 are as rare as unicorns. I love the three piece glass on the Century.

[@MyClassicCarTV]

Actually, back then Riviera meant hardtop.

[@1940limited]

The Riviera designation started in 1949 with the roadmaster 2-door HT. Big Series sedans with the longer wheelbase were also called Rivieras from 1950 on.

[@56Century]

Nothing to do with paint. Riviera meant hardtop at that point

[@mikemullay5622]

@@MyClassicCarTV You are correct. Either two door or 4 door.

[@HometownBuick]

Sorry, but there was no such thing as a "Riviera Package" - all Model 66R were Rivieras and had 4 portholes: www.hometownbuick.com/portfolio/1957-buick-century-riviera-model-66r/

[@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS]

Semantics...

[@rmacbobco]

Wow, I'm first

[@stevecarlisle3323]

The Buick Roadmaster and Super had 4 holes and a differant body than the Special (Century) had 3 holes. I would like to see factory info to back up this 4 holes on a century That was the visual clue to be able to seperate the body class . If so ,why would they change the program !

[@56Century]

The Century is the shorter narrower Special body with the Roadmaster / Super engine, dual exhaust, padded dash etc etc. 4 Ventiports from the factory

[@1940limited]

54 Centuries had 3 portholes. After that all but the special had 4. Look at any dealer's brochure if you don't believe it.

[@1940limited]

I once overheard a guy, looking at my 56 Roadmaster, explaining to a bystander that it had 4 portholes which meant it was an 8 cylinder. That's the kind of misinformation out there.

[@viscount757]

When the Century was reintroduced in 1954 it had 3 "ventiports" like the base model Special. From 1955 through 1957 only the Special had 3. All other Buicks (Century, Super, Roadmaster) had 4. The owner’s explanation, referring to the 4 ventiports on the Century being related to some "Riviera package" is wrong. There was no such "package". Riviera was the name used for all 2-door and 4-door hardtop Buick models then (no B pillar). No ventiports on '58 models. Model names changed to LeSabre, Invicta, Electra and Electra 225 in 1959 and again no ventiports .They were reinstated on 1960 models and the Invicta (equivalent to former Century) once again had only 3 ventiports like the base Special, as in 1954.

[@Walkercolt1]

Floor starter isn't stock. GM went to ALL key starting on every model by 1953. All trucks by 1955. And a '57 Buick had automatic choke standard. This "un-restored" car has been bastardized. Try showing it at a Concours de Elegance. You'd be laughed off the grounds. I'm 90% certain this car had "hands free" starting stock, but I'd have to know the VIN to check records. You put the key in the lock turned it to "on" and touched the steering wheel and it started. My Auntie Joy owned one. FYI, the 1957 Studebaker Custom had the first "key fob" starter . My elementary Music teacher owned a pink one. Good car, bullet-proof Continental in-line 6, Packard automatic tranny (three speed).

[@MyClassicCarTV]

Nope. The floor starter was used on Buicks until 1960.

[@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS]

TMI and ur alternate facts are suspect...

[@1940limited]

Wow! It's unbelievable how much misinformation is out there! This guy has no idea what he's talking about. It doesn't even make sense!

[@1940limited]

@@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS Maybe this guy's a bot. I can't believe any real person is this misinformed.